THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
Society, was chairman of the Congregational Union 1S40, and attracted much attention by his defense of Christianity against the unbelief of his time. His publications include The History of Dissenters from the Revolution to 1808, in collaboration with Dr. Bogue (4 vols., London, 1808-12; 2d ed., 2 vols., 1833), continued in The History of Dissenters during the Last Thirty Years (1839); The Star of the West, being memoirs of R. Darracott (1813); Lectures on the History of Jesus Christ (3 vols., 1S25; 2d ed., 2 vols., 1828), supplemented by Lectures on the Preaching of Christ (1836); Memoirs of the Life of David Bogue (1827)- An Antidote to Infidelity, lectures delivered in 1831, and A Second Antidote to Infidelity (1831); Justification as Revealed in Scripture in Opposition to the Council of Trent and Mr. Newman's Lectures (1840); The Theology of the Early Christian Church Exhibited in Quotations from the Writers of the First Three Centuries, Congregational lecture, 1841; Lectures on the Acts of the Apostles (1846).
Bibliography: Memorials of the Late James Bennett, D.D., including Sermons Preached on the Occasion of his Death, London, 1863; DNB, iv, 242-243.
BENNETT, WILLIAM HENRY: English Congregationalist; b. at London May 22, 1855. He was educated at Lancashire Independent College (1873-82) and Owens College, Manchester, London University (B.A., 1875), and St. John's College, Cambridge (B.A., 1882), and was professor in Rotherham College from 1884 to 1888 and lecturer in Hebrew in Firth College, Sheffield, in 1887-88. He has been professor of Old Testament exegesis in Hackney College, London, since 1888 and in New College, London, since 1891. He was also first secretary to the Board of Theology in the University of London in 1901-03, and has been examiner in the Old Testament to the University of Wales since 1904, as well as a recognized teacher in the same institution since 1901. He has edited Chronicles and Jeremiah in The Expositor's Bible (London, 1894-95); Joshua in The Sacred Books of the Old Testament (1895) and in The Polychrome Bible (New York, 1899); General Epistles and Genesis in The Century Bible (London, 1901, 1903); and Joshua in The Temple Bible (1904). He has also written Theology of the Old Testament (London, 1896); Primer of the Bible (1897); and Biblical Introduction (1899; in collaboration with W F Adeney).
BENNO: Bishop of Meissen; b. at Hildesheim or Goslar 1010; d. at Meissen June 16, 1106, according to the traditional accounts. The first certain fact in his life is that he was a canon of Goslar. He was made bishop of Meissen in 1066, and appears as a supporter of the Saxon insurrection of 1073, though Lambert of Hersfeld and other contemporary authorities attribute little weight to his share in it. Henry IV imprisoned him, however, but released him in 1076 on his taking an oath of fidelity, which he did not keep. He appeared again in the ranks of the king's enemies, and was accordingly deprived of his bishopric by the Synod of Mainz in 1085. Benno betook himself to Guibert, the antipope supported by Henry as Clement III, and by a penitent acknowledgment of his
offenses obtained from him both absolution and a letter of commendation to Henry, on the basis of which he was restored to his see. He promised, apparently, to use his influence for peace with the Saxons, but again failed to keep his promise, returning in 1097 to the papal party and recognizing Urban II as the rightful pope. With this he disappears from authentic history; there is no evidence to support the later stories of his missionary activity and zeal for church-building and for ecclesiastical music. His elevation to the fame of sainthood seems to have been due partly to the need of funds to complete the cathedral of Meissen, and partly to the wish to have a local or diocesan saint. He was officially canonized by Adrian VI in 1523, as a demonstration against the Lutheran movement, which Luther acknowledged by a fierce polemical treatise. His relics were solemnly dug up and venerated in 1524; but as the Reformation progressed they were no longer appreciated in Meissen, and Albert V of Bavaria obtained permission to remove them in 1576 to Munich, of which city Benno is considered the patron saint. (A. Hauck.)
Bibliography: Several early accounts in prose and verse of Benno's life and miracles were collected in ASB, June, iii, 148-231. Consult: O. Langer, Bischof Benno von Meissen, in Mittheilungen des Vereins fur Geschichte der Stadt Meissen, i, 3 (1884), pp. 70-95, i, 5 (1886), pp. 1-38, ii, 2 (1888), pp. 99-144; E. Machatschek, Geschichte der Bischofe des Hochstiftes Meissen, pp. 65-94, Dresden, 1884; R. Doebner, Aktenstiicke zur Geschichte der Vita Bennonis, in Neues Arehiv fur sdchsische Geschichte, vii, 131-144, Dresden, 1886; K. P. Will, Sanct Benno, Bischof von Meissen, Dresden, 1887.
BENOIST (BENOIT), be-nwa', ELIE: French Protestant; b. at Paris Jan. 20, 1640; d. at Delft Nov. 15, 1728. His parents were servants of the Protestant family La Tremoille. He early displayed fondness for the classics, studied at Montaigu College and at La Marche (Paris), and taught privately in divinity at Montauban. In 1664 he was ordained, and the following year was called to Alencon, where he served for twenty years as Protestant minister, with as much prudence as capacity. He met with much opposition from the Roman Catholics, especially from the Jesuit De la Rue, who attacked him and even incited a riot against him. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Benoist went to Holland, and was called as minister to the church of Delft, near The Hague, where he stayed thirty years. He wrote Lettre d'un pasteur banni de son pays a une Eglise qui n'a pas fait son devoir dans la dernicre persecution (Cologne, 1666); Histoire et apologie de la retraite des pasteurs & cause de la persecution de France (Frankfort, 1687); Histoire de I'fidit de Nantes (5 parts, Delft, 1693-95; Eng. transl., London, 1694).
G. Bonet-Matjry.
Bibliography: P. Pascal, Elie Benoist et Veglise riformee d'Alen<;on, Paris, 1892; E. and E . Haag, La France protestante, ii, 269 sqq., 2d ed. by Bordier, Paris, 1877 sqq.; Bulletin de la societe d'histoire du protestantisme franqais, 1876, p. 259, 1884, pp. 112, 162.
BENOIST (BENOIT), RENE: Roman Catholic theologian; b. at Savenieres, near Angers, in 1521; d. at Paris Mar. 7, 1608. He accompanied Mary