Edward Fisher (lived from around 1627 to 1655) was an English religious writer. Fisher is often linked to the initials "E.F.," the author of The Marrow of Modern Divinity (1645), a book that helped explain the idea of unconditional grace. This work became central to the later Marrow Controversy. While many believe Fisher wrote the book, Alexander Gordon, in the Dictionary of National Biography, questions this claim, arguing that evidence from the book itself makes it unlikely.

Life

Fisher was the oldest son of Sir Edward Fisher, a knight, from Mickleton, Gloucestershire. In 1627, he became a student at Brasenose College, Oxford, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree on April 10, 1630. He was known for his understanding of church history and classical languages. He supported the monarchy and defended church traditions against the Puritans. He believed the Lord’s Day was required by church rules, not the Sabbath.

In 1654, he inherited his father’s estate but found it heavily in debt. He sold it in 1656 to Richard Graves. After facing financial problems, he moved to Carmarthen and taught school. However, his creditors found him, and he fled to Ireland. His death date is unknown. His body was later brought to London for burial. He was married, but his wife died before him.

Works by Fisher and E. F.

The following publications are clearly identified as the work of Edward Fisher:

• The Scriptures Harmony … by E. F., Esq., 1643.
• An Appeale to thy Conscience, without place, printed in the 19th year of our gracious lord King Charles, 1643 (anonymous).
• The Feast of Feasts, or the Celebration of the Sacred Nativity, Oxford, 1644 (anonymous, identified as Fisher's by the Bodleian Catalogue).
• A Christian Caveat to the old and new Sabbatarians, or a Vindication of our Gospel Festivals … By a Lover of Truth; a Defender of Christian Liberty; and an hearty Desirer of Peace, internal, external, eternal to all men, 1649 (i.e., 1650 N.S.); 4th edition, 1652, By Edward Fisher, Esq., includes An Answer to Sixteen Queries touching the … observation of Christmass, propounded by Joseph Hemming of Uttoxeter (reprinted in Somers Tracts, 1748, vol. iv.); 5th edition, 1653; another edition, 1655, includes Questions preparatory to the more Christian Administration of the Lord's Supper … by E. F., Esq. The Caveat, which treats Christmas Day and Good Friday as equally important as the Lord's Day, was criticized by John Collinges and Giles Collier. Parts of the Caveat were later reprinted by the Seventh Day Baptists of America in Tracts on the Sabbath, New York, 1853.

Thomas Tanner, in his 1721 edition of Anthony Wood's Athenae Oxonienses, linked Edward Fisher to E. F., the author of The Marrow of Modern Divinity. This identification has been supported by Philip Bliss, John Hill Burton, and others but questioned by George Grub. The author of The Marrow of Modern Divinity was described as "an illiterate barber," though little else is known about him except that in his dedication to John Warner, the lord mayor, he referred to himself as a "poore inhabitant" of London. The following books, written as dialogues and approved by Puritan authorities, are also attributed to the same author:

• The Marrow of Modern Divinity … by E. F., 1645; 4th edition, 1646, includes letters of recommendation from Jeremiah Burroughes, William Strong, Joshua Sprigge, and Samuel Prittie.
• A Touchstone for a Communicant … by E. F., 1647 (with the approval of Joseph Caryl).
• The Marrow of Modern Divinity: the Second Part … by E. F., 1649.
• London's Gate to the Lord's Table, 1647; the title page is anonymous, but the signature "E. F." appears at the end of the dedication to Judge Henry Rolle of the pleas and Margaret his wife.
• Faith in Five Fundamentall Principles … by E. F., a Seeker of the Truth, 1650.