Wikipedia: Henry Ainsworth

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AINSWORTH, HENRY (1571-1622), English Nonconformist divine '
and scholar, was born of yeoman stock in 1570/1 at Swanton '
Morley, Norfolk. He was for four years from December 1587 a '
scholar of Caius College, Cambridge, and, after associating '
with the Puritan party in the Church, eventually joined the '
Separatists. Driven abroad about the year 1593, he found a '
home in "a blind lane at Amsterdam." He acted as "porter" '
to a scholarly bookseller in that city, who, on discovering '
his skill in the Hebrew language, made him known to his '
countrymen. When part of the London church, of which '
Francis Johnson (then in prison) was pastor, reassembled in '
Amsterdam, Ainsworth was chosen as their doctor or teacher. '
In 1596 he took the lead in drawing up a confession of their '
faith, which he reissued in Latin in 1598 and dedicated to '
the various universities of Europe (including St Andrews, '
Scotland). Johnson joined his flock in 1597, and in 1604 he '
and Ainsworth composed An Apology or Defence of such true '
Christians as are commonly but unjustly called Brownists. The '
task of organizing the church was not easy and dissension was '
rife. Of Ainsworth it may be said that, though often embroiled '
in controversy, he never put himself forward; yet he was '
the most steadfast and cultured champion of the principles '
represented by the early Congregationalists. Amid all the '
strife of controversy, he steadily pursued his rabbinical '
studies. The combination was so unique that many, like the '
encyclopaedists L. Moreri and J. H. Zedler, have made two '
Henry Ainsworths--one Dr Henry Ainsworth, a learned biblical '
commentator; the other H. Ainsworth, an arch-heretic and "the '
ringleader of the Separatists at Amsterdam." Some confusion '
has also been occasioned through his not unfriendly controversy '
with one John Ainsworth, who abjured the Anglican for the Roman '
church. In 1608 Ainsworth answered Richard Bernard's The '
Separatist Schisme. But his ablest and most arduous minor '
work in controversy was his reply to John Smyth (commonly '
called "the Se-Baptist"), entitled a Defence of Holy '
Scripture, Worship and Ministry used in the Christian Churches '
separated from Antichrist, against the Challenges, Cavils '
and Contradictions of Mr Smyth (1609). In 1610 he was '
forced reluctantly to withdraw, with a large part of their '
church, from F. Johnson and those who adhered to him. For '
some time a difference of principle, as to the church's right '
to revise its officers' decisions, had been growing between '
them, Ainsworth taking the more Congregational view. (See '
CONGREGATIONALISM.) But in spirit he remained a man of '
peace. His memory abides through his rabbinical learning. The '
ripe fruit of many years' labour appeared in his Annotations--on '
Genesis (1616); Exodus (1617); Leviticus (1618); Numbers '
(1619); Deuteronomy (1619); Psalms (including a metrical '
version, 1612); Song of Solomon (1623). These were collected '
in folio in 1627, and again in 1639, and later in various '
forms. From the outset the Annotations took a commanding '
place, especially among continental scholars, and he '
established for English nonconformity a tradition of culture and '
scholarship. There is no probability about the narrative '
given by Neal in his History of the Puritans (ii. 47) that '
he was poisoned by certain Jews. He died in 1622, or early '
in 1623, for in that year was published his Seasonable '
Discourse, or a Censure upon a Dialogue of the Anabaptists, '
in which the editor speaks of him as a departed worthy. '
'
LITERATURE.--John Worthington's Diary (Chetham '
Society), by Crossley, i. 263-266; works of John Robinson '
(1851); H. M. Dexter, Congregationalism of the Last '
Three Hundred Years (1880); W. E. A. Axon, H. Ainsworth, '
the Puritan Commentator (1889); F. J. Powicke, Henry '
Barrow and the Exiled Church of Amsterdam (1900), J. H. '
Shakespeare, Baptist and Congregational Pioneers (1906). '
'

AINSWORTH, HENRY (1571-1622), English Nonconformist divine
and scholar, was born of yeoman stock in 1570/1 at Swanton
Morley, Norfolk. He was for four years from December 1587 a
scholar of Caius College, Cambridge, and, after associating
with the Puritan party in the Church, eventually joined the
Separatists. Driven abroad about the year 1593, he found a
home in "a blind lane at Amsterdam." He acted as "porter"
to a scholarly bookseller in that city, who, on discovering
his skill in the Hebrew language, made him known to his
countrymen. When part of the London church, of which
Francis Johnson (then in prison) was pastor, reassembled in
Amsterdam, Ainsworth was chosen as their doctor or teacher.
In 1596 he took the lead in drawing up a confession of their
faith, which he reissued in Latin in 1598 and dedicated to
the various universities of Europe (including St Andrews,
Scotland). Johnson joined his flock in 1597, and in 1604 he
and Ainsworth composed An Apology or Defence of such true
Christians as are commonly but unjustly called Brownists. The
task of organizing the church was not easy and dissension was
rife. Of Ainsworth it may be said that, though often embroiled
in controversy, he never put himself forward; yet he was
the most steadfast and cultured champion of the principles
represented by the early Congregationalists. Amid all the
strife of controversy, he steadily pursued his rabbinical
studies. The combination was so unique that many, like the
encyclopaedists L. Moreri and J. H. Zedler, have made two
Henry Ainsworths--one Dr Henry Ainsworth, a learned biblical
commentator; the other H. Ainsworth, an arch-heretic and "the
ringleader of the Separatists at Amsterdam." Some confusion
has also been occasioned through his not unfriendly controversy
with one John Ainsworth, who abjured the Anglican for the Roman
church. In 1608 Ainsworth answered Richard Bernard's The
Separatist Schisme. But his ablest and most arduous minor
work in controversy was his reply to John Smyth (commonly
called "the Se-Baptist"), entitled a Defence of Holy
Scripture, Worship and Ministry used in the Christian Churches
separated from Antichrist, against the Challenges, Cavils
and Contradictions of Mr Smyth (1609). In 1610 he was
forced reluctantly to withdraw, with a large part of their
church, from F. Johnson and those who adhered to him. For
some time a difference of principle, as to the church's right
to revise its officers' decisions, had been growing between
them, Ainsworth taking the more Congregational view. (See
CONGREGATIONALISM.) But in spirit he remained a man of
peace. His memory abides through his rabbinical learning. The
ripe fruit of many years' labour appeared in his Annotations--on
Genesis (1616); Exodus (1617); Leviticus (1618); Numbers
(1619); Deuteronomy (1619); Psalms (including a metrical
version, 1612); Song of Solomon (1623). These were collected
in folio in 1627, and again in 1639, and later in various
forms. From the outset the Annotations took a commanding
place, especially among continental scholars, and he
established for English nonconformity a tradition of culture and
scholarship. There is no probability about the narrative
given by Neal in his History of the Puritans (ii. 47) that
he was poisoned by certain Jews. He died in 1622, or early
in 1623, for in that year was published his Seasonable
Discourse, or a Censure upon a Dialogue of the Anabaptists,
in which the editor speaks of him as a departed worthy.

LITERATURE.--John Worthington's Diary (Chetham
Society), by Crossley, i. 263-266; works of John Robinson
(1851); H. M. Dexter, Congregationalism of the Last
Three Hundred Years (1880); W. E. A. Axon, H. Ainsworth,
the Puritan Commentator (1889); F. J. Powicke, Henry
Barrow and the Exiled Church of Amsterdam (1900), J. H.
Shakespeare, Baptist and Congregational Pioneers (1906).

AINSWORTH, HENRY (1571-1622), English Nonconformist divine and scholar, was born of yeoman stock in 1570/1 at Swanton Morley, Norfolk. He was for four years from December 1587 a scholar of Caius College, Cambridge, and, after associating with the Puritan party in the Church, eventually joined the Separatists. Driven abroad about the year 1593, he found a home in "a blind lane at Amsterdam." He acted as "porter" to a scholarly bookseller in that city, who, on discovering his skill in the Hebrew language, made him known to his countrymen. When part of the London church, of which Francis Johnson (then in prison) was pastor, reassembled in Amsterdam, Ainsworth was chosen as their doctor or teacher. In 1596 he took the lead in drawing up a confession of their faith, which he reissued in Latin in 1598 and dedicated to the various universities of Europe (including St Andrews, Scotland). Johnson joined his flock in 1597, and in 1604 he and Ainsworth composed An Apology or Defence of such true Christians as are commonly but unjustly called Brownists. The task of organizing the church was not easy and dissension was rife. Of Ainsworth it may be said that, though often embroiled in controversy, he never put himself forward; yet he was the most steadfast and cultured champion of the principles represented by the early Congregationalists. Amid all the strife of controversy, he steadily pursued his rabbinical studies. The combination was so unique that many, like the encyclopaedists L. Moreri and J. H. Zedler, have made two Henry Ainsworths--one Dr Henry Ainsworth, a learned biblical commentator; the other H. Ainsworth, an arch-heretic and "the ringleader of the Separatists at Amsterdam." Some confusion has also been occasioned through his not unfriendly controversy with one John Ainsworth, who abjured the Anglican for the Roman church. In 1608 Ainsworth answered Richard Bernard's The Separatist Schisme. But his ablest and most arduous minor work in controversy was his reply to John Smyth (commonly called "the Se-Baptist"), entitled a Defence of Holy Scripture, Worship and Ministry used in the Christian Churches separated from Antichrist, against the Challenges, Cavils and Contradictions of Mr Smyth (1609). In 1610 he was forced reluctantly to withdraw, with a large part of their church, from F. Johnson and those who adhered to him. For some time a difference of principle, as to the church's right to revise its officers' decisions, had been growing between them, Ainsworth taking the more Congregational view. (See CONGREGATIONALISM.) But in spirit he remained a man of peace. His memory abides through his rabbinical learning. The ripe fruit of many years' labour appeared in his Annotations--on Genesis (1616); Exodus (1617); Leviticus (1618); Numbers (1619); Deuteronomy (1619); Psalms (including a metrical version, 1612); Song of Solomon (1623). These were collected in folio in 1627, and again in 1639, and later in various forms. From the outset the Annotations took a commanding place, especially among continental scholars, and he established for English nonconformity a tradition of culture and scholarship. There is no probability about the narrative given by Neal in his History of the Puritans (ii. 47) that he was poisoned by certain Jews. He died in 1622, or early in 1623, for in that year was published his Seasonable Discourse, or a Censure upon a Dialogue of the Anabaptists, in which the editor speaks of him as a departed worthy.

LITERATURE.--John Worthington's Diary (Chetham Society), by Crossley, i. 263-266; works of John Robinson (1851); H. M. Dexter, Congregationalism of the Last Three Hundred Years (1880); W. E. A. Axon, H. Ainsworth, the Puritan Commentator (1889); F. J. Powicke, Henry Barrow and the Exiled Church of Amsterdam (1900), J. H. Shakespeare, Baptist and Congregational Pioneers (1906).

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