Conyers Middleton
modernBritish Enlightenment, Historical Criticism1683 – 1750
Conyers Middleton (1683–1750) was an English clergyman, classical scholar, and religious controversialist best known for applying historical-critical methods to early Christian history. His 'A Free Inquiry into the Miraculous Powers' (1748) argued that post-apostolic miracles were pious fabrications unsupported by credible evidence, anticipating and influencing the skeptical historiography of Hume and Gibbon. He served as the first librarian of the Cambridge University Library and was a prolific controversialist throughout his career.
Notable Achievements
1
Authored 'A Free Inquiry into the Miraculous Powers' (1748), a landmark critique of patristic miracle claims using historical-evidential standards
2
Pioneered application of classical philological methods to Christian historical sources
3
Served as first Protobibliothecarius (chief librarian) of Cambridge University Library
4
Influenced Hume's essay on miracles and Gibbon's skeptical treatment of early Christianity in 'Decline and Fall'
5
Engaged in sustained controversy with Richard Bentley over scholarly standards in textual and historical criticism