Alan of Lynn (c. 1348 – after 1423), or Alanus de Lynna, was a famous English

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

of the first half of the fifteenth century. He flourished about 1420. He was born at Lynn in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, and studied philosophy and theology at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

with much credit, taking the degree of

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

there. He afterwards returned to his native place, where he entered the order of the

Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

, and spent the rest of his life. He died in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, where he had lived for many years. Alan of Lynn was a most laborious writer, and left a multitude of books that were the fruits of his pen; but they seem to have been more remarkable for their number, than for any interest they are at present calculated to excite on the part of lay readers.A long list will be found in Thomas Tanner, ''Bibliotheca Britannico-Hibernica''. He followed the taste which was common in his age, of expounding scripture allegorically; but he has been praised for his general method of treating theological subjects, and particularly for his diligence in making indexes. Alan de Lynn was much distinguished among his contemporaries for his talent in preaching, and was a friend or spiritual intimate of the mystic and controversialist

Margery Kempe Margery Kempe ( – after 1438) was an English Catholic mystic, known for writing through dictation '' The Book of Margery Kempe'', a work considered by some to be the first autobiography in the English language. Her book chronicles her domes ...

of Lynn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alan Of Lynn 1348 births 15th-century deaths 15th-century English Roman Catholic theologians People from King's Lynn Alumni of the University of Cambridge English Christian monks Carmelites 15th-century Christian monks 14th-century English Roman Catholic theologians 15th-century English philosophers