Stephen Nye (1648–1719) was an English clergyman, known as a theological writer and for his Unitarian views.

Life

Son of John Nye, he graduated B.A. at

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

in 1665. He became rector of

Little Hormead Little Hormead is a village in the civil parish of Hormead, in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, ENgland. It is a few miles away from the small town of Buntingford and near the village of Great Hormead. In 1931, the ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

in 1679. Thomas Firmin was a close associate.

Works

* ''A brief history of the Unitarians, called also Socinians: in four letters, written to a friend'' (published anonymously at London in 1687, expanded 1691). * ''A letter of resolution concerning the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation'', London, 1691. * ''Considerations on the explications of the doctrine of the Trinity by Dr. Wallis, Dr. Sherlock, Dr. S-th, Dr. Cudworth, and Mr. Hooker lectronic resource: as also on the account given by those that say the Trinity is an unconceivable and inexplicable mystery / written to a person of quality'', London, 1693. Although the term “Unitarian” was already known in England from the Latin '' Library of the Polish Brethren called Unitarians'' published in Amsterdam (1665-1668), and had been used in print before by Henry Hedworth (1673), Nye's book gave the term wider currency in English among

antitrinitarian Nontrinitarianism is a form of Christianity that rejects the orthodox Christian theology of the Trinity—the belief that God is three distinct hypostases or persons who are coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one being, or essence ...

believers, and set off the Unitarian controversy. Nye distinguished Unitarian views from those of

Arius Arius (; ; 250 or 256 – 336) was a Cyrenaica, Cyrenaic presbyter and asceticism, ascetic. He has been regarded as the founder of Arianism, which holds that Jesus Christ was not Eternity, coeternal with God the Father, but was rather created b ...

(

Arian Arianism (, ) is a Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is considered he ...

views) and

Fausto Sozzini Fausto Paolo Sozzini (; ; 5 December 1539 – 4 March 1604), often known in English by his Latinized name Faustus Socinus ( ), was an Italian Renaissance humanist and theologian, and, alongside his uncle Lelio Sozzini, founder of the Nontrinit ...

(

Socinian 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. I ...

views). He called

William Sherlock William Sherlock (c. 1639/1641June 19, 1707) was an English church leader. Life He was born at Southwark, the son of a tradesman, and was educated at St Saviour's Grammar School and Eton, and then at Peterhouse, Cambridge. In 1669 he became ...

tritheist Tritheism (from Greek τριθεΐα, "three divinity") is a polytheistic Polytheism is the belief in or worship of more than one Deity, god. According to Oxford Reference, it is not easy to count gods, and so not always obvious whether an appa ...

, Robert South a

, and

John Wallis John Wallis (; ; ) was an English clergyman and mathematician, who is given partial credit for the development of infinitesimal calculus. Between 1643 and 1689 Wallis served as chief cryptographer for Parliament and, later, the royal court. ...

a Sabellian. He faced much opposition from orthodox Anglicans, but had an ally in William Freke.

Thomas Tenison Thomas Tenison (29 September 163614 December 1715) was an English church leader, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 until his death. During his primacy, he crowned two British monarchs. Life He was born at Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, the son a ...

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

from 1695, discouraged those who wanted to continue the debate. Nye wrote also on natural religion; he corresponded with Henry Hedworth and published some of those letters. Andrew Pyle (editor), ''Dictionary of Seventeenth Century British Philosophers'' (2000), article on Nye, pp. 615-6.

Notes

External links

''The Trinitarian Controversy, 1690-1750''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nye, Stephen 1648 births 1719 deaths 17th-century English Anglican priests 18th-century English Anglican priests English theologians