Lancelot Andrewes

Bishop of Winchester

Lancelot Andrewes, born in 1555, became one of the most respected churchmen and preachers of his generation. He was a favorite preacher of King James I and was especially known for his sermons on the Nativity and the Resurrection. His preaching was deeply rooted in Scripture and filled with the learning of a man who had spent a lifetime studying the Bible, theology, history, and the early Church. King James appreciated that kind of scholarship. For modern readers, Andrewes’ sermons can sometimes be difficult to work through, but there is much there for those willing to read them carefully.

One of his Epiphany sermons later inspired T. S. Eliot in his poem, “The Journey of the Magi.” Andrewes had written:

“A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a Journey, and such a long journey:
The way deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.”

Andrewes was much more than a gifted preacher. He was an accomplished biblical scholar who knew both Hebrew and Greek and was one of the scholars chosen to translate what became the Authorized Version, better known to us as the King James Version of the Bible. He also served as Dean of Westminster and as headmaster of Westminster School before becoming a bishop. Through his teaching and leadership, he influenced a number of important churchmen of his generation, including the poet and priest George Herbert.

Andrewes was also a deeply prayerful man. One of his most enduring works is Preces Privatae, or Private Devotions, a collection of prayers and meditations drawn from Scripture and the ancient worship of the Church. He originally compiled these prayers for his own use, and they give us a glimpse into both his personal devotion and the theology that shaped his life.

At a time of continuing division between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, Andrewes strongly defended the catholic heritage of the Church of England. He believed that the English Church remained part of the historic catholic and apostolic faith while standing apart from the authority of Rome.

He was also widely respected as an example of what a bishop should be. That was no small thing in an age when bishops were not always held in high regard. John Hacket, who studied under Andrewes and later became Bishop of Lichfield, remembered him as a man of extraordinary learning, dignity, kindness, and devotion. Hacket called him “the most Apostolical and Primitive-like Divine” of his age and spoke especially of the reverence with which Andrewes approached God in prayer.

Lancelot Andrewes died in 1626, leaving behind a legacy of biblical scholarship, preaching, prayer, and faithful service to the Church. Nearly four centuries later, his writings still remind us that serious study and deep devotion do not have to stand apart. In Andrewes, they belonged together.