COELLN, culn, DANIEL GEORG KONRAD VON:
German theologian; b. at Oerlinghausen, Lippe- Detmold, Dec. 21, 1788; d. at Breslau Feb. 17, 1833. He was educated at Marburg, Tubingen, and Gottingen, and became privat-docent at Marburg 1811, associate professor of theology 1816, and professor of theology at Breslau 1818. In a spirit of moderate rationalism he wrote Historische Beitruge zur Erlduterung und Berichtigung der Begriffe Pietismus, Mysticismus und Fanatismus (Halberstadt, 1830). His zeal for the union of the two leading Protestant denominations of Germany was shown by his Ideen uher den inneren Zusammenhang der Glaubenseinigung und Glaubensreinigung (Leipsic, 1823). The celebration of the jubilee of the Augsburg Confession caused him and his friend David Schulz to publish their Ueber theologische Lehrfreiheit auf den evangelischen Universitaten und deren Beschrdnkung durch symbolische Biicher (Breslau, 1830), in which they condemned the Confession as antiquated and advocated the preparation of a new creed. Their position was attacked by Schleiermacher, and they replied in their Zwei Antwortschreiben an Herrn D. Friedr. Schleiermacher (Leipsic, 1831), the controversy ending in a practical defeat for the older theologian. In addition to numerous contributions to periodicals and to his academic writings, Coelln edited the first volume and a half of the third edition of WUhelm Mimscher's Lehrbuch der christlichen Dogmengeschichte (Cassel, 1832-34), but his chief work was the Biblische Theologie (ed. D. Schulz, 2 vols., Leipsic, 1836), which was long the standard on its subject, especially for the Old Testament.
(G. FRANKf.) Bibliography: A memoir by D. Schulz was prefixed to the Biblische Theologie. Consult ADB, iv. 391.
CCEMGEN, kem'gen (KEVIN), SAINT, OF GLEN- DALOUGH: A very popular Irish hermit saint of the fifth century, whose story is given here as typical of those of his kind.* He is said to have
*With regard to the alleged histories of the early Irish saints the Bollandists remark (June, iii. 331, com. hist, to life of S. Mohngus or Dayrgellus): "To such a degree are the same things related of all Irish saiats that it is difficult to believe them. For example, baptism is received from an angel, future sanctity is foretold m bo\lu)od, the hermit life is followed in a hollow tree, a forward woman showing her preference too boldly is flogged, and there is a wonderful power over the animal world."
RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Coele-Syria Colani
died June 3, 618, at the age of 120 years. His parents were Christians and had their son educated by Petroc, a pious Briton, and by holy men in Ireland. When a young girl showed a liking for Ccemgen he flogged her with nettles. Finding a lonely valley with a lake overshadowed by mountains (Glendalough, County Wicklow, 8 m. n.w. of Rathdrum), he settled there, living in a hollow tree, and subsisting on herbs and water. Afterward he was admitted to the priesthood, and returned to Glendalough, where he founded a monastery. Then he withdrew some little distance, giving orders that no one should come to him, and spent four years in his new retreat in fasting and prayer. For a time he was prevailed upon to leave his hermit life and rejoin the monks in his monastery, but he soon returned to solitude. The birds and beasts were his familiar companions, " the branches and leaves of the trees sang sweet songs to him," and he received celestial visitors. Then he was seized with the desire of wandering, visited holy men in various parts of Ireland, and had in mind a longer journey, but gave it up on the advice of a hermit, who told him that " it was more becoming for him to fix himself in one place than to ramble here and there in his old age, as he could not but know that no bird could hatch her eggs while flying." So he went back to his hermitage. When the king of Ireland invaded Leinster Ccemgen advised the local king to fight for his country; and the invader was utterly defeated and slain. Remains of Coemgen's monastery still exist in Glendalough and a cave is shown as " St. Ccemgen's Bed."
Bibliography: ASB, June, i. 303-313; Lunigan, Eccl. Hist., ii. 43-50; G. Petrie, The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland, pp. 170-174, 247-267, Dublin, 1845; J. Healy, Insula sanctorum, pp. 414 sqq., Dublin, 1890.
CCENOBITES. See Monasticism.
COIT, STANTON: Ethical culturist; b. at Columbus, 0., Aug. 11, 1857. He was graduated at Amherst in 1879, studied at Columbia and the University of Berlin (Ph.D., 1885), and after acting as pastor of the South Place Chapel, London, E. C, in 1888-91, withdrew from the ministry, and in 1892-93 was head of the University Settlement in New York. Since 1897 he has been chairman of the Moral Instruction League, London, and was also lecturer for the West London Ethical Society in 1892 and 1906. In theology he denies the need of a belief in immortality or in supernatural beings, and would transform churches into ethical societies. He is editor of the weekly Ethical Review, and has written Neighbourhood Guilds (London, 1890) and Die ethischen Bewegungen in der Religion (Leipsic, 1890).
COKE, THOMAS: First Methodist bishop; b. at Brecon, Wales, Sept. 9, 1747; d. at sea on a voyage to Ceylon May 3, 1814. He studied at Jesus College, Oxford (B.A., 1768; M.A., 1770; D.C.L., 1775); took orders in the English Church and became curate at South Petherton, Somerset; fell under Methodist influences and in 1777 openly joined that body and attended the conference at onstol. He gave much help to Wesley, who styled
him "his right hand"; in 1782 he became first president of the Irish conference; in 1784 he was set apart by Wesley at Bristol as " superintendent " for America. Wesley did not approve of the title bishop, which the American conference adopted in 1787 at Coke's instigation. The latter, with two elders, arrived in America, Nov., 1784, and proceeded to the famous Christmas conference at Baltimore, at which he ordained Francis Asbury as superintendent. With Asbury he drew up the ' Doctrines and Discipline for the Methodist Church in America. He made nine voyages to America r (the last in 1803) and fulfilled his duties there energetically and well. He was a leader in England after Wesley's death (1791), and was indefatigable in the cause of missions. In 1813 he wished an appointment from the government as bishop of India and offered to return to the Established Church; when the proposal was rejected he furnished funds himself to establish a Methodist mission there, sailed with a band of helpers, but died on the voyage. His numerous publications include Extracts of the Journals of the Rev. Dr. Coke's Five Visits to America (London, 1793); a life of John Wesley (1792), prepared in collaboration with Henry Moore (see Wesley, John); A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (6 vols., 1801-03); A History of the West Indies (3 vols., Liverpool, 1808-11).
Bibliography: Lives were published by: S. Drew, New York, 1837, and J. W. Etheridge, London, 1860; cf. L. Tyerman, Life and Times of John Wesley, vol. iii., ib. 1871; W. Moister, The Father of our Missions, ib. 1871; DNB, xi. 247-249.
COLANI, co"la"m', TIMOTHEE: French theologian; b. at Leme, near Sains (190 m. n.e. of Paris), department of Aisne, Jan. 29, 1824; d. at Grindelwald, Switzerland, Sept. 2, 1888. He was a son of the Reformed minister at Leme, and a zealous adherent of the Reveil, who brought him up in a narrow dogmatism which was enhanced by influences at Neuchatel and by the Moravians of the Kornthal. At the age of sixteen he went to Strasburg to study theology. Influenced by Reuss, he devoted himself to the study of the New Testament, and also studied philosophy, history, and literature. In 1845 he finished his academical studies and published a dissertation on Kant's religious philosophy. Two years later he obtained a theological licentiate by a treatise on the idea of the absolute. He was also a contributor to La Reformation aulOhmesihcle, edited by Edmond Scherer at Geneva, which represented the individualistic ideas of Vinet.
He now considered it his duty to contribute to the regeneration of theological science in France. An impulse had already been given by the Strasburg faculty, but without lasting effect; and the orthodoxy of a Grandpierre and Adolphe Monod had full sway. In 1849 Edmond Scherer, till then professor at the independent theological school in Geneva, published his two letters on criticism and faith, in which he pointed out a revision of church dogmas and the return to the original ideas of the Gospel as the task of modern theology. Colani soon joined him and together they founded the
Colani Coleridg'e