John Lightfoot's Journals of the Westminster Assembly

John Lightfoot's journals are a four-volume series of journals that cover a period when he was a member of the Westminster Assembly. They provide the only account of the assembly's activities for sessions 1-44 and 120-154, where the assembly's own minutes are missing. Lightfoot offers additional information and a different perspective from the assembly's own scribe, recording riots outside parliament, meeting places for MPs and assembly members, and attempting to explain assembly dynamics. The journals abruptly end after eighteen months in December 1644.

Format: Hardback
Length: 608 pages
Publication date: 30 April 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

John Lightfoot's journal, often referred to as his diary, is a remarkable four-volume series of journals that have never been published before. These journals offer a unique insight into the life of Lightfoot during his time as a member of the renowned assembly of divines, which met in Westminster Abbey. The Westminster assembly, consisting of approximately thirty members of parliament and 120 ministers, played a crucial role in the renovation of the Church of England during the 17th century.

Lightfoot's personal diary holds immense significance in the history of the assembly because it provides the only account of its activities for sessions 1 to 44 and the only comprehensive account for sessions 120 to 154. During these sessions, the assembly's minutes are missing, making Lightfoot's writings the sole source of information about these crucial periods. In these sessions, Lightfoot offers a different perspective and often provides additional information that complements the assembly's minutes.

Lightfoot's journals document the opening ceremonies, surprising debates over the Thirty-nine Articles, and heated conflicts between Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists over church governance. He provides vivid descriptions of riots outside parliament, names meeting places for MPs and assembly members in London, and attempts to explain the dynamics of the assembly in a way that the Minutes and Papers of the assembly do not.

The four-volume journal abruptly ends after eighteen months in December 1644. However, the body of this volume contains the full text of Lightfoot's survivorship, which provides further insights into his life and work.

In conclusion, John Lightfoot's journals are a valuable resource for historians and scholars interested in the 17th-century Church of England and the Westminster assembly. These journals offer a unique perspective on the assembly's activities and provide valuable information that complements other primary sources. The presentation of these journals in their entirety for the first time is a significant contribution to the study of religious history.

Weight: 1056g
Dimension: 163 x 242 x 50 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198835516