Bingham, Joseph, one of the most learned and laborious divines the Church of England has ever produced, was born in 1668 at Wakefield, in York- shire. He studied at Oxford, and became a fellow of University College, where he had for his pupil Potter, who afterward was archbishop of Canterbury. When called upon to preach before the university, he chose for the subject of his sermon the myste- ry of the Trinity, and some expressions which were thought to be heretical raised a great storm, which eventually induced him to quit the university, lie received the rectorj" of Havant, in Hampshire, and died in 1723, the victim of excessive toil in pursuing his literary labors, which, owing to his large family and narrow income, were necessary to his support. In 1708 lie published the first volume of his celebrated work, Origines Ecclesiast:ar, or Antiquities of the Chris- tian Church, which was completed in eight vols. 8vo, the last of which appeared in 1722. He was employ- ed in correcting and amending this work at his death, which amended edition was afterward contained in the collection of his works published at London in two vols, fol., 1726. His Origines was translated into Latin by J. H. Grichow, with a preface and notes by J. F. Buddaeus, and printed at Halle in 1724-38, and again in 1751-61 (10 vols. 4to). This great work is a perfect repertory of facts in ecclesiastical archa?ology, and lias not. been superseded or even approached in its own line by any book since produced. Its High- Church views make it very acceptable to the Romanists, who have printed a revised German translation of it for their own use (Augsburg, 1788-96, 4 vols. 8vo). A very convenient and cheap edition of Bingham for the use of students was published in London in 1852 (Bohn, 2 vols, royal 8vo). The best complete edition is that of Pitman (Lend. 1840, 9 vols. 8vo), which gives
BINIUS
815
BIRD
the. citations in full from the originals, together with a life of the author. See Archeology.
Binius (commonly Bini), Severin, born in Ju- liers, was a canon and professor of theology at Cologne, where he died in 1(341. He is known by his "Collec- tion of Councils," Concilia Genitalia et Provinciidia Greeca et Latina (Cologne, 4 vols, fol., 160G; 9 vols., 1G18; 10 vols., Paris, 1636). The notes appended to it are taken from Baronius, Bellarmine, and Suarez, and are strongly imbued with the ultramontane views of those writers. Usher, in his Ant'q. Brit., calls him Contaminator Concdiorum, from the fact of li Is per- mitting himself to make alterations, which he calls corrections, in many places of the old councils, after his own fancy, without any attention to the MSS. His collections are to a large extent superseded by those of Labbe and others. — Biog. Univ. iv, 501. See Coun- cils.
Bin'nui (Heb. Binnu'y, "^23, a building), a fre- quent name after the exile. See also Bunni.
1. (Sept. Bavovt.) The head of one of the families of Israelites, whose followers to the number of C48 re- turned from Babylon (Neh. vii, 15). In Ezra ii, 10 he is called Bani (q. v.), and his retainers arc numbered at 642.
2. (Sept. Bavi, Bavaiov, and Bavovt.') A Levite, son of Henadad, who returned with Zerubbabel from Babylon, B.C. 536 (Neh. xii, 8) ; he also (if the same) assisted in repairing the walls of Jerusalem, B.C. 446 (Neh. iii, 24), and joined in the religious covenant, B.C. 410 (Neh. x, 9).
3. (Sept. Bai/afrt.) The father of the Levite Noa- diah, who was one of those that assisted in weighing the silver and gold designed for the divine service on the restoration from Babylon (Ezra viii, £3). B.C. 459.
4. (Sept. Bavovt.') One of the " sons" of Pahath- moab, who put away his Gentile wife on the return from Babylon (Ezra x, 30). B.C. 458.
5. Another Israelite, one of the " sons" of Bani, who did the same (Ezra x, 38). B.C. 458.
Binterim, Anton Joseph, a very prolific Poman Catholic writer, was born at Dusseldorf, entered the order of Franciscans in 1796, and became in 1805 pas- tor at Bilk, a suburb of Dusseldorf, which office he re- tained until his death in 1855. In 1838 he was sen- tenced to six months' imprisonment for having cen- sured in his sermons the Prussian law respecting mix- ed marriages. The most important of his numerous works is Die rorz>iglichsfen Denl-iriirdigkeiten cler chrisi- lick-lcatholischen Kirche (Mentz, 1821- 33, 7 vols.), an en- larged translation of Pellicia's work on Christian an- tiquities. See Archaeology. Among his other works are a history of all the German councils (Gesrhichteder deutschen National-, Prorinzial-, mid Dibcesanconcil en, Mentz, 1835-13, 7 vols.), and a history of the archdio- cese of Cologne.
Biothanati. See Biathanati.
Birch, Thomas, D.D., was born in London Nov. 23d, 1705, of Quaker parents. For several years he acted as usher in different schools, and pursued his studies assiduously. He was ordained deacon in 1730, priest in 1731, by Bishop Hoadley, without h.-ving at- tended either of the universities. He owed his ad- vancement to the patronage of Lord-chancellor Hard- wicke, to whom he had been recommended early in life. In 1734 he became vicar of Ulting, in Essex; rector of St. Margaret's, London, 1746 ; rector of Dep- den, Essex, 1701. In 1734 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society, and in 1752 he became one of its secretaries. In 1753 the University of Aberdeen made him D.D. Dr. Birch was indefatigable in literary pursuits. The first work of importance in which he was engaged was the General Dictionary, Historical and Critical, in which he was assisted bv Lockman, Ber-