Thomas Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

This powerful commentary, by one of American Methodism's founders, is once again available more than two hundred years after its first publication. The two CD set contains all six volumes of the Old & New Testaments, including Ancillary data and Appendix to Revelation. This edition contains both PDF TEXT files for ease of reading, searching, and copy/pasting, as well as IMAGE files for checking and constructing bibliographical references.

Dr. Thomas Coke (1747-1814), Methodist missionary. Coke was born in Brecon, Wales, the son of a medical practitioner. He was educated at Brecon Grammar School and Jesus College, Oxford, and was elected mayor of Brecon shortly after graduating in 1768. Coke took Holy Orders in August 1772 but was ejected from his curacy in Somerset for trying to run the parish on Methodist principles. He moved to London and placed himself under the direction of John Wesley, swiftly reaching a position of prominence.

Though remembered primarily as the "Father of Methodist Missions," he was a key figure in the development of Methodism on both sides of the Atlantic in the years before and after Wesley's death. An Oxford trained lawyer turned priest, he openly allied himself with the Methodists in England. As Wesley's right hand man he became President of the Methodist Church in Ireland in 1782, and two years later was appointed "Bishop" for America. He made a total of eighteen trans-Atlantic trips, and is regarded as one of the founders of the Methodist Church in the United States and West Indies. Coke also made repeated visits to Ireland and the Continent of Europe, and served as President of the British Conference in 1797 and 1805. As Asbury's uneasily yoked colleague, Coke visited America nine times, the last time in 1803.

Always deeply interested in missionary work at home and abroad, he traveled widely to establish Methodism in the West Indies. Hoping to open Methodist missions in the East Indies, in 1814 he set sail for Ceylon, but died on the way.

In addition to being a popular preacher, he was an author of some considerable importance. His writings included a multi-volume commentary on the Bible and a history of the West Indies.