Paul Best (

Hutton Cranswick Hutton Cranswick is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south from Driffield town centre, and on the A164 road. The civil parish is formed by the village of Hutton Cranswick and ...

c.1590 - Driffield, 1657) was one of the first British converts to the "

Socinian Socinianism () is a nontrinitarian belief system deemed heretical by the Catholic Church and other Christian traditions. Named after the Italian theologians Lelio Sozzini (Latin: Laelius Socinus) and Fausto Sozzini (Latin: Faustus Socinus), uncle ...

" Polish Brethren, and one of the first Unitarians to be imprisoned. Best studied at

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

, graduating B.A. in 1609-10 and M.A. in 1613. He was made a fellow of

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Camb ...

in 1617. In April 1617 he inherited the family manor at Elmswell, East Riding of Yorkshire, a part of which he sold to finance his travels in Europe from the 1620s to the 1630s, as an adventurer and mercenary who had fought under

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...

at the

Battle of Lützen (1632) The Battle of Lützen, fought on 16 November 1632, is considered one of the most important battles of the Thirty Years War. A combined Swedish Empire, Swedish-German army led by Gustavus Adolphus narrowly defeated an Habsburg monarchy, Imperial ...

. He then returned to England and fought in the Parliamentary Army during 1644 - the year King Charles I lost control of Yorkshire. It is not clear at what point Best visited Poland and Transylvania and was exposed to

belief. It may also be that he studied Socinian teaching in Germany. It is also not clear whether the Socinians being conscientious objectors had any relation or not to Best's military career being brought to an end. Best visited Europe again in the 1640s, but also had contact with Socinians in London. In 1644 Best made the mistake of showing a manuscript work on the Trinity to a supposed friend, the Rev. Roger Ley, "for his judgment and advice only" who informed on Best, who was then charged with

antitrinitarianism Nontrinitarianism is a form of Christianity that rejects the mainstream Christian doctrine of the Trinity—the belief that God is three distinct hypostases or persons who are coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one being, or essence ...

and on 14 February 1644 incarcerated at the

Gatehouse, Westminster Gatehouse Prison was a prison in Westminster, built in 1370 as the gatehouse of Westminster Abbey. It was first used as a prison by the Abbot, a powerful churchman who held considerable power over the precincts and sanctuary. It was one of the pri ...

making two petitions to Parliament in April 1646 and August 1646''To Certaine Honourable Persons of the House of Commons'' During 1647 he may have had free contact with another prisoner at the

, and another early convert to

belief, John Biddle. It was at this point that Best published the appeal for which his name is remembered ''Mysteries discovered'' - both an appeal for his release and restoration of a modest military pension, but more dangerously an open acknowledgement of Socinian teaching and an attack on the

doctrine of the Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

as the iniquity of 2 Thessalonians 2:7. His work was smuggled out of gaol, printed, and then seized and burned. Parliament then sentenced Best to death, but, with the assistance of former comrades in arms in the Parliamentary Army, and probably with the personal assistance of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

he was released, secured his pension and retired to Elmswell. A direct result of Best's 1646-7 publications was the Blasphemy Act of 1648, which made it a felony to doubt the Trinity or the validity of any of the standard books of the Protestant Bible. It was quickly forgotten following the rise of the

Ranter The Ranters were one of a number of dissenting groups that emerged around the time of the English Commonwealth (1649–1660). They were largely common people and the movement was widespread throughout England, though they were not organised and ...

s in 1649, which necessitated another Blasphemy Act directed at them. He died on 17 September 1657 at

Great Driffield Driffield, also known as Great Driffield, is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The civil parish is formed by the town of Driffield and the village of Little Driffield. By road, it is north-east of Leeds ...

, Yorkshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best, Paul 1590s births 1657 deaths English Unitarians People from Driffield 16th-century English people