Edward Brerewood facts for kids
Edward Brerewood (born around 1565, died 1613) was a smart English scholar. He was also an antiquary, which means he studied old things and history. He was good at math and logic. He wrote an important book about where languages came from.
Life of Edward Brerewood
Edward was the son of Robert Brerewood. His father was a wetglover and was mayor of Chester three times. Edward was born and went to school in Chester at The King's School.
In 1581, he went to Brasenose College, Oxford. He earned his first degree in 1587 and his master's degree in 1590. Later, he moved to St. Mary Hall. In 1592, when Queen Elizabeth visited Oxford, he took part in a debate about natural philosophy. In 1596, he became the first Gresham Professor of Astronomy in London.
Edward Brerewood was part of a group called the Old Society of Antiquaries. He passed away on November 4, 1613. He was buried in the church of Great St. Helen. He left his books and other belongings to his nephew, Robert Brerewood. Robert was the son of Edward's older brother, John.
Edward Brerewood is also related to Thomas Brerewood (who lived from about 1670 to 1746). Thomas was the grandson of Sir Robert Brerewood.
Edward Brerewood's Writings and Ideas
After Edward Brerewood died, his nephew Robert published one of his most important books. It was called Enquiries touching the diversity of languages and religions, through the chief parts of the world (1614). This book was later translated into French in 1640. It was also translated into German in 1655.
In this book, Brerewood suggested that the Native Americans were descendants of the Tartars. The Tartars were a group of people from Central Asia. He also tried to count how many Christians there were in the world. He estimated that out of 30 parts of the world's population, 19 parts were non-Christian, 6 parts were Muslim, and only 5 parts were Christian. These numbers were still used by John Wesley over a century later.
Brerewood also wrote A learned treatise of the Sabbath. In this book, he discussed the strict rules about keeping Sunday as a holy day. He disagreed with some of the very strict ideas of Sabbatarianism. Historian Christopher Hill said that Brerewood really understood the social issues involved in this debate.
Key Works by Edward Brerewood
Here are some of Edward Brerewood's notable works:
- De ponderibus et pretiis veterum nummorum (1614): This book was about the weights and values of old coins.
- Enquiries touching the Diversities of Languages and Religions through the chief parts of the world (1614): This was his famous book about languages and religions around the globe. It was translated into French and Latin.
- Elementa Logicæ (1614): This book was about logic, written for students at Oxford University.
- A Treatise of the Sabbath (1630): This book discussed the rules and ideas about the Sabbath day. He wrote it as a letter to Nicholas Byfield.
- A second Treatise of the Sabbath, or an Explication of the Fourth Commandment (1632): Another book explaining the Fourth Commandment, which is about the Sabbath.
