Life
Born in Monmouthshire, Phillips entered the University of Oxford in 1533, graduating B.A. on 18 February 1538; he was elected a fellow of Oriel College on 17 April 1538. He commenced M.A. on 27 March 1542, was afterwards ordained priest, and later proceeded B.D. [1]
In 1543 Phillips was presented to the rectory of Kiddington, Oxfordshire, and on 5 February 1546 was appointed principal of St Mary Hall, Oxford. He was one of the three prominent Catholics who, in 1549, took part in a public disputation against Pietro Martire Vermigli in the divinity hall of the university, with William Tresham and William Chedsey. In the same year he obtained the vicarage of St Winnoc, Pembrokeshire. [1] [3]
In 1550 Phillips resigned the post of principal of St Mary Hall, and soon after the accession of Queen Mary, in 1553, he became precentor of St David's Cathedral. After his absence from Oriel College for a longer time than was allowed, his fellowship was declared vacant on 20 December 1554. [2]
Declining to accept the religious changes of the reign of Elizabeth I, Phillips left for the continent and settled at Leuven. Soon afterwards he visited Rome with William Allen and Jean Vendeville. On his return to Flanders he worked with Allen to establish an English seminary college at Douai; and he advanced the first sum of money for it. [2] Owen Lewis, then at the University of Douai, joined them in a close group of friends. [1]
Phillips died at Douai College on 18 August 1570. By his will he left to Allen all his property, which was used to enlarge the college. Under his name as author was republished in 1571 the Treatise of John Lesley on Mary, Queen of Scots. [2]
Peter Martyr Vermigli was an Italian-born Calvinist theologian. His early work as a reformer in Catholic Italy and his decision to flee for Protestant northern Europe influenced many other Italians to convert and flee as well. In England, he influenced the Edwardian Reformation, including the Eucharistic service of the 1552 Book of Common Prayer. He was considered an authority on the Eucharist among the Calvinist churches, and engaged in controversies on the subject by writing treatises. Vermigli's Loci Communes, a compilation of excerpts from his biblical commentaries organised by the topics of systematic theology, became a standard Calvinist theological textbook.
William Allen, also known as Guilielmus Alanus or Gulielmus Alanus, was an English Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an ordained priest, but was never a bishop. His main role was setting up colleges to train English missionary priests with the mission of returning secretly to England to keep Roman Catholicism alive there. Allen assisted in the planning of the Spanish Armada's attempted invasion of England in 1588. It failed badly, but if it had succeeded he would probably have been made Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor. The Douai-Rheims Bible, a complete translation into English from the Latin, was printed under Allen's orders. His activities were part of the Counter Reformation, but they led to an intense response in England and in Ireland. He advised and recommended Pope Pius V to pronounce Elizabeth I deposed. After the Pope declared her excommunicated and deposed, Elizabeth intensified the persecution of her Roman Catholic religious opponents.
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St Mary Hall was a medieval academic hall of the University of Oxford. It was associated with Oriel College from 1326 to 1545, but functioned independently from 1545 until it was incorporated into Oriel College in 1902.
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Gerbrand Harkes was a Dutch Protestant who became a bookseller and dealer in manuscripts in England.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Lee, Sidney, ed. (1896). "Philipps, Morgan". Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 45. London: Smith, Elder & Co.