John Mill (c. 1645 – 23 June 1707) was an English theologian noted for his critical edition of the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
which included notes on over thirty-thousand
variant readings in the manuscripts of the New Testament.
[Ehrman, Bart D., ''Misquoting Jesus:The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why'' (New York: HarperOne 2005) pgs. 83-85. ]
Biography
Mill was born circa 1645 at
Shap
Shap is a linear village and civil parish located among fells and isolated dales in Eden district, Cumbria, England, in the historic county of Westmorland. The parish had a population of 1,221 in 2001, increasing slightly to 1,264 at the 2011 ...
in
Westmorland
Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...
, entered
Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...
, as a servitor in 1661, and took his master's degree in 1669 in which year he spoke the "''Oratio Panegyrica''" at the opening of the
Sheldonian Theatre
Sheldonian Theatre, located in Oxford, England, was built from 1664 to 1669 after a design by Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford. The building is named after Gilbert Sheldon, chancellor of the University at the time and the project's ...
. Soon afterwards he became a Fellow of Queen's. In 1676, he became chaplain to the bishop of
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, and, in 1681, he obtained the rectory of
Bletchington, Oxfordshire, and was made chaplain to
Charles II. From 1685 till his death, he was principal of
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall (sometimes known as The Hall or informally as Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university ...
; and in 1704 he was nominated by
Queen Anne to a
prebendal stall
A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...
in
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
. He died a fortnight after the publication of his Greek Testament.
Textual critic
Mill's ''Novum testamentum græcum, cum lectionibus variantibus MSS. exemplarium, versionum, editionum SS. patrum et scriptorum ecclesiasticorum, et in easdem nolis'' (Oxford, fol. 1707) was undertaken with the encouragement of
John Fell, his predecessor in the field of
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
criticism; it took thirty years to complete and was a great advance on previous scholarship. The text is that of
Robertus Stephanus
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...
(1550), but the notes, besides including all previously existing collections of various readings, add a vast number derived from his own examination of many new manuscripts, and Oriental versions (the latter unfortunately he used only in the Latin translations).
Although the amount of information given by Mill is small compared with that in modern editions, it is probable that no one, except perhaps
Tischendorf Tischendorf is a German surname
Personal names in German-speaking Europe consist of one or several given names (''Vorname'', plural ''Vornamen'') and a surname (''Nachname, Familienname'').
The ''Vorname'' is usually gender-specific. A name is usu ...
, has added so much material for the work of
textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification of textual variants, or different versions, of either manuscripts or of printed books. Such texts may range in ...
. He was the first to notice the value of the concurrence of the Latin evidence with the ''
Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII), designated by the siglum A or 02 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 4 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a manu ...
'', the only representative of an ancient non-Western Greek text then sufficiently known; this hint was not lost on
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
.
Mill's work noted over 30,000 discrepancies between some 100
extant
Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to:
* Extant hereditary titles
* Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English
* Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...
New Testament
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...
s. His work was attacked by
Daniel Whitby
Daniel Whitby (1638–1726) was a controversial English theologian and biblical commentator. An Arminian priest in the Church of England, Whitby was known as strongly anti-Calvinistic and later gave evidence of Unitarian tendencies.
Life
The ...
and
Anthony Collins. Whitby's ''Examen'' claimed that Mill had destroyed the validity of the text. Collins received a reply from
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
(''Phileleutherus lipsiensis'') defending Mill, noting essentially that Mill was not responsible for the differences between the various manuscript, he only pointed them out. Bentley further noted that Christendom had indeed survived despite the errors, essentially asserting that Whitby's attacks were unfounded.
Works
* John Mill, ''Novum Testamentum Graecum, cum lectionibus variantibus MSS'' (Oxford 1707). In 1710
Ludolf Küster Ludolf is a Germanic surname or given name. It is derived from two stems: Hlud meaning "fame" and olf meaning "wolf". An alternate spelling of the name is Ludolph. People with the name include:
* George Philipp Ludolf von Beckedorff (1778-1858), pr ...
reprinted Mill's ''Testament'' at Amsterdam with the readings of twelve additional manuscripts. This is available from the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek here
Novum Testamentum Graecum, cum lectionibus variantibus MSS
References
;Attribution
*
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mill, John
1645 births
1707 deaths
Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford
English male non-fiction writers
English theologians
Fellows of The Queen's College, Oxford
People from Shap
Principals of St Edmund Hall, Oxford