Mark Earngey’s New Book

Posted on June 29, 2026 
Filed under History, People

From Moore College –

“A recent book by Moore College faculty member, Dr Mark Earngey, offers a major new study of John Ponet (1516-1556), one of the most significant yet often overlooked figures of the early English Reformation.

John Ponet (1516-1556): Scholar, Bishop, Insurgent (Brill) draws on newly discovered archival material and a reconstructed catalogue of Ponet’s personal library to provide the most comprehensive account of his life and thought to date.

Earngey first encountered Ponet while undertaking postgraduate research at Oxford into the life and theology of Thomas Cranmer.

‘I realised that the little-known but prodigious Ponet was patronised by Cranmer and became his right-hand theologian,’ he says. ‘When I began work on Ponet an avalanche of new manuscript material came to light, and the project in recovering his story began!’

The book presents Ponet as a leading scholar, bishop and reformer whose influence extended across theology, church leadership and political thought. Earngey traces Ponet’s role in advancing evangelical reform during the reigns of Henry VIII (as Cranmer’s chaplain) and Edward VI (as Cranmer’s theological advisor) and examines his later writings during the reign of Mary I, in which he became one of the earliest English Reformation voices to argue for a limited monarchy and resistance to tyranny.

The research also uncovered a number of significant discoveries about Ponet and his influence.…”

– Read the full article here.