Who was John Davenant?

John Davenant was a seventeenth-century English theologian and church leader. Born in 1572, Davenant served as a bishop, attended the Synod of Dort, and wrote theological works. Davenant spent his life trying to unite the Church of England on controversial Christian doctrines. He died in 1641 on the eve of the English Civil War, which destroyed Davenant’s quest for unity in the Church of England.

Davenant attended Queens’ College at Cambridge University. After graduating, he worked as a professor of theology. While at Cambridge, Davenant became acquainted with the theological debates of his day. The Protestant Reformation began fifty-five years before his birth. The Church of England shifted between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism several times in the following decades.

England’s kings and queens led England’s church during Davenant’s lifetime. Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned from 1558 through 1603, favored the moderate faction of the Church of England. She opposed Catholicism, but kept many Roman Catholic traditions and practices, including the authority of a group of bishops to lead the church. Elizabeth’s cousin, James I, succeeded her as England’s monarch in 1603. James I supported John Davenant as a professor at Cambridge and his quest to unite the Church of England.

During Davenant’s lifetime, the Church of England contained two main factions. One group was the Puritans, who wished to purge England’s church of all remnants of the Catholic church. This included priestly garments, the existence of bishops, and ceremonial church services. They favored simple services centered on preaching on Bible texts in English. The other group, made up of bishops and priests, was more cautious. They wished to maintain Catholic traditions and worship styles in the Church of England.

Calvinism was another divisive issue in the Church of England. The Puritans were committed Calvinists and believed that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross only provided salvation for those whom God had chosen to save. The opponents of the English Puritans argued that Jesus’ death and resurrection provided a way of salvation for all people. Protestants around Europe were engaged in this debate over the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection. In 1618, the Dutch church convened the Synod of Dort to discuss the teachings of theologians John Calvin and Jacob Arminius. The Dutch invited Protestants from around Europe to attend. King James I selected John Davenant as one of England’s representatives.

At the Synod of Dort, John Davenant tried to unite the Protestant churches. He supported a middle ground on the issue. Jesus’ death and resurrection were sufficient to save all people on earth, but efficient (effective) only for those who repented of their sins and believed in Jesus. Davenant and his allies influenced the discussions at the Synod of Dort and supported the Canons of Dort. They argued that Christ's death was sufficient for all people but effective only for those whom God brought to faith in Christ.

Davenant helped bring an uneasy unity to the Protestant countries, such as the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and parts of Germany, as they accepted the Canons. King James I rewarded Davenant by promoting him to Bishop of Salisbury after his return to England.

After the Synod, Davenant wrote On the Death of Christ. In this book, he further developed his view on Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Davenant quoted theologians from the early church and the Middle Ages to illustrate the continuity of his view with key figures in church history. He maintained that Jesus’ death was enough to save all of humanity from their sins. The Holy Spirit, however, had to reveal to each person on earth their need for a Savior. Since He did not do this for all people, Jesus’ death on the cross was only effective for those whom God chose to save. In Davenant’s view, anybody whom God did not choose to save suffered a just punishment because of each person’s choice to sin against God. By making the distinction between the sufficiency and efficiency of Jesus’ death and resurrection, Davenant thought he supported the church’s traditional understanding of the Bible’s teaching.

Davenant died in 1641 as tensions rose between King James’ son, Charles I, and the Puritans in Parliament. The Puritans thought Charles and his bishops were establishing control over England’s church and leading it into Roman Catholicism. Both sides forgot the mediating position and calm influence of John Davenant as they fought a civil war.