William Evans (d. 1720?), was a Welsh

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister.

Life

Evans was educated at the

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

at Ystradwalter, then under the presidency of the Rev. Rees Prytherch. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

at Pencader, near

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

, in 1688, and continued pastor there for fifteen years. In 1703 he removed to Carmarthen to become pastor of the presbyterian congregation, and received in his house students for the Christian ministry. He has been regarded as the founder of the Welsh Academy, from the fact that the education of divinity students first assumed under him a collegiate form. Evans was patronised both by the London funds and by the liberality of wealthy dissenters. Dr. Daniel Williams bequeathed a sum of money towards his support, and it continued to his successors. He is supposed to have retired in 1718, and he died in 1720.

Works

In 1707 Evans published in Welsh ''The Principles of the Christian Religion'', based apparently on

Westminster Assembly The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of divines (theologians) and members of the English Parliament appointed from 1643 to 1653 to restructure the Church of England. Several Scots also attended, and the Assembly's work was adopt ...

's catechism; in 1714 he published and wrote a preface for ''Gemmeu Doethineb'' ("Gems of Wisdom"), a work by his old tutor Rees Prytherch. In 1717 he wrote and long preface to his friend and neighbour Iago ab Dewi's translation of Matthew Henry's ''Catechism''; in 1757 Abel Morgan published Evans's ''Principles of the Christian Religion'', which he had adapted so as to teach

adult baptism Believer's baptism or adult baptism (occasionally called credobaptism, from the Latin word meaning "I believe") is the practice of baptizing those who are able to make a conscious profession of faith, as contrasted to the practice of baptizing ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, William Year of birth missing 1720 deaths 17th-century births 18th-century Welsh clergy Welsh theologians 18th-century Christian theologians Welsh-language writers Welsh Presbyterians 18th-century Presbyterian ministers 18th-century Welsh writers 18th-century British male writers 17th-century Welsh writers Welsh male non-fiction writers 18th-century Welsh theologians