Jeremiah Dummer

Jeremiah Dummer (1681 – May 19, 1739) was an important colonial figure for New England in the early 18th century. His most significant contributions to American history were his A Defense of the New England Charters and his role in the formation of Yale College.

Background and early life

Jeremiah Dummer's family history can be traced back to the Dummer village in England in the 12th century. Dummer's grandfather, Richard Dummer, was the first in the family to settle in New England, in Newbury, Massachusetts in 1635. Richard had five children in Newbury by his second wife, Francis Burr Dummer. Richard's son, Jeremiah Dummer, Sr., was a prominent colonial craftsman and one of the original silversmiths born in the Americas. In 1672, he married Anna Atwater. Jeremiah Jr., the sixth of their nine children, was born in Boston in 1681. Jeremiah Jr.'s historical significance would eclipse that of his father, who has been said to have been "A man of rare versatility for the times, he learned and successfully pursued his profession of silversmith, producing pieces that today stand out in the work of the period for their dignity, simplicity, and artistic workmanship." Although Dummer's father had received little education while being raised in an agricultural setting in New England, he was able to see to it that his children were well educated.

Jeremiah Dummer (silversmith)

Jeremiah Dummer (14 September 1643 – 24 May 1718) was the first American-born silversmith, whose works are today highly valued.

Life

Dummer was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, the first son of Richard Dummer and his second wife, Frances Burr.

At the age of 14, he was apprenticed to John Hull, the mintmaster at Boston. Hull recorded at the time that he "received into my house Jeremie Dummer ... to serve me as Apprentice eight years". When he was 23 he started on his own and became a prolific and notable silversmith making tankards, beakers, porringers, caudle cups and candlesticks. The fluted band on a plain surface is characteristic of his work. He is said to have introduced the ornamentation known as "gadrooning", curved flutings on the surface of silver.

He held many public offices, and was a Member and Captain of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Society in 1671 and Constable of Boston in 1675–76. He was appointed Freeman of Boston in 1680, a member of Capt Hutchinson's Company in 1684, a member of the Council of Safety against Andres in 1689, a Selectman of Boston 1691–92, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Suffolk County 1702–15, Treasurer of Suffolk County 1711–16, and was a member in full communion at the venerable First Church.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah (/dʒɛrᵻˈmaɪ.ə/;Hebrew: יִרְמְיָהוּ, Modern: Yirmeyahu  [jiʁmeˈjahu], Tiberian: Yirmĭyāhū; Greek: Ἰερεμίας; Arabic: إرميا‎ Irmiyā) meaning "Yah Exalts", also called the "Weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament). Jeremiah is traditionally credited with authoring the Book of Jeremiah, 1 Kings, 2 Kings and the Book of Lamentations, with the assistance and under the editorship of Baruch ben Neriah, his scribe and disciple.

Judaism considers the Book of Jeremiah part of its canon, and regards Jeremiah as the second of the major prophets. Christianity also regards Jeremiah as a prophet and he is quoted in the New Testament.Islam too considers Jeremiah a prophet, and he is listed as a major prophet in Ibn Kathir's Qisas Al-Anbiya (Stories of the Prophets).

About a year after King Josiah of Judah had turned the nation toward repentance from the widespread idolatrous practices of his father and grandfather, Jeremiah's sole purpose was to reveal the sins of the people and explain the reason for the impending disaster (destruction by the Babylonian army and captivity), "And when your people say, 'Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.'" God's personal message to Jeremiah, "Attack you they will, overcome you they can't," was fulfilled many times in the Biblical narrative: Jeremiah was attacked by his own brothers, beaten and put into the stocks by a priest and false prophet, imprisoned by the king, threatened with death, thrown into a cistern by Judah's officials, and opposed by a false prophet. When Nebuchadnezzar seized Jerusalem in 586 BC, he ordered that Jeremiah be freed from prison and treated well.

Jeremiah (I)

R. Jeremiah (Hebrew: רבי ירמיה) was a Tanna sage of the last generation and an Amora sage of the first generation, active in the Land of Israel during the transition period between the Tannaic and Amora sages eras. In Tractate Sukkah it is storied that that one of his pupils was a sage called Hezekiah, R. Rabbi Yehudah be-Rabbi Kalonymus mi-Speyer, the author of Sefer Yiḥusei Tanna'im ve-Amora'im, raises the question whether it was Hezekiah the son of R. Hiyya or whether it was Hezekiah the son of the daughter of Rab.

References

Jeremiah (III)

R. Yirmeyah (or R. Jeremiah (iii) or Jeremiah ben Abba;Hebrew: רבי ירמיה‎, read as Rabbi Yirmeyah) was a prominent Jewish Amora sage of the Land of Israel, of the fourth generation of the Amora era (4th century). He was born in Babylon and made Aliyah to the Land of Israel while he was still young. In The Land of Israel he learned under R. Yochanan bar Nafcha's disciples, mainly under Rav Zeira. He stood out with his many questions, many of which that were left unanswered. In the Talmud it is storied that he was once ejected from a Beth Midrash because of his questions concerning border line cases that required accuracy on determining the exact definition of the border line. His exceptional questions gained publicity, and some use the phrase a Jeremiah question to refer to rare or out of the ordinary questions. After he was taken out of the Beth Midrash, the prominent sages of the generation sent him Halakhahic questions, and his answers made them decide to return him back to the Beth Midrash. Yirmeyah was known for his love of the Land of Israel, and used to denounce the Babylonians. His Beth Midrash was located in Tiberias.