A Paraphrase on the Four Evangelists .... [1771 Two-Volume Set] [Enlightenment Theology]

London: Printed for W. Bower and F. Rivington et. al., 1771. 11th Edition. Very Good/No Dust Jacket As Issued.
A HANDSOME, TIGHT SET OF SAMUEL CLARKE'S CELEBRATED PARAPHRASE OF THE GOSPELS, APPLYING ENLIGHTENMENT REASON TO SACRED HISTORY.
Clarke was arguably the most influential British philosopher between John Locke and George Berkeley, serving as a primary defender of Newtonian metaphysics. This edition represents the enduring legacy of his rationalist thought throughout the 1700s, utilizing a sophisticated double-column format that places the Authorized Version alongside his interpretation.

PHYSICAL FEATURES: Bound in full period polished calf with five gilt-lined spine bands and rich red leather title labels. Adorned with classic woodcut headpieces, tail-pieces, and decorative initials throughout the text blocks complete with a detailed index and publisher's promotional advertisement in Volume II. Two volumes, octavo (8.5 inches tall); pp. 274, 276. Volume features a long, contemporary manuscript inscription signed 'A. Hamilton' on the endpapers, alongside early owner signatures in quill on both title pages.

CONDITION Very Good. The period polished calf bindings are tight, structural, and square, easily supporting the weight of both volumes. The leather displays a rich, authentic antiquarian patina with modest shelf handling wear and light rubbing to the joints and extremities. The spines are evenly darkened by age, keeping the red leather labels and gilt accents distinct. Internally, the text blocks are clean with light, even age-toning. This copy lacks the blank free endpapers and preliminaries, but the text of the Paraphrase and the Critical Notes is entirely complete and well-preserved. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE -
Samuel Clarke was a titan of the British Enlightenment, celebrated equally as a logician, physicist, and theologian. His famous debate with Leibniz defended the Newtonian worldview of space and time, cementing his reputation as the premier intellectual gatekeeper of early 18th-century London.

First published in 1703, 'A Paraphrase on the Four Evangelists' became his most enduring pastoral success. While his later works faced accusations of Arian heresy, this volume remained a foundational textbook for generations of students, pastors, and freethinkers who demanded a more reasonable, less dogmatic interpretation of the New Testament.

SUBJECTS: 18th-Century Philosophy, Enlightenment Theology, Anglicanism, Biblical Commentary, Unitarian History, Isaac Newton, Latitudinarianism, Marginalia, Early Printed Books, Fine Bindings.