# Thomas Belsham > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Thomas_Belsham > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Thomas_Belsham.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Belsham > Source revision: 1314141028 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) English Unitarian minister (1750–1829) Thomas Belsham **Thomas Belsham** (26 April 1750 – 11 November 1829) was an [English](/source/England) [Unitarian](/source/Unitarianism) minister. ## Life Belsham was born in [Bedford](/source/Bedford), [England](/source/England), and was the elder brother of [William Belsham](/source/William_Belsham), the English political writer and historian. He was educated at the [dissenting academy](/source/Dissenting_academy) at [Daventry](/source/Daventry), where for seven years he acted as assistant tutor. After three years spent in a charge at [Worcester](/source/Worcester%2C_England), he returned as head of [Daventry Academy](/source/Daventry_Academy), a post which he continued to hold till 1789, when, having adopted Unitarian principles, he resigned. With [Joseph Priestley](/source/Joseph_Priestley) for colleague, he superintended during its brief existence the [New College at Hackney](/source/New_College_at_Hackney), and was, on Priestley's departure in 1794, also called to the charge of the [Gravel Pit congregation](/source/Gravel_Pit_congregation). In 1805, he accepted a call to the [Essex Street Chapel](/source/Essex_Street_Chapel),[1] which was also headquarters and offices of the Unitarian Church under [John Disney](/source/John_Disney_(Unitarian)), there succeeding as minister [Theophilus Lindsey](/source/Theophilus_Lindsey) who had retired and died three years later in 1808. Tomb of [Theophilus Lindsey](/source/Theophilus_Lindsey) (died 1808), [Elizabeth Rayner](/source/Elizabeth_Rayner) (died 1800) and Thomas Belsham (died 1829) in [Bunhill Fields](/source/Bunhill_Fields) burial ground Belsham remained at Essex Street, in gradually failing health, until his death in Hampstead, on 11 November 1829.[1] He was buried in [Bunhill Fields](/source/Bunhill_Fields) burial ground, in the same tomb as Theophilus Lindsey. His joint [executors](/source/Executors) were [Thomas Field Gibson](/source/Thomas_Field_Gibson) and his father.[2] ## Beliefs Belsham's beliefs reflect that transition that the Unitarian movement was going through during his lifetime, particularly from the early Bible-fundamentalist views of earlier English Unitarians like [Henry Hedworth](/source/Henry_Hedworth) (who introduced the word "Unitarian" into print in English from Dutch sources in 1673) and [John Biddle](/source/John_Biddle_(Unitarian)), to the more Bible-critical positions of Priestley's generation. Belsham adopted critical ideas on the Pentateuch by 1807, the Gospels by 1819, and Genesis by 1821.[3] Later, following Priestley, Belsham was to dismiss the [virgin birth](/source/Virgin_birth_of_Jesus) as "no more entitled to credit, than the fables of the Koran, or the reveries of Swedenborg." (1806)[4] ## Works Belsham's first work of importance, *Review of Mr Wilberforces Treatise entitled Practical View* (1798), was written after his conversion to Unitarianism. His most popular work was *the Evidences of Christianity*; the most important was his translation and exposition of *the Epistles of St Paul* (1822). He was also the author of a work on [philosophy](/source/Philosophy), *Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind* (1801), which is entirely based on Hartley's psychology.[1] In 1812 Belsham published the *Memoirs of the Late Reverend [Theophilus Lindsey](/source/Theophilus_Lindsey), M.A.*, his predecessor at Essex Street. This included a chapter titled "American Unitarianism" arguing that many American clergy entertained Unitarian views. The [Calvinist](/source/Calvinist) minister [Jedidiah Morse](/source/Jedidiah_Morse) published the chapter separately, as part of his campaign against New England's liberal ministers—contributing to "the [Unitarian Controversy](/source/Unitarian_history)" (1815) that eventually produced permanent schism among New England's [Congregationalist](/source/Congregationalism) churches. His main Christological work was *A Calm Inquiry into the Scripture Doctrine concerning the Person of Christ* (1817).[5] Belsham was one of the most vigorous and able writers of his church, and the *[Quarterly Review](/source/Quarterly_Review)* and Gentlemans Magazine of the early years of the 19th century abound in evidences that his abilities were recognized by his opponents.[6] Thomas Belsham took credit for the anonymously published 1808 *The New Testament*, *in an Improved Version, upon the Basis of [Archbishop Newcome](/source/William_Newcome)'s New Translation*.[7] This text's rendering of John 1:1[a] has been cited since the 1950s by the [Watchtower Society](/source/Corporations_of_Jehovah's_Witnesses) in defense of their rendering[b] of the same passage.[8] ## Explanatory Footnotes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** THE Word was in the beginning and the Word was with God and the Word was a god. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** "Originally the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god." — 1950 [NWT](/source/New_World_Translation) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god" — 2013 NWT ## Notes 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEChisholm1911711_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEChisholm1911711_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEChisholm1911711_1-2) [Chisholm 1911](#CITEREFChisholm1911), p. 711. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Thomas Gibson & Thomas Field Gibson"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220504212608/https://uudb.org/articles/thomasgibson.html). *Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography*. Archived from [the original](http://uudb.org/articles/thomasgibson.html) on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2017. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "But by 1807, Belsham had already concluded that the Pentateuch was of composite authorship; by 1819, he had doubts about the present form of the gospels, and by 1821, he had concluded that the account of Creation in Genesis was ..." ([Webb 2000](#CITEREFWebb2000), p. 120). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** "Compare [Richard Wright](/source/Richard_Wright_(Unitarian)), the celebrated Unitarian missionary, An Essay on the Miraculous Conception of Jesus Christ (London, 1808)" ([Webb 2000](#CITEREFWebb2000), p. 120 cf ref 22 p. 423). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Belsham, T. (1817) [1811]. [*A Calm Inquiry into the Scripture Doctrine concerning the Person of Christ*](https://archive.org/details/acalminquiryint01belsgoog) (Second ed.). London: The Unitarian Society. [Reprint: Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu.com, 2009.] 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEHumphreys1885203_6-0)** [Humphreys 1885](#CITEREFHumphreys1885), p. 203. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [bible-researcher.com Belsham](http://www.bible-researcher.com/belsham.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100223223516/http://www.bible-researcher.com/belsham.html) February 23, 2010, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Countess, Robert H. (1982). [*The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New Testament: A Critical Analysis of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures*](https://archive.org/details/the-jehovahs-witnesses-new-testament/page/43/). Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing. p. 58. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-87552-210-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-87552-210-6). Retrieved 30 September 2025. The remainder of the appendix calls attention to a number of passages in the Gospel of John where the '"definite article" precedes the noun in the predicate; and finally, a confession that NWT cannot lay claim to being the first to translate John 1:1 with "а god." The claim must reside with *The New Testament, in an Improved Version, upon the Basis of Archbishop Newcome's New Translation: with a Corrected Text, printed in London, 1808.* ## References - Humphreys, Jennett (1885). ["Belsham, Thomas"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Belsham,_Thomas). In [Stephen, Leslie](/source/Leslie_Stephen) (ed.). *[Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_National_Biography)*. Vol. 4. London: [Smith, Elder & Co](/source/Smith%2C_Elder_%26_Co). pp. 202–203. - Webb, R. K. (2000). "Miracles in English Unitarian Thought Essay". In Micale, Mark S.; Dietle, Robert L.; Gay, Peter (eds.). *Enlightenment, passion, modernity: historical essays in European thought and culture*. **Attribution** - This article incorporates text from a publication now in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain): [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm), ed. (1911). "[Belsham, Thomas](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Belsham,_Thomas)". *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 711. Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States Netherlands Israel People DDB Other IdRef Open Library SNAC Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Thomas Belsham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Belsham) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Belsham?action=history)). 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