John Biddle

John Biddle – Life, Theology, and Legacy

Discover the life, theological convictions, and legacy of John Biddle (1615–1662), the English clergyman often called the “Father of English Unitarianism.” Explore his biography, major writings, controversies, and enduring influence.

Introduction

John Biddle (14 January 1615 – 22 September 1662) was an English theological thinker, educator, and controversial critic of the doctrine of the Trinity. Over the course of his life, he published bold, unorthodox works, suffered repeated imprisonments, and became a pioneer for anti-Trinitarian / Unitarian thought in England. Because of his persistent devotion to Scripture over creeds, he is commonly dubbed the Father of English Unitarianism.

Though Biddle never founded a lasting denomination, his courage to question orthodox dogma and his appeals to reason and conscience laid foundational stones for later Unitarian and non-Trinitarian movements in Britain and beyond.

Early Life and Education

John Biddle was born in Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, England, on 14 January 1615. He was the son of a tailor (or woolen-draper) in relatively modest circumstances.

As a child, Biddle showed precocious talent. He attended the free grammar school in Wotton, under local schoolmasters such as John Rugg and John Turner, from whom he apparently outgrew his instructors in Latin and Greek. He translated works of Virgil and Juvenal in his youth and received early patronage from Lord Berkeley, including a small scholarship (~£10 annually) when he was still under ten.

In 1634, Biddle matriculated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford and proceeded through the courses. He earned a B.A. in 1638 and his M.A. in 1641. Soon after his M.A., he was appointed headmaster of the Crypt Free Grammar School in Gloucester (associated with the Cathedral) in 1641.

As schoolmaster, Biddle was required to teach students according to the Church of England’s catechisms and doctrines. Yet his deep study of Scripture in his spare hours led him to question the doctrine of the Trinity, especially the deity of the Holy Spirit.

Theological Views & Controversies

Anti-Trinitarian Position and Key Writings

Biddle’s central theological departure was his rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity as commonly understood. He denied the co-equality and co-eternity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Instead, he elevated the Father as the primary divine being, and regarded the Son (Jesus) and the Spirit as subordinate in nature or role.

One of his earliest and most controversial works was Twelve Arguments Drawn Out of Scripture, written circa 1644 and published in 1647. In it, he argued against the commonly held doctrine of the deity of the Holy Spirit. Because one of his friends revealed the manuscript to authorities, Biddle was prosecuted for heresy.

He followed that with A Confession of Faith Touching the Holy Trinity (1648) and The Testimonies (1648), in which he marshaled early Christian writers to support his unitarian positions.

In 1654, Biddle published his Two-fold Catechism (Scripture Catechism for adults and a Brief Scripture Catechism for children), where all answers were drawn from Scripture quotations—not creeds or tradition. This catechism was seen by many as a direct challenge to orthodox formulations and was seized and burned by parliamentary order.

Biddle also translated into English works by Polish Socinian writers (e.g. Life of Fausto Sozzini) and helped propagate Socinian antitrinitarian literature in England.

Conflict, Persecution & Imprisonments

Because his views were regarded as heretical by both Anglican and Puritan authorities, Biddle faced repeated prosecutions and imprisonment over many years:

• In December 1645, after his Twelve Arguments manuscript was exposed, Biddle was arrested by the parliamentary commissioners in Gloucester. His work was ordered burned.

• In 1646, he was summoned to Westminster to defend himself before Parliament. He admitted his denial of the Holy Spirit’s deity and requested a theological discussion. He was remanded in custody.

• Over the next years, Biddle was held in custody, with his writings suppressed and burned. The Westminster assembly of divines and Parliament even debated making denial of the Trinity a capital crime (which they did in 1648).

• In 1654, following his publication of Two-fold Catechism, Parliament ordered him to appear and his books to be confiscated and burned. He was imprisoned again.

• Oliver Cromwell intervened at times: in 1655, rather than allow capital punishment, Cromwell banished Biddle to the Isles of Scilly (outside immediate parliamentary jurisdiction), granting him a pension.

• In 1658, Biddle was released and returned to preaching and writing.

• In 1662, Biddle was arrested again while holding a Bible class in his home. He was fined £100; unable to pay, he remained in prison, where he contracted disease and died soon after.

His body was buried in a plot adjoining “Old Bedlam” in Moorfields, London.

Legacy and Influence

Though his immediate congregation did not survive, Biddle’s theological boldness left a lasting footprint:

• He is widely regarded as the first prominent English antitrinitarian, and thus a forerunner of English Unitarianism.

• His appeal to Scripture over creeds, and his argument that Christian belief should be grounded in textual interpretation and conscience, influenced later dissenting, rationalist, and Unitarian thinkers.

• Biddle is sometimes linked (especially by later Nontrinitarian scholars) to movements like the Christsadelphians, and his works saw revivals among non-Trinitarian groups in the 19th and 20th centuries.

• Scholars of religious liberty cite him as an early advocate of toleration — that Christian truth should not be enforced by state coercion.

Characteristics & Personal Attributes

Contemporary accounts emphasize Biddle’s personal integrity, modesty, and consistency. Despite harsh persecution, he was not known as a polemicist by temperament, but rather as a careful, studious, and mild-mannered defender of conscience. He was deeply committed to the moral dimension of theology: for Biddle, doctrine was not an intellectual toy but the foundation for holiness of life.

He attempted to avoid conflict where possible; in early stages, he even issued confessions framed in less provocative language (to avoid arrest), though later he chose more explicit statements.

Selected Excerpts & Statements

Precise memorable quotations by Biddle are less frequently preserved, but a few stand out by way of his writings or others’ reports:

• From his catechism preface: he criticized standard catechisms as “so stuffed with the supposals and traditions of men, that the least part of them is derived from the Word of God.”

• His questioning of traditional language: he would ban terms like “eternal generation of the Son,” “God dying,” “God made man,” and “mother of God” from his catechism answers.

• In polemical argument, he once stated:

  “He that saith Christ died, saith that Christ was not God, for God could not die.”
  This type of reasoning illustrates how he tried to maintain that Christ’s death implied a human nature, distinguishing between divine and human properties.

Though these are not polished aphorisms, they reveal the sharp logic and theological boldness of his thought.

Lessons & Reflections

1. Courage in conviction. Biddle’s life shows what it meant, in the 17th century, to stand against powerful religious authorities grounded in tradition and state backing.

2. Primacy of Scripture over tradition. He insisted that Christian theology should derive from Scripture rather than ecclesiastical creeds, even if that led to uncomfortable conclusions.

3. Conscience and toleration. His struggles highlight the importance of religious liberty: he believed belief could not be coerced without violating conscience.

4. Doctrine must connect to life. For Biddle, theology was never purely speculative — it bore on moral character and piety.

5. Legacy can transcend institutions. Although his immediate group faded, his ideas influenced later non-Trinitarian movements and contributed to more tolerant theological attitudes in the long term.

Conclusion

John Biddle’s life was tumultuous and tragic, yet heroic in its integrity. He challenged dominant Christian dogmas of his time, suffered imprisonment and suppression, but remained consistent in his theological vision. Though his immediate movement did not persist, the questions he raised—about authority, reason, Scripture, and belief—echo through subsequent centuries, especially within Unitarianism and non-Trinitarian thought.