The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2690 page)
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Authors: John Bowker
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Wen-ch’ang
.
.
Taoist god of writing and literature. He is invoked by those taking exams. Chinese aspiring to education put up a plaque representing him with the wish-fulfilling sceptre (
ju-i
).
ju-i
).
Wen-shu-shih-li
.
.
Chin. for Mañju
r
, bodhisattva associated with wisdom and the conquest of ignorance.
r, bodhisattva associated with wisdom and the conquest of ignorance.Wesley, Charles
(1707–88)
. Brother of John
Wesley
and hymn-writer. In 1738 he experienced a conversion like that of his brother, and became an itinerant preacher until 1756, settling finally in London in 1771. Charles Wesley is generally considered the most gifted of Anglican writers of hymns. He is recognized in the Church of England Lesser Festivals, 24 May.
. Brother of John
Wesley
and hymn-writer. In 1738 he experienced a conversion like that of his brother, and became an itinerant preacher until 1756, settling finally in London in 1771. Charles Wesley is generally considered the most gifted of Anglican writers of hymns. He is recognized in the Church of England Lesser Festivals, 24 May.
Wesley, John
(1703–91)
. Founder of
Methodism
. After ordination in 1725 and a brief curacy, Wesley became fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford (1726), where he was a member of a small religious society nicknamed the
‘Holy Club’
and also dubbed
‘Methodists’
because of their emphasis on discipline and self-examination. In 1735 he undertook missionary work in Georgia, but, burdened by disappointment and a sense of personal need, he returned home in 1738. Influenced by
Moravians
, he experienced conversion at a meeting in Aldersgate St, London (‘I felt my heart strangely warmed’), and thereafter became a passionate evangelist, constantly preaching in the open air throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as sending preachers to N. America. Travelling on horseback approximately 8,000 miles a year, he recorded his experiences and frequently hostile receptions in his
Journal
. He had no wish to secede from the
Church
of England; but opposition, and the necessities of the mission field in America (which caused him to ordain Thomas Coke as Superintendent or
bishop
) led to increasing separation. He and Charles
Wesley
are recognized in the Lesser Festivals of the Church of England, 24 May.
. Founder of
Methodism
. After ordination in 1725 and a brief curacy, Wesley became fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford (1726), where he was a member of a small religious society nicknamed the
‘Holy Club’
and also dubbed
‘Methodists’
because of their emphasis on discipline and self-examination. In 1735 he undertook missionary work in Georgia, but, burdened by disappointment and a sense of personal need, he returned home in 1738. Influenced by
Moravians
, he experienced conversion at a meeting in Aldersgate St, London (‘I felt my heart strangely warmed’), and thereafter became a passionate evangelist, constantly preaching in the open air throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as sending preachers to N. America. Travelling on horseback approximately 8,000 miles a year, he recorded his experiences and frequently hostile receptions in his
Journal
. He had no wish to secede from the
Church
of England; but opposition, and the necessities of the mission field in America (which caused him to ordain Thomas Coke as Superintendent or
bishop
) led to increasing separation. He and Charles
Wesley
are recognized in the Lesser Festivals of the Church of England, 24 May.
Westcott, Brooke Foss
(1825–1901)
. Anglican scholar and bishop. He became Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in 1870, and with F. J. A. Hort prepared their widely-used edition of the Gk. New Testament (published 1881). As bishop of Durham from 1890 he somewhat surprisingly made social problems his special concern, and was long remembered (cf.
Manning
) for his mediation in the coal strike of 1892.
. Anglican scholar and bishop. He became Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in 1870, and with F. J. A. Hort prepared their widely-used edition of the Gk. New Testament (published 1881). As bishop of Durham from 1890 he somewhat surprisingly made social problems his special concern, and was long remembered (cf.
Manning
) for his mediation in the coal strike of 1892.
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