Overview

Andrew Eliot (1718-1778) was one of the most prominent Boston leaders in the second half of the eighteenth century. As minister of one of the city's biggest churches, his was an important political as well as religious voice into the earliest years of the American War for Independence. But Eliot has often been neglected or misunderstood. In this first full biography, John S. Oakes draws on multiple sources to offer a fresh portrait of the Boston minister as: - a moderate but orthodox Calvinist who maintained a consistent witness at a time of theological turmoil - a prosperous family man who helped the lay the foundations for future generations of Eliots among the Boston ""Brahmin"" - a ""reluctant revolutionary"" whose devotion to Protestant British ideals prevented him from embracing the patriot cause in the War for Independence until hostilities were already under way - a dedicated pastor who was one of very few ministers to choose to endure the hardships of Boston under British occupation A cautious and irenic leader, Eliot also provides an outstanding example of a leader who proved able to maintain his personal integrity and a wide network of diverse connections, despite ministering in a highly polarized intellectual and political climate.

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9781532613395

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Reviews

""Through his religiously informed erudition, thorough research, keen eye for detail, thoughtful weighing of evidence, and historiographical knowledge, Dr. Oakes has revealed an Andrew Eliot, hitherto seen as an enigma, grounded steadfastly in moderate Calvinism. Equally important, this fine intellectual biography extends beyond Eliot to enrich our understanding of Boston's late-colonial ministerial culture."" --Alan Tully, Eugene C. Barker Professor of History, University of Texas at Austin ""Andrew Eliot was a prominent Boston clergyman at the time of the American Revolution, but unlike several of his fellow ministers who became ardent patriots, or a very few who remained loyal to Britain, Eliot was too cautious in his politics and too moderate in his theology to draw historians' interest--until this well-researched and carefully argued book by John Oakes. Through an exhaustive examination of primary sources, Oakes has shown why the career of someone who remained in the middle--between ardent revivalists and fashionable rationalists, between eager patriots and hesitating loyalists--also deserves patient consideration. The result is a book rich in detail about revolutionary Boston and full of insight about the virtue of faithful pastoral service through tumultuous times."" --Mark Noll, author of In the Beginning Was the Word: The Bible in American Public Life, 1492-1783

Author Information

John S. Oakes is a research fellow of Wycliffe College, Toronto. He is author of Conservative Revolutionaries: Transformation and Tradition in the Religious and Political Thought of Charles Chauncy and Jonathan Mayhew (Pickwick, 2016).

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