Joshua Hoyle (died 6 December 1654) was a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

Divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

at Trinity College, Dublin and

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

during the

Commonwealth of England The Commonwealth was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when England and Wales, later along with Ireland and Scotland, were governed as a republic after the end of the Second English Civil War and the trial and execu ...

Life

He was born at Sowerby,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, and educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford and Trinity College, Dublin, becoming a fellow of the latter. He received his doctor's degree, and was made professor of divinity in the university in 1621, after

James Ussher James Ussher (or Usher; 4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656) was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He was a prolific scholar and church leader, who today is most famous for his ident ...

resigned and the first choice John Preston and second choice Samuel Ward had turned down the position. A firm

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

, he clashed with Provost

William Bedell The Rt. Rev. William Bedell, D.D. ( ga, Uilliam Beidil; 15717 February 1642), was an Anglican churchman who served as Lord Bishop of Kilmore, as well as Provost of Trinity College Dublin. Early life He was born at Black Notley in Essex, and ...

. He was an assiduous teacher in Dublin, covering every book and verse of the bible and, when he had finished, starting again. On the outbreak of the Irish Rebellion of 1641, he took refuge in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, where he was made vicar of

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appli ...

, replacing the royalist William Stampe.Daniel Lysons
Stepney
''The Environs of London: volume 3: County of Middlesex'' (1795), pp. 418–488. His preaching was found 'too scholastical' for his London congregation. In 1643, he became a member of the

Westminster Assembly The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of divines (theologians) and members of the English Parliament appointed from 1643 to 1653 to restructure the Church of England. Several Scots also attended, and the Assembly's work was adopt ...

, and regularly attended its meetings. He was presented to the living of

Sturminster Marshall Sturminster Marshall is a village and civil parish in east Dorset in England, situated on the River Stour between Blandford Forum and Poole. The parish had a population of 1,895 at the 2001 census, increasing to 1,969 at the 2011 Census and ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, by the House of Commons in February 1643. He gave evidence against

William Laud William Laud (; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Charles I's religious reforms, he was arrested by Parliament in 1640 ...

as to his policy when chancellor of

Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...

. He was employed by the committee of parliament for the reformation of the University of Oxford. On 8 July 1648, Obadiah Walker (a future Master of University College) and others were expelled from the university for their

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

leanings. On 10 July, the Master of University College, Thomas Walker, lost his position as well. Hoyle was then appointed Master of University College and Regius Professor of Divinity. Hoyle complained about money: a canonry of Christ Church, Oxford, which had been appropriated for the support of the professorship, was assigned to another before Hoyle's appointment, and the income of the Master of University College was small. He died on 6 December 1654, and was buried in the old chapel of his college.

Works

In support of James Ussher against William Malone, he wrote ''A Rejoynder to Master Malone's Reply concerning Reall Presence'',

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, 1641. A sermon preached by "J. H.", and printed in 1645 with the title ''Jehojades Justice against Mattan, Baal's Priest'', &c., is also attributed to Hoyle.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyle, Joshua Year of birth missing 1654 deaths People from Sowerby Bridge Alumni of Trinity College Dublin 17th-century English writers 17th-century English male writers 17th-century Calvinist and Reformed ministers English Calvinist and Reformed theologians Fellows of Trinity College Dublin Masters of University College, Oxford Westminster Divines Alumni of Magdalen Hall, Oxford 17th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Regius Professors of Divinity (University of Oxford) English male non-fiction writers Regius Professors of Divinity (University of Dublin) Clergy from Yorkshire