KENT
47
KEPLER
Christian Advocate andJournaJ. His productions were characterized by a clear, concise, unornamennd Style, freshness of thought, and deep spirituality. Not osten- tatious in the expression of his religious convictions and experiences, he claimed personal knowledge of the doc- trine of entire sanctification. " Uniformly cheerful, full of buoyant hopes in Christ, he always was remarkably sedate." — Meth. Minutes for 180 1; New York Christian Advocate.
Kent, James, a distinguished English composer of Church music, was born at Winchester in ITOti, and at an early age employed as chorister in the cathedral of that cit}'. His talents secured him admittance to the Chapel koyal, London, where he enjoyed the tuition of the celebrated Dr. Croft. After completing his educa- tion, he was chosen organist of Finden, in Northampton- shire, and subsequently was appointed organist of Trin- ity College, Cambridge. In 1737 he was elected to fill the same situation in the cathedral of his native place, which he accepted and held until 1774. He died in 177G. Mr. Kent greatly assisted Dr. Boyce in the preparation of his magnificent work, the collection of Cathedral Mu- sic, and his services are duly acknowledged by that learned editor. Mr. Kent published a volume of Twelve Anthems (London, 1773, ito), among which are. Hear imj Prai/er, When the Son of Man^Mn Sonfj shall he of Mercj, and others which are favorites with the congrega- tions of English cathedrals. After his decease, a Morn- iiifi and Ereninfj Service, and Eitjht A nthems, comjiosed by him for the Winchester choir, were collected and printed by Mr. Corfe, of Salisbury ; but the probability is tliat the author never intended them for publication, as they are not equal to his other published productions. " ^Ir. Kent was remarkably mild in his disposition, amiable in his manners, exemplary in his conduct, and conscientiously diligent in the discharge of his duties. His performance on the organ was solemn and impressive, and he was by competent judges considered one of the best musicians of the age in which he lived" {Ilarmonicon). (.J. H.AV'^.)
Kentigern, St., a Scottish prelate who flourished toward the close of the Gth century, was actively en- gaged in the interests of the Christian Church among the natives of Scotland. He is said to have made many converts while bishop of Glasgow. Bishop Kentigern died about A.D. GOO.
Kephar- (132, villar/e), a frequent prefix to the Heb. name of hamlets or small places in Palestine, as in • that here following, and many others mentioned by Be- laud {Paltrst. p. 681 sq.) and Schwarz (Palest, p. 1 18. 119, ICO, 170, 177, 187, 188, 190, 200, 201, 204, 235). See Ca- riiAi;-.
Kephar-Chananiah (X'':Dn "iSD, i. e. villaffe of Ilunaiduh), a place named in the Talmud, and now called Kefr A nan, 5 miles S.W. of Safed, containing the ruins of a synagogue (Schwarz, Palest, p. 187; compare Eobinson, Later Bib. Res. p. 78, note).
Kepliir. See Lion.
Kepler, Joiianx, the celebrated astronomer, deserves a place here not so much on account of his services to the science of astronomy as for the relation h2 sustained to, and the treatment he received from the Christian Church of the IGth century. He was born near the imperial city of Weil, in Wiirtemberg, Dec. 27, 1571, and in his childhood was weak and sickl^^ He was sent to school in 1577, but the straitened circumstances of his father caused great interruption to his education. He was soon taken from school, and emiiloyed in menial services at his father's tavern. In his twelfth year, however, he was again placed at the same school, but in the follow- ing year was seized with a violent iOness, so that his life was for some time despaired of. In 158G he was ad- mitted to the monastic school of ^Nlaulbronn, where his expenses were paid by the duke of Wiirtemberg. The three years of Kepler's life following his admission to this school were marked by a return of several of the
disorders which had well-nigh proved fatal to him in his childhood. To add to his misfortunes, his father left home in consequence of disagreements with his mother, and soon after tiled abroad. After the departure of his father his mother quarrelled with her relations, "having been treated," says Hantsch, Kepler's earliest biographer, (in his edition of Epistoke ad J. Keplerum, etc. [Leipz. 1718]), "with a degree of barbarity by her husband and brother-in-la^v that was hardly exceeded even by her own perversencss." As a natural consequence, the fam- ily affairs were in the greatest confusion. Notwith- standing these complications, young Kepler took his de- gree of master at the University of Tubingen in Au- gust, 1591, holding the second place in the examination. While at the uni\-ersity he had paid particular atten- tion to the study of theology, and no doubt intended to enter the ministry; but, annoyed by the strife which the controversy on the Formula of Concord occasioned, and opposed to the doctrine of idjiquity, at that time made an article in the confession of Wiirtemberg's state rehgion, he failed to secure a position as minister. He now turned to mathematical studies. His attention was first directed to astronomy by the offer of the as- tronomical lectureship at Gratz.tlie chief town of Styria. At that time he knew very little of the subject, but, having accepted the lectureship, he was forced to ciual- ify himself for the position. While engaged in these investigations, he came by degrees to understand the superior mathematical convenience of the system of Co- pernicus to that of Ptolemy. His general views of as- tronomy, however, were somewhat mystical, as may be seen in his Prodromus. He supposed the sun, stars, and planets were typical of the Trinity, and that (iod dis- tributed the planets in space in accordance with regular polyhedrons, etc.