DAVENANT'S EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO THE COLOSSIANS, 1639 FOLIO EDITION, BOUND WITH THE GILT ARMS OF ROYALIST CONSPIRATOR ROBERT SHIRLEY—THE ROBERT S. PIRIE COPY

DAVENANT, John. Expositio Epistolae D. Pauli ad Colossenses. Cambridge: Thomas Buck, 1639. Folio (7-1/2 by 11-1/2 inches), contemporary full speckled calf, gilt armorial centerpieces of Sir Robert Shirley, raised bands, later vellum spine label with manuscript lettering. Housed in a custon clamshell box. $6000.

Third edition of Davenant's most important and influential theological work, bound in contemporary calf with the gilt arms of royalist conspirator Sir Robert Shirley—the Pirie copy, with his bookplate.

John Davenant (1572-1641) was an English academic and bishop of Salisbury from 1621. Educated at Queens College, Cambridge, he was elected a fellow there in 1597, and served as its President from 1614 to 1621. From 1609 onward, he served as the Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity, from which he was called away by James I to represent the Church of England at the Synod of Dort in 1618, along with Samuel Ward, Joseph Hall and George Carleton. Davenant's An Exposition of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians expounds on the first two chapters of Paul's letter. Originally delivered in Cambridge at his commencement to the post of Theology Professor, Davenant provides exegetical and homiletical notes on each section of Colossians.

"Despite Davenant's important role at Dort he seems to have sympathized in part with the French theologian Moses Amyruat (1564-1664). Amyraut had proposed that in the scheme of Redemption the decree of divine election came subsequent to the decree to provide an atonement. This order moves away from the Calvinistic position, making the atonement (at least hypothetically) universal in nature but, through divine election, particular in application. The followers of Amyraut became known as Amyraldians. While Davenant's position on Amyraldianism gives rise to scholarly debate to this day, his great contribution to the putting forth of Calvinistic doctrine generally is without doubt" (John and Angela Magee, "The Theology of John Davenant"). Text in Latin. STC 6298. ESTC S107352. From the library of Sir Robert Shirley, with his striking armorial device, beneath a Saracen's head, in gilt on both covers. All the bindings in the Toronto Library database of British armorial devices, identified with the Arms of Robert Shirley, also have the same armorial bookplate of The Right Honourable Washington Sewallis Earl Ferrers (Sir Robert Shirley's son was created 1st Earl Ferrers in 1711; the bookplate is of Washington Sewallis Shirley, 9th Earl Ferrers (1822-59). Bookplate of renowned collector Robert S. Pirie. Old morocco shelf label at head of spine.

Text generally clean, contemporary binding about-fine. An excellent copy, with distinguished provenance.