John Jones (Unitarian)
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John Jones LL.D. (1766? – 10 January 1827) was a
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...
Unitarian minister, critic, tutor and
lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...
.


Life

He was born about 1766 near
Llandovery Llandovery (; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the River Tywi and at the junction of the A40 road, A40 and A483 road, A483 roads, about north-east of Carmarthen, north of Swansea and w ...
, in the parish of Llandingat,
Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...
. His father was a farmer. In 1780, at age 14 or 15, he started study at the ‘college of the church of Christ,’
Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...
, under William Griffiths, and remained there till 1783, when his father's death called him home. Soon after the establishment in 1786 of the New College, Hackney near London, he was admitted as a divinity student on the recommendation of his relative, David Jones, who was already a student there. He was a favourite pupil of
Gilbert Wakefield Gilbert Wakefield (1756–1801) was an English scholar and controversialist. He moved from being a cleric and academic, into tutoring at dissenting academies, and finally became a professional writer and publicist. In a celebrated state trial ...
, classical tutor. In 1792, he succeeded David Peter as assistant-tutor in the Welsh presbyterian college, then in
Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
,
Glamorganshire Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the south of Wales. Originally an early medieval petty kingdom of varying bo ...
. With William Howell, the principal tutor, an old-fashioned
Arian Arianism (, ) is a Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is considered he ...
, Jones, who was of the Priestley and combative, had serious differences. In 1795 the presbyterian board removed both tutors, and transferred the college to
Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...
. Jones then in 1795 succeeded John Kentish as minister of the presbyterian congregation at
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
,
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
, where he remained till 1798. He then established a school at
Halifax, Yorkshire Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. In the 15th century, the town became an economic hub of the old West Riding of Yorkshire, primarily in woo ...
. From 29 March 1802 to 1804 he was minister of Northgate End Chapel, Halifax, carrying on a school at the same time. In 1804 he settled in London as a tutor in classics, where his pupils included the sons of Sir
Samuel Romilly Sir Samuel Romilly (1 March 1757 – 2 November 1818) was a British lawyer, Whigs (British political party), Whig politician, abolitionist and legal reformer. Born in London of French Huguenot descent, he was largely self-educated and escaped p ...
. He after a time abandoned preaching altogether. He was a member (before 1814) of the Philological Society of Manchester; received (1818) the degree of LL.D. from
Aberdeen University The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in post-nominals; ) is a public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen and Chancellor of Scotland, petitioned Pope Al ...
; was elected (1821) a trustee of Dr. Daniel Williams's foundations, and (about 1825) a member of the
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...
. He died at Great Coram Street on 10 January 1827, and was interred in the burying-ground of St. George's, Bloomsbury, where his gravestone bore a Latin inscription.


Works

As a Greek-English lexicographer Jones did work which earned the commendation of
Samuel Parr Samuel Parr (26 January 1747 – 6 March 1825), was an English schoolmaster, writer, minister and Doctor of Law. He was known in his time for political writing, and (flatteringly) as "the Whig Johnson", though his reputation has lasted less wel ...
. He discarded accents. Instances of alleged theological bias in his interpretations were sharply commented on in the second number of the ''
Westminster Review The ''Westminster Review'' was a quarterly United Kingdom, British publication. Established in 1823 as the official organ of the Philosophical Radicals, it was published from 1824 to 1914. James Mill was one of the driving forces behind the libe ...
'' (April 1824) by John Walker the separatist; Jones fiercely defended himself. He defended the integrity of the passages in
Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...
referring to Christ, and maintained that both Josephus and
Philo Philo of Alexandria (; ; ; ), also called , was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. The only event in Philo's life that can be decisively dated is his representation of the Alexandrian J ...
were Christians. The initial chapters of St. Matthew and St. Luke he rejected as interpolations, but he held the ''
Comma Johanneum The Johannine Comma () is an interpolated phrase (comma) in verses of the First Epistle of John. The text (with the comma in italics and enclosed by brackets) in the King James Version of the Bible reads: In the Greek Textus Receptus (TR), th ...
'' to be authentic, and to have been excised at an early date because it taught Unitarian doctrine. He published: *''A Development of … Events, calculated to restore the Christian Religion to its … Purity'', &c., Leeds, 1800, 2 vols. *''The Epistle … to the Romans analysed'', &c., Halifax, 1801. *''Illustrations of the Four Gospels'', &c., 1808. *''A Grammar of the Greek Tongue'', &c., 1808; 4th edit., with title, ‘Etymologia Græca,’ 1826. *''A Grammar of the Latin Tongue''. &c., 1810; reprinted 1813, 1816. *''A Latin and English Vocabulary'', 1812; enlarged, with title, ''Analogiæ Latinæ'', 1825. *''Ecclesiastical Researches, or Philo and Josephus proved to be … Apologists of Christ'', &c., 1812. And its ‘Sequel’, 1813. *''A New Version of the first three Chapters of Genesis'', &c., 1819, (under the pseudonym of Essenus). *''A Series of … Facts, demonstrating the Truth of the Christian Religion'', &c., 1820. And ''An Answer to a Pseudocriticism'' of this work, 1824. *''A Greek and English Lexicon'', &c., 1823. *''A Reply to … “A New Trial of the Witnesses,” &c., and … “Not Paul but Jesus,”'' &c., 1824, (under the pseudonym of Ben David). *''The Principles of Lexicography'', &c., 1824. *
Three Letters, in which is demonstrated the Genuineness of … 1 John v. 7
', &c., 1825, (under the pseudonym of Ben David). *''The Tyro's Greek and English Lexicon'', &c.; 2nd edit. 1825. *''An Exposure of the Hamiltonian System of Teaching'', &c., 1826. Against the
Hamiltonian language teaching system James Hamilton (1769–1829) was an Irish language teacher, who introduced the "Hamiltonian system" of teaching languages. Life Hamilton was taught for four years at a Dublin school run by two Jesuits, Beatty and Mulhall. He went into business, a ...
. *''An Explanation of the Greek Article'', &c., 1827. (against Middleton). Posthumous was: ''The Book of the Prophet Isaiah translated'', &c., 1830. He edited an edition of
John Entick John Entick (c.1703 – May 1773) was an English schoolmaster and author. He was largely a hack writer, working for Edward Dilly, and he padded his credentials with a bogus M.A. and a portrait in clerical dress; some of his works had a more ...
's ''Latin Dictionary'', 1824, and contributed largely to periodicals, especially the ''
Monthly Repository The ''Monthly Repository'' was a British monthly Unitarian periodical which ran between 1806 and 1838. In terms of editorial policy on theology, the ''Repository'' was largely concerned with rational dissent. Considered as a political journal, i ...
''.


Family

He married first, soon after 1804, the only daughter of
Abraham Rees Abraham Rees (1743 – 9 June 1825) was a Welsh nonconformist minister, and compiler of '' Rees's Cyclopædia'' (in 45 volumes). Life He was the second son of Esther, daughter of Abraham Penry, and her husband Lewis Rees, and was born i ...
, who had been his tutor at Hackney. His first wife died without issue in 1815, and Jones married secondly, in 1817, Anna, only daughter of George Dyer of
Sawbridgeworth Sawbridgeworth (traditionally or , now also ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, close to the border with Essex. It is east of Hertford and north of Epping, Essex, Epping. It is the northernmo ...
,
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
, who, with two children, survived him. His
literary executor The literary estate of a deceased author consists mainly of the copyright and other intellectual property rights of published works, including film rights, film, translation rights, original manuscripts of published work, unpublished or partially ...
was his nephew, James Chervet of Croydon.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, John 1766 births 1827 deaths Welsh Unitarians Welsh lexicographers