Critici Sacri

Critici sacri was a compilation of Latin biblical commentaries published in London from 1660, edited by John Pearson. The publisher was Cornelius Bee. The work appeared in nine volumes, and collected numerous authors, both Protestant and Catholic, of early modern critical work on the Bible. It was intended to complement Brian Walton's Polyglot Bible, and set off a series of subsequent related publications.

The original work, while influential (particularly in making the notes of Grotius widely available), was not a connected Bible commentary, and was found to be long-winded, as well as scanty in other parts. Later publications attempted to address these shortcomings.

The original full title was Critici Sacri, sive Doctissimorum Virorum in SS. Biblia Annotationes et Tractatus, and it appeared in nine volumes starting in 1660. The commentary project was launched by Cornelius Bee, with the main editor being John Pearson, supported by Anthony Scattergood and Francis Gouldman, as well as Pearson's brother Richard. Bee was a bookseller in Little Britain, London. He suffered major losses in the 1666 Great Fire.

The Synopsis criticorum was a work by Matthew Poole, in five volumes, condensing the Critici sacri, and adding further authors. There was a 1684 edition by Johann Leusden; also editions by J. H. Maius (1679), and J. G. Pritz (Pritius) (1712).

There had already been a pioneer complete Bible commentary in English, the Annotations upon all the Books of the Old and New Testament sponsored by the Westminster Assembly. Prompted by William Lloyd, Poole began his compilation in 1666. The prospectus of Poole's work bore the names of eight bishops (headed by Morley and Hacket) and five continental scholars, besides other divines. Simon Patrick, John Tillotson, and Edward Stillingfleet, with four laymen, acted as trustees of the subscription money. A patent for the work was obtained on 14 October 1667.

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