James Ussher
James Ussher (also Usher) ( born January 4, 1581 Dublin, † March 21, 1656 in Reigate, Surrey ) was an Irish Anglican theologian and author of a variety of theological and historical works. Most famous among them is his world history in which the creation time is dated October 23, 4004 BC.
Life
Ussher was born into a wealthy Anglo- Irish family. He was a gifted linguist and became effective on January 9, 1594 at the age of thirteen years in the only recently ( 1592) founded Trinity College in Dublin one. He took his degree there in 1600 and received his degree in 1601 as a master. In 1602, he was replaced by his uncle, Henry Ussher ordained Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, at the chapel of Trinity College as a deacon and priest.
In the following years he became a Fellow (College member) and in 1607 professor of theology and two-time Vice-Chancellor of Trinity College, in the years 1614 and 1617th He published in 1615 his 104 Irish products, with which he tried to mediate between the Anglican and Calvinist direction. 1621 he was appointed Bishop of Meath and appointed in 1625 by James I to the Archbishop of Armagh. With this office he was accompanied Primate of Ireland, that is, head of the Protestant Church of Ireland, then as now a highly contentious position on the island predominantly Catholic. He took as many of his contemporaries, a strongly anti-Catholic attitude and frequently voiced accusations against Catholics. For example, his 1626 published writing Judgement of the Arch - Bishops and Bishops of Ireland begins ( " judgment of the archbishops and bishops of Ireland " ) as follows:
" The religion of the Papists is superstitious and idolatrous; Their faith and doctrine erroneous and heretical; Their church [ ... ] apostatical; to give them THEREFORE a toleration, or to consent thatthey june freely exercise Their religion [ ... ] is a grievous sin. "
" The religion of the Papists is superstitious and idolatrous; their faith and doctrine erroneous and heretical; their church [ ... ] apostatisch; to meet them bring forbearance or to agree to the free exercise of their religion, [ ... ] is therefore a grave sin. "
Ussher led extensive debates with Catholic theologians and urged to take strong measures against Irish Catholics. The usual image of Ussher shows him as a slightly unworldly scholar, who was a best, mediocre politicians and administrators. In fact, he was a bishop and archbishop of perfect effectiveness, and his scholarship earned him a considerable reputation in political circles.
The last sixteen years of his life in England Ussher. He had traveled there in 1640 and could not return back to Ireland as a result of the Catholic uprising in Ireland ( 1641), the English Civil War (1642 ) and the establishment of the Commonwealth government of Oliver Cromwell (from 1649). He was appointed in 1641 to the Bishop of Carlisle, and was from 1643 a member of the Westminster Synod. Although he was courted by the Parliament, he remained during the Civil War on the side of King Charles I and thus fell out of favor with Cromwell. He died in 1656 at the age of 75 years and received his royalist convictions despite a state funeral in Westminster Abbey.
Works
The best-known works are his Ussher's Annales veteris testamenti, a prima mundi origine deducti ( Annals of the Old Testament, deduced from the earliest beginnings of the world), which he published in 1650. It established what is now known as the Ussher - Lightfoot Calendar calendar, which is based solely on biblical passages. After that, the act of creation took place in 4004 before the birth of Christ on the eve of the 23rd of October, after view at that time - was once considered the sunset as a start to the day - at the beginning of October 23, we would say today on October 22. The flood took place BC According to this calculation 2501. The often mentioned for the exact time of creation Ussher is falsely attributed, it goes back to John Lightfoot ( Ussher - Lightfoot Calendar). In the calculation of the data given in the Old Testament lineage trees and lifetimes of the patriarchs ( " old as Methuselah " ) were probably mainly used. The plant is used, inter alia, of young-earth creationists, according to their belief, the Earth is actually about 6000 years old; it was, however, also often derided as a symbol of religious obscurantism. In the late 17th century, this type of pre-critical era, however, was widespread. A similar Chronicle comes from Isaac Newton.
In terms of Irish history Ussher's main contribution was the identification of the Protestant Church of Ireland with the early Irish Church of Sts. Patrick, a " founding myth ", which the Church of Ireland boasted to the 20th century.