ABSTRACT
The recent surge of interest in John Owen (1616-1683)—high Calvinist theologian, parliamentary preacher, chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, dean of Christ Church, Oxford, and vice-chancellor of Oxford University-has done much to situate its subject within the theological world of the early modern period.2 This scholarship
has emphasized Owen’s importance as a receiver of the medieval Catholic tradition, and the extent to which he interacted with and was celebrated by the european protestant intelligentsia. These discussions of the breadth of Owen’s intellectual interests and the strength of his international reputation have encouraged a number of scholars to move away from identifying in him the stereotypical attributes of “puritans.” The new John Owen is a much more cosmopolitan figure, who has been described by Sebastian Rehnman as “a typical Renaissance man,” a description which was repeated in the subtitle and then throughout the contents of Carl R. Trueman’s, John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man (2007).3 But these scholars have simultaneously avoided theorizing the “Renaissance man” concept, or discussing its wider implications for the historiography of puritanism. While their work has concentrated on Owen’s interaction with medieval and reformation theological traditions, it has often failed to take into account the evidence of the extent of his engagements with wider aspects of early modern culture. As the reported contents of his library suggest, Owen may have been much more of a “Renaissance man” than many of his students have been prepared to admit.
