Benjamin Kennicott facts for kids
Benjamin Kennicott (born April 4, 1718, died September 18, 1783) was an English church leader and a very smart person who studied the Hebrew language. He spent many years carefully comparing old Hebrew texts of the Bible to understand them better.
Life and Studies
Benjamin Kennicott was born in a town called Totnes in Devon, England. He went to Totnes Grammar School. For a while, he worked as a teacher at a charity school, just like his father.
But some kind friends helped him go to Wadham College, Oxford, in 1744. There, he quickly showed how brilliant he was, especially in Hebrew and religious studies. While still a student, he wrote two long essays. These essays were about the "Tree of Life" in the Bible and the offerings of Cain and Abel. Because of his excellent work, he earned his first university degree (a B.A.) earlier than most students.
In 1747, Benjamin Kennicott became a special member, called a fellow, at Exeter College, Oxford. He earned his Master's degree (M.A.) in 1750. Later, in 1764, he became a member of the Royal Society, which is a famous group for scientists. In 1767, he was put in charge of the Radcliffe Library at Oxford. He also held important church positions, becoming a priest at Christ Church, Oxford in 1770 and the main priest (rector) of Culham in Oxfordshire in 1753.
His Big Work: Studying the Hebrew Bible
Kennicott's most important work was a huge book called Vetus Testamentum hebraicum cum variis lectionibus (which means "The Hebrew Old Testament with Various Readings"). This book was published between 1776 and 1780.
Before this big book, he wrote two papers in 1753 and 1759. In these papers, he challenged the idea that every single printed Hebrew Bible text was absolutely perfect. He believed there might be small differences or mistakes that had crept in over hundreds of years.
In his first paper, he compared different parts of the Bible, like 1 Chronicles and 2 Samuel, and looked at 70 old handwritten copies (manuscripts). He found some differences. In his second paper, he talked about the Samaritan Pentateuch, which is an old version of the first five books of the Bible. He also listed many Hebrew Bible manuscripts that were known to exist, including 100 found in the British Museum and libraries at Oxford and Cambridge.
In 1760, Kennicott asked for help to compare all the Hebrew manuscripts that existed before printing was invented. Many people donated money, raising nearly £10,000! Many scholars joined him, including Paul Jakob Bruns, who was very helpful with manuscripts in Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.
For ten years, from 1760 to 1769, they reported on their progress. During this time, they looked at 615 Hebrew manuscripts and 52 printed editions of the Bible. They also used quotes from the Talmud, which is a collection of Jewish teachings.
All the information they gathered filled 30 large volumes! When they printed the final book, they used a well-known Hebrew text as the main one. But at the bottom of each page, they printed all the "various readings" or differences they found in other manuscripts. The Samaritan Pentateuch was even printed next to the Hebrew text for easy comparison.
Kennicott's huge project showed something very important. Even though he didn't find many big "mistakes" that needed fixing in the main Hebrew text, his work proved that almost all Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament were very similar. This meant that the text had been copied very carefully over many centuries. Later, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls also helped us learn more about these ancient texts.
After Kennicott passed away, his notes on Hebrew Bible passages were published in a book called Remarks on Select Passages in the Old Testament (1787).
Kennicott Fellowship
Benjamin Kennicott's wife, Ann, wanted his work to continue. So, after he died, she set up two special university scholarships at Oxford for students to study Hebrew.
Today, the Kennicott Fellowship is a scholarship for advanced researchers (called postdoctoral fellows). It helps them study Ancient Hebrew, the Hebrew Bible, and related topics. Many important scholars have received this fellowship over the years, including S. R. Driver and Norman Whybray.
Family Life
In 1771, Benjamin Kennicott married Ann Chamberlayne. She lived many years after him, passing away in 1831. Ann was a friend of the famous writer Hannah More. Ann used money from her family to create the two Hebrew scholarships at Oxford, making sure that the study of Hebrew would continue.
