MEAD (MEDE), Joseph, anglikan. Theologian, Exeget, scholar and Fellow of the Christ's college, Cambridge; * in October 1586 in Berden, Essex, + 1.10. 1638 in Cambridge.

The high-talented pupil learned in the self-instruction Hebrew, before he studied 1602 at the Christ's college. 1613 he was selected to the " Fellow " of this college and remained it up to its death M. dedicated his whole life to the study and the theory of theology, philosophy, classical philology and many other sciences. Its versatile interests covered among other things anatomy, the logic and mathematics, the Astrologie, which aegypt. Mythology and the religion of the Semiten. He was already admired during lifetimes because of its per finds enzyklopaedischen knowledge as the largest scholar of history its college.

Supplies to higher academic honours and church leaned it always decided off. M. was for many generations a dear, good-natured and charismatischer Mentor (among other things for John Milton and Henry More). It corresponded with prominent personalities of the political and religious life in completely Europe. Its theolog. Hauptwerk, " Clavis Apocalyptica " - a strictly chronological-historical and chiliastische design of the Apokalypse - was for a long time a standard work anglikan. Theology. This influential and kontroversielle factory applied in 17. Jh. as myst. theolog. Counterpart to the conventional scholastischen Exegese. Although M. regarded the Pope as Anglikaner as an anti-Christian, he dogmatisch predominantly oriented himself at the faith teachings roem. kath.

Church, and only little at Luther and Calvin. It leaned especially protestant. Understanding of the Eucharistie off Factories: Clavis Apocalyptica, 1627; English Uebs. v. R. More, The key OF the Revelation, 1643; In Sancti Joannis Apocalypsin Commentarius, 1632; OF the name altar, 1637; dt. Uebs. v. P.m. Kropff, which exposed Mede, which is... refutation... those banknote reasons of the paper in such a way specified of the victim and old AR of the first Christians, erstlich from J. Mede an Englishman write, again however into German translate, 1760; Churches... Places for Christian Worship, 1638; The Reverence OF God's House, 1638; The Apostacy OF the Latter Times, 1641; A Paraphrase and exposure OF the Prophesie OF Saint Peter, 1642; Opuscula Latina, 1652. - total outputs. The Collected Works OF J.m., 2 Bde., 1648; erw. Output hrsg. v. John word hanging tone, 2 Bde., 1663-4.
Lit.: Erasmus Middleton, Biographia Evangelica III, London 1784, 73-95; - Marjorie H. Nicolson, Milton's, " old Damoetas ", in: MLN 41, 1926, 293-300; - Michael Murrin, Revelation and Two 17th Century Commentators, in: C.a. Patrides and J. Wittreich, Hrsg., The Apocalypse in English Renaissance Thought and Literature, Ithaca/NY 1984; - John Rumrich, Mead and Milton, in: Milton Quarterly 20, 1986, 136-141; - DNB XIII, 178 FF; - ODC, 881; - RGG IV, 823.
Franz Woehrer Last modification: 12.07.1998

More on Mede

1. Joseph Mede, who was born in England in 1586, built a scholarly reputation as a professor at Cambridge University, and became nationally famous for his learning and piety.

2. According to his own testimony, he made "a deep and extended study of the book of Revelation."

3. He aroused the interest and adoration of Protestant and Adventist Europe when he published his book entitled The Key to Revelation.

4. The prelude, text, postlude and addendum of his Revelation study abounded with his predictions that the world would end and the Second Coming of Christ would occur in 1660.

5. In 1660:

(1) The political rancor between American
colonists and English royalty bordered
on violent rebellion.

(2) The British Parliament passed the Navigation Act, which regulated colonial commerce to suit English needs.

(3) The harsh Navigation Act ushered in a 6-year period of political brinkmanship, which included Charles II seizing and granting the province of New Netherland and the city of New Amsterdam to his brother, the Duke of York, and renaming them both New York, and which climaxed in 1676 with Nathaniel Bacon leading the colonial planters against the British governor Berkeley, and burning Jamestown.

6. But in 1660, the world did not end, and the Second Coming of Christ did not occur.