William Reynolds (theologian) facts for kids

William Reynolds (born around 1544 in Pinhorn, near Exeter, England – died August 24, 1594, in Antwerp, Belgium) was an English scholar. He was a Roman Catholic theologian, which means he studied religious beliefs, and a Biblical scholar, meaning he studied the Bible.

Early Life and Education

William Reynolds went to school at Winchester School. Later, he became a fellow (a kind of academic member) at New College, Oxford from 1560 to 1572.

Becoming a Catholic

During his time, there were many debates about religion in England. William Reynolds became a Catholic because of these discussions. He was influenced by arguments between two important religious figures, John Jewel and Thomas Harding. He was also greatly helped by William Allen, who was a leading Catholic figure.

Life as a Scholar and Priest

In 1575, William Reynolds publicly declared his Catholic faith in Rome. Two years later, he went to Douai, a city in France (which is now in Belgium), to study to become a priest.

In 1578, he moved with other students from Douai to Reims, another city in France. He became a priest in April 1580 in Châlons. After becoming a priest, he stayed at the college. He taught about the Bible and the Hebrew language. He also helped another scholar named Gregory Martin with an important project: translating the New Testament into English. This translation became known as the Reims Testament.

Later in his life, William Reynolds left the college. He became a chaplain (a priest who serves a specific group) for the Beguines in Antwerp. The Beguines were a group of religious women who lived together and helped their communities.

Important Writings and Translations

William Reynolds was a busy writer and translator. He translated several works by William Allen and Thomas Harding into Latin.

He also wrote his own books, including:

• A book called "Refutation" (meaning a strong argument against something) in 1583. This book argued against the ideas of William Whitaker, who had criticized the Reims version of the Bible.
• A book published in 1590 under the name Rossæus, which discussed the authority of Christian governments over kings who were seen as unholy or heretics (people with beliefs different from the main church).
• A book about the Blessed Sacrament in 1593.
• A book called "Calvino-Turcismus" in 1597.

William Reynolds also played a key role in translating the entire Douay-Rheims Bible. This was a major English translation of the Bible for Catholics. He worked on this project with Gregory Martin and other scholars like Thomas Worthington and Richard Bristow.

Family Connections

William Reynolds was the second son of Richard Rainolds. His younger brother was John Rainolds. Interestingly, John Rainolds was a leading Protestant scholar who worked on the King James Bible. This means that two brothers worked on two different, very important English translations of the Bible, one for Catholics and one for Protestants.