Thomas Ravis (c. 1560 – 14 December 1609) was a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

bishop and academic. He was among those engaged in translating the King James Bible.

Early life

Ravis was born at Old Malden in Surrey, probably in 1560, and educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

. He was elected, on the recommendation of

Lord Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1 ...

, to Christ Church, Oxford, in 1575, but the

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and chapter declined to admit him on the grounds that there was no room, until Burghley remonstrated with them. He gained a BA on 12 November 1578 and an MA on 3 March 1582, proceeding to a bachelor's divinity degree in 1589 and a divinity doctorate in 1595.

Priestly career

Ravis took holy orders in 1582 and preached around Oxford for some time. On 17 April 1588 he was elected a proctor and in July 1596 and again in July 1597 was chosen

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford is the chief executive and leader of the University of Oxford. The following people have been vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford (formally known as The Right Worshipful the Vice-Chancel ...

. In 1591 he was admitted to the rectory of

Merstham Merstham is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It lies 25 miles south of Charing Cross and 2 miles south of the Greater London border. Part of the North Downs Way runs along the northern boundary of the town. Mers ...

, Surrey, and from 27 December of the same year until May 1598 was vicar of All Hallows, Barking. From February 1593 till 1607 he was a prebendary of Westminster, and from 1596 until 1605 an authoritarian Dean of Christ Church. As Dean he commuted the commons allowance for food into monetary form, of two shillings a week. Some of those who resisted this innovation he expelled, others he sent before the council, and others he imprisoned. On 7 July 1598 he became vicar of Islip, and in the following October vicar of Wittenham Abbas, Berkshire.This list associates "Abbots Wittenham" with Little Wittenham. . Retrieved 27 August 2010. He was one of the six deans who attended the Hampton Court Conference in 1604, and later supplied notes for William Barlow's account, the ''Sum and Substance of the Conference''. He was then involved in the subsequent creation of the King James Bible, being appointed one of the Oxford committee deputed to translate part of the ''

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 Chri ...

''. Also in that year, he was elected

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of the lower house of Convocation.

Episcopal career

In October 1604 Ravis was appointed

Bishop of Gloucester The Bishop of Gloucester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the County of Gloucestershire and part of the County of Worcestershire. The see's centre of governan ...

and consecrated on 17 March 1605; he was allowed to hold '' in commendam'' with his bishopric the deanery of Christ Church, his Westminster prebend, and the parsonages of Islip and Wittenham. At Gloucester he improved the Bishop's Palace. On 18 May 1607 Ravis was translated to the episcopal see of London and installed as

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on 2 June. He was intolerant of all nonconformity. Ravis died on 14 December 1609, and was buried in the north aisle of St Paul's Cathedral.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravis, Thomas 1560 births 1609 deaths Deans of Christ Church, Oxford Bishops of Gloucester Bishops of London Translators of the King James Version People from Surrey People educated at Westminster School, London 16th-century English translators 17th-century English clergy 17th-century translators 16th-century scholars 17th-century scholars 17th-century Anglican theologians 16th-century Anglican theologians