Leonard Twells facts for kids

Leonard Twells (born around 1684, died 1742) was an English clergyman and a writer who focused on religious topics. He spent his life studying and writing about Christian beliefs and the Bible.

Leonard Twells's Early Life and Education

Leonard Twells's father, John Twells, was the headmaster of Newark School. Leonard himself went to Jesus College, Cambridge, a famous university. He finished his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), in 1704.

Becoming a Clergyman

In 1722, Leonard Twells became the vicar of St. Mary's church in Marlborough, Wiltshire. A vicar is a type of priest who leads a church. He continued his studies and earned more degrees. He received his Master of Arts (M.A.) degree from Oxford University in 1733 and later his Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) degree in 1740.

In 1737, he moved to London. There, he became the rector for two churches, St Matthew, Friday Street and St Peter, Cheapside. A rector is another type of priest who leads a church. He also held a special position called a prebendary at St Paul's Cathedral, which is a very important church. On top of that, he was a lecturer at St. Dunstan's-in-the-West, meaning he gave talks and sermons there.

Leonard Twells passed away in Islington on February 19, 1742. He left behind a large family.

Leonard Twells's Writings

Leonard Twells wrote several books and collections of sermons. Many of his works were about defending Christian beliefs and discussing the Bible.

• A Critical Examination of the late new Text and Version of the New Testament (1731–1732): In this three-part work, Twells carefully looked at a new version of the New Testament. He pointed out what he believed were mistakes in the text and notes made by another scholar named Daniel Mace.
  • Volume 1
  • Volume 2
  • Volume 3

• A Vindication of the Gospel of St. Matthew (1735): This book, along with a supplement, defended the Gospel of St. Matthew. It was written to argue against another paper that questioned if the Gospel of Matthew was truly from the Bible.

• A Second Vindication of the Gospel of St. Matthew (1735): This was another book where Twells continued to defend the Gospel of St. Matthew.

• An Answer to the Enquiry into the meaning of Demoniacks in the New Testament (1737): In this book, Twells responded to questions about the meaning of "demoniacks" (people believed to be possessed by demons) in the New Testament.

• An Answer to the Further Enquiry into the meaning of Demoniacks in the New Testament (1738): This was a second letter where Twells continued his discussion about demoniacks. Both this and the previous book were written to Arthur Ashley Sykes.

• The Theological Works of Dr. Pocock (1740): Twells helped publish the collected religious writings of another important scholar, Edward Pocock. Twells also wrote an introduction about Pocock's life and works.

• Twenty-four Sermons preached ... at the lecture founded by the Hon. R. Boyle, and eight Sermons preached ... at the lecture founded by the Lady Moyer (1743): This two-volume set contains many of the sermons, or religious speeches, that Twells gave. Some were part of the famous Boyle Lectures and others were from the Moyer Lectures. A second edition of these sermons was published in 1755.