Colenso, John William, 1814-1883

John William Colenso, radical biblical critic and bishop in the Church of England, was born in Cornwall on January 24, 1814. Although mathematics was his first love, he was also taken with the study of religion and soon joined the ministry. Named Bishop of Natal in 1853, he went to Africa, where the natives' lives and questions prompted him to take a more radical view of the Bible. As a result of his revolutionary ideas, in 1863 he was excommunicated by Bishop Gray in Capetown. Although this judgment was argued, the issue was never completely settled. Colenso wrote several books including Commentary of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and The Pentateuch and Book of Joshua Critically Examined, as well as a grammar and dictionary of Zulu and a Zulu translation of the Prayer Book. He died June 20, 1883.

From the description of John William Colenso letters, 1863-1864. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122583754

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