Andrewes, Lancelot°

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ANDREWES, LANCELOT°

ANDREWES, LANCELOT ° (1555–1626), Anglican bishop, one of the principal translators of the King James Version of the Bible (1611). Andrewes studied at Cambridge where he became a fellow in 1576, took his orders in 1580, and became master of Pembroke Hall in 1589. He was bishop of Chichester (1605), of Ely (1609), and of Winchester (1618). Andrewes knew many languages and it was said of him that he qualified as "interpreter general at Babel." Andrewes opposed the Puritan tendency to place less emphasis on ritual. He had a working knowledge of biblical Hebrew, but it is difficult to assess the depth of his Hebrew knowledge.

bibliography:

M.F. Reidy, Bishop Lancelot Andrewes, Jacobian Court Preacher… (1955), includes bibliography; H. Hunger, Die biblischen Gebete des Lancelot Andrewes (1960); Schmidt, in: rgg, 3:1 (1957), 369.