Henry Barclay Swete (14 March 1835 in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
– 10 May 1917 in
Hitchin) was an English biblical scholar. He became
Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in 1890.
He is known for his 1906 commentary on the ''
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of ...
'', and other works of exegesis.
Biography
Swete was educated at
King's College London, and
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and in 1858 was ordained. From 1858 to 1865 he was assistant curate to his father John Swete at
St Andrew's Blagdon in Somerset. Then after some years of work in various country curacies and livings he became in 1869 theological lecturer and tutor at Caius College.
[
In 1881 he became examining chaplain to the Bishop of St. Albans, and the following year was appointed professor of pastoral theology at King's College London. In 1890 he succeeded ]Brooke Foss Westcott
Brooke Foss Westcott (12 January 1825 – 27 July 1901) was an English bishop, biblical scholar and theologian, serving as Bishop of Durham from 1890 until his death. He is perhaps most known for co-editing ''The New Testament in the Orig ...
as regius professor at Cambridge, and retained this position until 1915, when he retired with the title of emeritus professor.[ In June 1901, he received an honorary ]doctorate of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity.
In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...
from the University of Glasgow. The following year he was appointed to the office of Lady Margaret's preacher. He was in 1911 appointed an honorary chaplain to King George V.
Swete's works on biblical texts are of high importance. In 1887 he published the first volume of his edition of the Greek text of the Old Testament, completing the series in 1894 (3rd ed. 1901–7), while in 1898 appeared the Greek text of the Gospel of St. Mark, with notes and introduction (2nd ed. 1902) and in 1906 that of the Apocalypse of St. John (2nd ed. 1907).[
He was the editor of ''Cambridge Theological Essays'' (1905) and ''Cambridge Biblical Essays'' (1909), and was a contributor to Smith and Wace's ''Dictionary of Christian Biography'' (1882–87) and Hastings's '' Dictionary of the Bible'' (1899–1900). He also produced many historical and critical works, including ''The Apostles' Creed in Relation to Primitive Christianity'' (1894; 3rd ed. 1899); ''Church Services and Service Books before the Reformation'' (1896); ''Patristic Study'' (1902); ''The Appearances of Our Lord after the Passion'' (1907; 2nd ed. 1908), and ''The Last Discourse and Prayer of Our Lord'' (1913).][
He is buried in ]Hitchin Cemetery
Hitchin Cemetery, also known as St John's Road Cemetery, is the main burial ground for the town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. The cemetery is located on Hitchin Hill, with Standhill Road running along the north-western boundary and St. John's Road a ...
in Hertfordshire.
Selected works
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References
External links
''The Life and Works of Henry Barclay Swete (1835–1917)''
''An Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek'', online text
''A Remembrance'' (1918) - large PDF scan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swete, Henry Barclay
1835 births
1917 deaths
Academics of King's College London
Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Alumni of King's College London
Anglican biblical scholars
British biblical scholars
British religious writers
Fellows of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Fellows of the British Academy
New Testament scholars
Old Testament scholars
Regius Professors of Divinity (University of Cambridge)
Writers from Bristol