John Napier’s Influence on Seventeenth-Century Apocalyptic Thinking in England

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article considers the influence on English thinkers of a commentary (1593/4) on the Book of Revelation, A Plaine Discovery, by the Scot John Napier of Merchiston. The ways in which Napier’s system was amalgamated in an English context have not previously been explored systematically. The article employs case studies of works by several scholars, emphasising common themes to establish which of his conclusions were adopted or adapted by others, and which were rejected. It is focused on the first half of the seventeenth century, since Napier’s legacy is more evident before the restoration of the monarchy. The article shows that Napier’s chronological methodology and stance on the millennium were more influential than his contention that the world would soon end, illustrates the shifting reception of his work throughout the seventeenth century, and contends that English scholars tended to downplay their debt to Napier.