Isaac Watts

Widely recognized as the father of English hymnody, Isaac Watts (1674-1748) wrote more than a thousand hymns and psalm settings. In addition to being a prolific poet, Watts was a scholar of wide reputation. He was a gifted preacher, a careful theologian, and an ardent apologist. He published more than two dozen theological treatises; essays on psychology, astronomy, and philosophy; three volumes of sermons; the first children's hymnal; seven pioneering works on educational pedagogy; and a treatise on logic that served as the standard university text at Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard for generations.