Edward Knott, real name Matthew Wilson (1582–1656) was an English

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

controversialist, twice provincial of the Society of Jesus in England.

Life

He was born at Catchburn in the parish of Morpeth,

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

, After studying humanities in the college of the English Jesuits at St. Omer. he was on 10 October 1602 admitted an alumnus of the

English College at Rome The Venerable English College (), commonly referred to as the English College, is a Catholic seminary in Rome, Italy, for the training of priests for England and Wales. It was founded in 1579 by William Allen on the model of the English College ...

, under the assumed same of Edward Knott, which he retained through life. He was ordained priest on 27 March 1606. He entered the Society of Jesus on 2 October the same year, and upon the expiration of his novitiate in 1608 he was appointed penitentiary in Rome. For some time he was prefect of studies in the English College. He was raised to the rank of a professed father of the Society of Jesus on 30 September 1618. During 1626 he was a missioner in the

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

district. He was apprehended in 1629, and was committed to the

Clink prison The Clink was a prison in Southwark, England, which operated from the 12th century until 1780. The prison served the Liberty of the Clink, a local manor area owned by the Bishop of Winchester rather than by the reigning monarch. As the Liber ...

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, but at the instance of queen Henrietta Maria's mother, Marie de' Medici, he was released and banished in January 1632 (''ODNB''). In 1633 he served in the London district, acting as vice-provincial to Richard Blount; in 1636 he was, in the same district, vice-provincial to

Henry More Henry More (; 12 October 1614 – 1 September 1687) was an English philosopher of the Cambridge Platonists, Cambridge Platonist school. Biography Henry was born in Grantham, Grantham, Lincolnshire on 12 October 1614. He was the seventh son of ...

, whom he succeeded as provincial of the English province in 1643. In that capacity he assisted at the eighth general congregation of the Society of Jesus, held in November 1645. Soon afterwards he returned to the English mission, and thenceforward resided for the most part in London. He was reappointed provincial on 23 March 1653, in succession to Father Francis Foster. He died in London on 4 January (O.S.) 1655–6, and was buried the next day in St. Pancras Church.

Works

His works are: * ''A Modest Briefe Discussion of some points taught by M. Doctour Kellison, in his Treatise of the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy'', Rouen, 1630. It appeared in Latin, Antwerp, 1631. This work against

Matthew Kellison Matthew Kellison ( – 21 January 1642) was an English Roman Catholic theologian and controversialist, and a reforming president of the English College, Douai. Life Born about 1560 at Harrowden, Northamptonshire, he was son of a servant and t ...

, which relates to the disputes between the secular and regular clergy, was published under the pseudonym of Nicholas Smith, and was composed by Knott in the Clink prison. Another reply to Kellison was published by Father John Floyd, and both these works were censured by the

archbishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created i ...

30 January 1631, and by the Sorbonne 15 February 1631. Knott was attacked by an anonymous writer in a work entitled ''A Reply to M. Nicholas Smith, his Discussion of some pointes of M. Doctour Kellison his Treatise of the Hierarchie. By a Divine'', Douay, 1630. A.B. justified Knott in ''A Defence of N. Smith against a Reply to his Discussion'', &c., 1630. On 9 May 1631

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

issued the brief ''Britannia'', in which he lamented the divisions sown among the English Catholics, and commanded them to cease. But the controversy continued until the issue of

Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

's brief dated 19 March 1633. * ''Charity Mistaken, with the want whereof Catholickes are unjustlv charged, for affirming as they do with grief, that Protestancy unrepented destroyes Salvation'' ondon 1630. This was answered by Christopher Potter in his ''Want of Charity justly charged'', Oxford, 1633; 2nd edit. 1634. * ''Mercy and Truth, or Charity maintayned by Catholykes'', a reply to Potter

t. Omer T, or t, is the twentieth letter of the English alphabet. T may also refer to: Codes and units * T, Tera- as in one trillion * T, the symbol for "True" in logic * T, the usual symbol for period, the reciprocal of frequency * T, the symbol ...

1634.

William Chillingworth William Chillingworth (12 October 160230 January 1644) was a controversial English churchman. Early life He was born in Oxford, where his father served as mayor; William Laud was his godfather. In June 1618 he became a scholar of Trinity Colleg ...

subsequently replied to the first part of this work in ''The Religion of Protestants'', 1638. * ''A Direction to be observed by N. N. illiam Chillingworthif hee means to proceeds in answering the booke entitled "Mercy and Truth'', London, 1636. Knott, who had heard of Chillingworth's intention to reply to ''Mercy and Truth'', here sought to put his adversary out of court by accusing him of

Socinianism Socinianism ( ) is a Nontrinitarian Christian belief system developed and co-founded during the Protestant Reformation by the Italian Renaissance humanists and theologians Lelio Sozzini and Fausto Sozzini, uncle and nephew, respectively. ...

. * ''Christianity Maintained; or, A Discouery of sundry Doctrines tending to the Ouerthrowe of Christian Religion: Contained in the Answere to a Booke entituled, "Mercy and Truth"''

1638, (anon.) The dedication to Charles I is signed I. H. * ''Infidelity Unmasked, or the Confutation of Chillingworth's "Religion of Protestants,"'' Ghent, 1652.

Thomas Smith (translator and controversialist) Thomas Smith (c. 1624 - 27 Sept 1661) was an English scholar, translator, and controversialist, fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, and University Librarian from 1659 to his death. Life He was the son of Thomas Smith, born in London in 1623 or ...

replied to this in ''The Judgment of an University-man concerning Mr. Knot's last book against Mr. Chillingworth'' (a preface to his translation of

Jean Daillé Jean Daillé (; Dallaeus; 6 January 1594 – 15 April 1670) was a French Huguenot minister and Biblical commentator. He is mentioned in James Aitken Wylie's ''History of Protestantism'' as author of an ''Apology for the French Reformed Churches' ...

's ''Apologia for the Reformed Churches'', Cambridge, 1653), described by Knott himself as a "witty, erudite, and solid work". * ''Protestancy Condemned by the expressed verdict and sentence of Protestants'' (anon.), Douay, 1664. * ''Monita utilissima pro patribus Missionis Anglicanae.'' Never printed.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knott, Edward 1582 births 1656 deaths 17th-century English Jesuits 17th-century English writers 17th-century English male writers People from Morpeth, Northumberland