Colenso, John William°
COLENSO, JOHN WILLIAM°
COLENSO, JOHN WILLIAM ° (1814–1883), English Bible scholar, Anglican bishop of Natal (South Africa). In 1853 Colenso was appointed bishop of Natal, where he learned Zulu, for which he compiled a grammar and dictionary; he also translated parts of the Bible and the New Testament into Zulu. Prompted by questions put to him by Zulus, his mind turned to difficulties and inconsistencies in the Pentateuch. He wrote The Pentateuch and Book of Joshua Critically Examined (7 parts, 1862–79), in which he denied the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch; Deuteronomy, he asserted, was written by Jeremiah. Such views caused much scandal and controversy; he was repudiated by his church but continued to minister to his followers. For a long time he was a solitary English representative of Higher biblical criticism. The popular Speaker's Commentary on the Bible was issued mainly to combat Colenso's views. In the English-Jewish community his views also caused a stir, and Chief Rabbi Hermann *Adler and A. *Benish joined his critics.
bibliography:
G.W. Cox, The Life of John William Colenso (1888), 2 vols.; eb, 6 (1947), 1; Encyclopedia Americana, 7 (1955), 224.