THOMAS

See also:

• THOMAS GATAKER (1574-1654)

GATAKER (1574-1654)  , English divine, was born in London in September 1574, and educated at St John's College, Cambridge . From 16ox to 1611 he held the appointment .of preacher to the society of Lincoln's Inn, which he resigned on accepting the rectory of Rotherhithe . In 1642 he was chosen a member of the assembly of divines at Westminster, and annotated for that assembly the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Lamentations . He disapproved of the introduction of the Covenant, and declared himself in favour of episcopacy . He was one of the forty-seven London clergymen who disapproved of thetrial of Charles I . He was married four times, and died in July 1654 . His principal works, besides some volumes of sermons are—On the Nature and Use of Lots (1619), a curious treatise which led to his being accused of favouring games of chance; Dissertatio de stylo Novi Testamenti (1648) ; Cinnus, sive Adversaria miscellanea, in quibus Sacrae Scripturac primo, delude aliorurn scriptorum, locis aliquam multis lux redditur (1651), to which was afterwards sub-joined Adversaria Posthuma; and his edition of Marcus Antoninus (1652), which, according to Hallam, is the " earliest edition of any classical writer published in England with original annotations," and, for the period at which it was written, possesses remarkable merit . His collected works were published at Utrecht in 1698 .