The Rev. J. J. Blunt was an English clergyman and scholar who wrote the historical book "Sketch of the Reformation in England" in the 19th century. The book gives a summary of the activities and theological adjustments that took place during the English Reformation, a time of political and ecclesiastical upheaval that spanned the 16th and 17th centuries. The English Reformation's genesis is covered in Blunt's book, along with the Protestant Reformation's effects on England as well as the Renaissance and the printing press. Then, he discusses the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth, focusing on each monarch's religious policies and activities and how they affected the English Church and society. Blunt is known for his meticulous research of original materials and attention to detail in his work. His analysis of the complicated ecclesiastical and political factors at work during the English Reformation is based mainly on contemporaneous testimonies and documentation. All things considered, "Sketch of the Reformation in England" is a useful tool for anybody curious in the background of the English Reformation and how it affected English society and culture.
John James Blunt was an Anglican priest from England, known for his studies on the early Church. He was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire and obtained a fellowship after graduating as fifteenth wrangler from St John's College, Cambridge in 1816. Blunt became a Worts travelling bachelor in 1818 and spent time in Italy and Sicily, publishing an account of his journey later on. He was appointed as a Hulsean Lecturer in 1831-1832 while holding a curacy in Shropshire. In 1834, he became the rector of Great Oakley in Essex, and in 1839, he was appointed Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity at Cambridge. Although offered the see of Salisbury in 1854, he declined. Blunt is best known for his book, Undesigned Coincidences in the Writings both of the Old and New Testaments (1833; fuller edition, 1847), in which he coined the term "undesigned coincidences". His other writings, such as the History of the Christian Church during the First Three Centuries and the lectures On the Right Use of the Early Fathers, were published posthumously. A short memoir about him was written by William Selwyn, his successor in the divinity professorship, and was published in 1856.
