Jenkin, Robert

Jenkin, Robert, an English theologian, was born at Minster, Thanet, in 1656. He studied at Canterbury and Cambridge, of which he became fellow. He was successively appointed rector of St. John's College, professor of theology, and chaplain to Dr. Lake, bishop of Chichester. In 1688 he refused to take the oath required of all holding benefices and retired to private life. He died in 1727. His principal work is The Reasonableness of the Christian Religion (six editions; the best 1734, 2 vols. 8vo). He wrote also Examination of the Authority of General Councils (Lond. 1688, 4to): — Defensio sancti Augustini versus J. Phereponum (London, 1707, 8vo): — Remarks upon four Books just published (on Basnage's History of the Jews, Lake's Paraphrase of St. Paul's Epistle, Le Clerc's Bibliotheque choisie, etc.). He also translated into English Tillemont's Life of Apollonius of Tyana. See Gorton, General Biograph. Dict. s.v.; Hoefer, Nouv. Biogr. Générale, 26, 650; Allibone, Dict. of Authors, 1, 962. (J.N.P.)