John Colet

@Renaissance Humanist, Birthday and Facts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ John Colet was an English theologian who was a major promoter of Renaissance humanism during the late 15th and early 16th century Humanitarian British Intellectuals & Academics Theologians Capricorn Celebrities John Colet was an English priest, theologian, scholar and an educational pioneer. He is believed to be a major force in the promotion of Renaissance humanism and culture in England in the late 15th and early 16th century. His father, Sir Henry Colet, was a merchant and had been the Lord Mayor of London twice (1486 and 1495). Sir Henry had 21 other children in addition to John but none of them grew up to see adulthood. John attended St. Anthony’s School before graduating with a M.A. degree from Magdalen College, Oxford. After Oxford he studied civil and canon law in France and Italy for three years before returning to England where he was ordained a deacon and then a priest. Oxford University appointed him as a lecturer and Colet mainly lectured on the epistles of St. Paul. He despised the old scholastic method of interpretation and implementation, as it failed to generate the concept of humanism in the readers, and preferred to pay careful attention to the context of St. Paul’s letters. He left Oxford to become the dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and nearly a decade later founded the St. Paul’s School with the money he had inherited. The school was built in London and is one of the leading schools in the country even today

Personal Details

Birthday: January 1, 1467 Died on: September 10, 1519 Nationality: British Famous: Renaissance Humanist, Humanitarian, Intellectuals & Academics, Theologians Universities: Magdalen College Oxford University of Oxford Founder / Co-Founder: St Paul's School London Birth Place: London Information Detail Birthday January 1, 1467 Died on September 10, 1519 Nationality British Famous Renaissance Humanist, Humanitarian, Intellectuals & Academics, Theologians Universities Magdalen College Oxford University of Oxford Founder / Co-Founder St Paul's School London Birth Place London Gender Male Sun Sign Capricorn Born in London Famous as Renaissance Humanist Died at Age 52

London

John Colet born at Unsplash Birth Place

John Colet died of sweating sickness on 10 September 1519. A monument was erected in his honor on the south aisle of the choir at the cathedral church of Saint Paul, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Unsplash Personal Life

The Colet Gardens, a road in the London suburb of Hammersmith, and the John Colet School in Wendover, Buckinghamshire are named in his memory. Unsplash Personal Life

John Colet was born in London in 1467 as the eldest son of Sir Henry Colet. His father was a wealthy merchant and had been the Lord Mayor of London twice (1486 and 1495). John had 21 siblings but none survived till maturity. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

After receiving his schooling from St. Anthony’s School he went on to graduate from Magdalen College, Oxford with a M.A. in 1490. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1493, he travelled to France and Italy to study canon and civil law, patristics and the rudiments of Greek for three years. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

While living abroad he made acquaintances with Budaeus (Guillaume Budé) and Erasmus, and developed a particular interest in the teachings of Savonarola. His brief trip to Rome furthered his cultural and spiritual experiences. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

John Colet earned many preferments due to his family’s influence. He was made the non-residential rector of Dennington and Suffolk, rector of Thurning, Hunts and the vicar of St. Dunstan’s and Stepney. Unsplash Career

He was ordained as a deacon in 1497 and as a priest a year later. In 1498, he joined Oxford as a lecturer and mainly spoke on the epistles of Saint Paul. Unsplash Career

As a lecturer he shunned the existing way of reading and implementation of the text mentioned in the epistles. He believed the text should be read only after understanding the personality of Saint Paul. Unsplash Career

He invited Desiderius Erasmus, the brilliant humanist of the northern Renaissance, to Oxford. Erasmus was impressed by Colet’s teaching style (in tandem with the concept of Renaissance humanism) and they developed a strong friendship. Unsplash Career

With further lectures on Bible-teachings he gained more influence and respect among the known prime humanists of those times including Sir Thomas More and Thomas Linacre. Unsplash Career

John Colet is time and again remembered for the establishment of St. Paul’s School in 1509, on a 43 acre (largest school on England at its foundation) plot situated by the River Thames with the money he had inherited. It was the first English school that taught Greek and the pupils didn’t have to pay any fees, thus depicting the humanist nature of Colet. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	January 1, 1467
Died on	September 10, 1519
Nationality	British
Famous	Renaissance Humanist, Humanitarian, Intellectuals & Academics, Theologians
Universities	Magdalen College Oxford University of Oxford
Founder / Co-Founder	St Paul's School London
Birth Place	London
Gender	Male
Sun Sign	Capricorn
Born in	London
Famous as	Renaissance Humanist
Died at Age	52

John Colet

British

Jan 1, 1467

Biography

Personal Details

London