Joshua Hoyle
1588–1654
Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford; refugee from the 1641 Irish Rebellion.
Biography
Educated at Magdalen Hall Oxford, then Fellow of Trinity College Dublin under James Ussher, where he taught Hebrew and divinity for nearly two decades and was a close associate of Ussher's circle. He was forced to flee Dublin during the Irish Rebellion of October 1641 and made his way to England, where he was named to the Assembly. At Westminster he was a steady speaker on the Confession's chapters on the decree and on Scripture (where Ussher's earlier influence shaped his contributions). His Rejoynder to Mr Malones Reply Concerning Reall Presence (1641) was the standard Reformed answer to Jesuit controversialists in Britain. Made Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford from 1648, he held the chair until his death at Oxford in December 1654.
Principal works
- A Rejoynder to Mr Malones Reply Concerning Reall Presence (1641)
English Presbyterian divine
The great majority of the sitting members were English parish ministers of Presbyterian conviction. They formed the drafting core of the Assembly, manning its three standing committees and supplying most of the text of the Confession, the two Catechisms, and the Directory for Public Worship.