Bible Commentaries

Thomas Coke (9 September 1747 - 2 May 1814) was the first Methodist Bishop and is known as the Father of Methodist Missions.

Born in Brecon, south Wales, his father was a well-to-do apothecary. Coke, who was only 5 foot and 1 inch tall and prone to being overweight, read Jurisprudence at Jesus College, Oxford, which has a strong Welsh tradition, graduating Bachelor of Arts, then Master of Arts in 1770, and Doctor of Civil Law in 1775. On returning to Brecon he served as Mayor in 1772.

A Commentary on the Holy Bible, six complete volumes (1801-1803), is an indepth look at the Old and New Testaments, with the following print volumes combined into the commentary here:

• Volume 1, Genesis to Deuteronomy, 1801.
• Volume 2, Joshua to Job, 1801.
• Volume 3, Psalms to Isaiah, 1802.
• Volume 4, Jeremiah to Malachi, 1803.
• Volume 5, Matthew to Acts, 1803.
• Volume 6, Romans to Revelation, 1803.

His numerous publications included Extracts of the Journals of the Rev. Dr. Coke's Five Visits to America (London, 1793); a life of John Wesley (1792), prepared in collaboration with Henry Mooro; A History of the West Indies (3 vols., Liverpool, 1808-11).