Benjamin Whichcote

Benjamin Whichcote (March 1609 – May 1683) was an English Anglican and Puritan priest, Provost of King's College, Cambridge, and a leading figure of the Cambridge Platonists. Born in Stoke upon Tern, Shropshire, he entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1628 and became a fellow in 1633. He was ordained as a deacon and priest in 1637. In 1643, he married and took up duties in North Cadbury, Somerset. The following year, he was appointed Provost of King's College, Cambridge, during the English Civil War. He was notable for not subscribing to the National Covenant. During the Interregnum, he served as vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 1650 and advised Oliver Cromwell on religious toleration, particularly concerning the Jewish community. Whichcote was known for his liberal theological views, opposing the doctrine of total depravity and advocating for the inherent rationality of humans. He argued that reason was a divine gift and that individuals were "children of reason," not completely corrupted by original sin. This led him to support religious toleration, suggesting that some theological questions were beyond human comprehension and should not be grounds for persecution. His views led to accusations of being an Arminian, Socinian, and Latitudinarian. Following the Restoration, he was removed from his provostship but later reinstated in 1662 after conforming to the Act of Uniformity. He served as Curate of St. Anne's Church, Blackfriars, until its destruction in the Great Fire of London in 1666, and then became Vicar of St Lawrence Jewry in 1668. He died in Cambridge in May 1683 at the age of 74 and was buried in London.