John Dury facts for kids

John Dury (born in Edinburgh in 1596, died in Kassel in 1680) was a Scottish minister who followed the Calvinist branch of Protestantism. He was also a clever thinker during the time of the English Civil War. John Dury spent much of his life trying to bring together the different groups of Protestants, especially the Calvinists and Lutherans. He hoped to achieve this goal when he moved to Kassel in 1661, but it didn't quite happen. Besides being a minister, he also wrote many pamphlets and books.

Growing Up and Learning

John Dury was the fourth son of Robert Durie, a Scottish minister who had to leave Scotland. John grew up in the Netherlands, where he attended Leiden University. He worked at a church in Cologne from 1624 to 1626, and then in Elbląg (a city now in Poland).

In Elbląg, he met Samuel Hartlib, who became a close friend. They both cared a lot about education. Dury was also influenced by Joseph Mede's ideas on understanding the Bible, though some recent studies suggest Dury developed his own methods earlier. While in Elbląg, he translated a book by Samuel Przypkowski that discussed ideas about God.

Working for Protestant Unity

From 1628, Dury asked Gustavus Adolphus, the King of Sweden, for help in uniting Protestants. From 1630 to 1661, he traveled a lot across Europe, working for peace between Calvinists and Lutherans. Through Hartlib, he also met Comenius, another important thinker who spent time in Elbląg.

At first, Dury had support from George Abbot, the Archbishop of Canterbury. But when Abbot died in 1633, William Laud took his place. Laud was not interested in uniting Protestants, which made things harder for Dury. In 1634, Dury became a minister and went to Sweden with support from 38 English Puritans. Dury and Hartlib's connections in the 1630s brought them close to Oliver Cromwell, a powerful figure in England.

Dury continued to travel widely in northern Europe. He even tutored Mary, Princess of Orange in the Hague. He had a long meeting with the famous philosopher René Descartes in 1635, though it didn't lead to much. In the Netherlands, he also worked with Adam Boreel and Petrus Serrarius.

During England's Civil War

In August 1641, at an important time for England and Europe, Dury published a book called Concerning the Work of Peace Ecclesiastical. In this book, he urged Protestants from different countries to unite. He had written this work in 1638. In 1639, Viscount Mandeville wrote to Dury, discussing how German Protestants' situation might lead to English and Scottish churches helping to create such a union.

In 1641, Dury and Comenius came to England. Important people like John Pym and Lord Brooke supported their visit.

Dury gave a well-known sermon to the English Parliament on November 26, 1645. He was then given an official job as a tutor to the younger children of King Charles I. These children had been looked after by Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland since 1646.

Supporting Toleration

After the war in England ended, Dury argued for religious toleration, meaning people should be free to practice their own religion. He also supported the Parliamentarian government. He upset the Westminster Assembly, a group of religious leaders he belonged to, because he helped publish a translation of a book about toleration in 1648. He also encouraged Abiezer Coppe, a radical preacher, to change his ways. Dury wrote pamphlets in 1649 to support the Rump Parliament, arguing that it had power because it was in control. Some historians compare Dury's ideas to those of Thomas Hobbes.

In 1652, Dury translated John Milton's book Eikonoklastes into French. Later, in 1655, Milton even quoted from Dury's letters in his own writings.

In 1654, Oliver Cromwell sent Dury as a diplomat to Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Before that, in 1652 and 1653, he had traveled with Bulstrode Whitelocke to Sweden.

Dury also worked with Whitelocke as a deputy librarian starting in 1649. His 1650 book on librarianship (how to manage libraries) came from this experience. It is sometimes called the first book of its kind.

Interest in Jewish Studies

In 1644, Dury met Manasseh ben Israel, a Jewish scholar. From him, Dury heard a story about Antonio de Montezinos finding what he believed were the Ten Tribes of Israel in America. Dury supported a plan for a College of Jewish Studies, and Parliament was asked for money to fund it.

In 1649, Dury asked Manasseh more questions about the Ten Tribes, which led to Manasseh publishing his book The Hope of Israel. In 1650, Thomas Thorowgood's book Jewes in America came out. Dury had read it before it was published and helped with later editions. He also included information about the Karaites, a Jewish group he was very interested in.

Dury was one of the people around Cromwell who influenced the decision to officially allow Jews to live in England again (they had been expelled by Edward I). In 1656, he wrote a careful pamphlet called A Case of Conscience: Whether It Be Lawful to Admit Jews into a Christian Commonwealth. In it, he listed certain conditions Jews would need to follow to be allowed in, such as not speaking badly about Christianity. He believed it was generally right to allow them, but that sometimes it might not be wise depending on the situation.

Peace and Prophecy

John Dury's long efforts to unite different Christian groups earned him the name of an irenicist, someone who works for peace. He shared some ideas with Hugo Grotius, another important thinker. However, their goals were a bit different. Dury wanted to unite Protestants for a "holy war," especially Lutherans and Calvinists, not just for peace within the Church.

Some historians believe Dury thought the end of the world was coming soon, possibly in 1655. However, others argue that Dury warned people not to try and predict when the Millennium (a thousand-year period mentioned in the Bible) would begin. In one of his writings, Dury seemed to argue against political predictions of the Millennium and favored a more "moral" understanding of it.

Family Life

In 1645, John Dury married Dorothy Moore (whose maiden name was King). She was an Irish Puritan widow and a notable writer on education and the role of women in the church. Dorothy's niece, Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, helped arrange the marriage. Through this marriage, Dury became connected to Robert Boyle, a famous scientist.

John and Dorothy had a daughter named Dora Katherina Dury (1654–1677), who became the second wife of Henry Oldenburg. Dorothy also had two sons from her first marriage.

Works by John Dury

• A Briefe Relation of That Which Hath Been Lately Attempted to Procure Ecclesiasticall Peace Amongst Protestants (1641)
• A summary discourse concerning the work of peace ecclesiasticall (1641)
• Good counsells for the peace of reformed churches (1641)
• A motion tending to the publick good of this age and of posteritie (1642)
• A model of church-government (1647)
• Considerations tending to the happy Accomplishment of Englands Reformation in Church and State (1647)
• The Reformed School (1648)
• Considerations Concerning the Present Engagement (1649)
• A Seasonable Discourse (1649)
• The Reformed Librarie-Keeper (1650) Online text at Project Gutenberg
• The unchanged, constant, and single-hearted Peace-maker drawn forth into the world (1650)
• Objections Against the Taking of The Engagement Answered (1650)
• Jvst re-proposals to humble proposals (1650)
• The Reformed Spiritual Husbandman (1652)
• A Brief Answer to Some of the Objections and Demurs Made Against the Coming in and Inhabiting of the Jews in this Common-wealth (1656)
• A Declaration of John Dury, to make known the Truth of his Way and Deportment in all these Times of Trouble (1660)
• Irenicorum Tractatuum Prodromus (1662)
• Touchant l'intelligence de l'Apocalypse par l'Apocalypse même (1674)
• Le Vrai Chrestien (1676)