Cave, William

CAVE, WILLIAM. - Born at Pickwell in Leicestershire in 1637, died at Windsor in 1713. Anglican minister. Educated at Cambridge in St. John's College, vicar and rector of many parishes, chaplain to Charles II, canon of Windsor. A theologian, historian and ecclesiastical critic of vast erudition, especially for his times, but lacking in critical sense and often partial in his judgments, as his opponents pointed out, among whom was Jean Le Clerc. Among the most important works are: Primitive christianity (London 1672), the primitive Church in its relations with paganism; Tabulae ecclesiasticae (ibid. 1674), a catalogue of ancient ecclesiastical writers; Apostolici (ibid. 1677), a history of figures of the first three centuries of the Church, and Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Historia Litteraria (ibid. 1688-98), of which there exists a posthumous edition (Oxford 1740-43) with numerous additions by the author himself. Because of its Protestant and anti-Roman spirit, all of C.'s works are on the Index (decree of 11 Nov. 1693).