2015 ESR graduate John Connell reviews the recent release, Early Quakers And Their Theological Thought, 1647-1723, co-edited by ESR's Stephen W. Angell and Pink Dandelion.
The introduction of this volume, penned
by editors Pink Dandelion and Stephen W. Angell, wastes no time in reminding
readers why this is an important work: “Early Quakerism has always excited
scholars.”[1]
Indeed it has, and for good reason. Despite their fractured state, all groups
of modern Quakers still look back to the early Friends to ground themselves in
their own interpretation of Quakerism. In fact, early Friends have often been
re-interpreted in different ways by subsequent generations in order to
re-assure those later generations in their particular contemporary formulation
of Quaker faith and practice. Thus, studies of early Friends are always sure to
both inform and challenge modern Quakers as to their own interpretations and
incarnations of the Society.
Early Quakers and Their Theological Thought, 1647-1723, is sure to inform and challenge both liberal and
evangelical Friends alike to examine their current incarnations and perhaps
thoughtfully consider the relationship they bear to the founding generation of
this movement. There is much to recommend about this volume. The chapters are
relatively short (under 20 pages), and yet jam-packed with details about each
individual, and most importantly, copious snippets of their own words. There is
no denying that the scholars involved are representative of the finest that
Quaker Studies has to offer. The bibliography alone is worth having for its
collected wealth of primary and secondary sources.
The challenge of any such project is to
allow the subject of each profile to speak their own message clearly, without
being obscured by the interpretive voice of the authors. With few exceptions, this
book succeeds in meeting this challenge. Because the book is a collection of
profiles, written by different authors—each uniquely selected as a qualified
authority on their subject—this review will move through the book chapter by
chapter.
