LET’S begin by distinguishing Kittel, Kittel and Kitto. Although he died in Germany John Kitto (1804-1854) was born into the heart of Brethrenism in Plymouth. Profoundly deaf from the age of 12, he nevertheless went out as a missionary. An author of books he is best remembered for his extensive Daily Bible Illustrations, still in print today. Father and son Rudolf and Gerhard Kittel were later German scholars. Rudolf Kittel (1853-1929) was an Old Testament scholar who served at Tübingen and other universities. He is best known as an editor of Biblia Hebraica, an edition of the Hebrew Scriptures. Gerhard Kittel (1888-1948) came later and was a New Testament scholar with great interest in the Jewish background. He is remembered as the first editor of the voluminous Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (translated into English by Geoffrey Bromiley). He was imprisoned at the end of the war in light of his anti-semitic pamphlet The Jewish Question. Ferdinand Kittel 1832-1903 was a missionary to South India with The Basel Mission who did extensive work on the Kannada language. Helmuth Kittel (1902-1984) was a German New Testament scholar.
Knox has been a name to remember in church history ever since John Knox (c 1514-1572) tore through Scotland in a blaze of righteous zeal. In more recent times other Knoxes have arisen. One with exactly the same name was American theologian John Knox (1900-1991). Edmund Arbuthnott Knox (1847-1937) was the son of an East India Company chaplain and an Anglican Bishop. A prominent evangelical preacher he founded Blackpool Beach Mission. He had five children. His son Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (1888-1957) converted to Romanism as a young man. He translated the Bible, wrote a New Testament commentary and several detective novels. He was one of four brothers who distinguished themselves. Wilfred Lawrence Knox (1886-1950) was an Anglican clergyman and theologian. Alfred Dillwyn "Dilly" Knox (1884-1943) was a classics scholar and papyrologist at Cambridge and a codebreaker. Edmund George Valpy Knox (1881-1971) [Evoe] was a writer and edited Punch 1932-1949. Their sister Their sister Lady Winifred Frances Peck (née Knox) (1882-1962) was an author of literary fiction and biographies. Her niece Penelope Fitzgerald wrote about the four Knox brothers. David Broughton Knox (1916-1993) was an outstanding teacher at Moore College, Sydney and founded Whitefield College, South Africa.
Kelly is a popular Irish name. Thomas Kelly (1769-1855) was a popular Irish hymn writer (Look ye saints! The sight is glorious, The head that once was crowned with thorns and others). William Kelly (1821-1906) was another Irish man. He edited J N Darby’s collected writings and authored books on textual criticism and allied themes. John Kelly (1801-1876) was a Congregational preacher and director of the LMS.
The name John Kennedy (made famous by a US President of distinctly Irish stock) was shared by the famous Dingwall minister (1819-1884) and his preacher father (1770-1841). Today the California based Presbyterian minister D James Kennedy (1930-2007) is best known for his Evangelism Explosion campaign. James Kennedy (1777-1863) a rather short Highland Scot was known as the Great Kennedy. He was converted through the Haldane brothers. A man with the same name (James Kennedy 1819-1884) was a pioneer LMS missionary who wrote a commentary on Romans in Hindustani.
Perhaps this is the point to mention that besides William Carey’s first convert Krishna Pal (1763-1822), among early converts there was also his son-in-law Krishna Prasad (1786-1806) and a Krishna Das (c1770-1813).
Kershaw is a good northern name shared by four men, two called James and two called John. James Kershaw (1730-1797) was a Wesleyan itinerant not to be confused with the later MP and Evangelical Alliance member, James Kershaw 1795-1864. John Kershaw (1766-1855) was baptised as a baby by Wesley and became a Methodist preacher. Better known is the Strict Baptist pastor with the same name John Kershaw 1792-1870.
There is no time now to warn you that there is a pair of quite different Lutheran brothers Theodor and Julius Wilhelm Martin Kaftan (1847-1937 and 1848-1926 respectively) or three generations of Latrobes in 18th and 19th Century Moravianism.
We press on rather to the name Lightfoot, which has been borne by at least three English biblical scholars. From 1602-1675 lived John Lightfoot, a very learned scholar and one of several Erastians present at the Westminster Assembly (1643-1652). Joseph Barber Lightfoot (1828-1889), a member of the committee that produced the Revised Version and latterly Bishop of Durham, produced a number of commentaries on Paul’s epistles. Finally, there is New Testament scholar Robert Henry Lightfoot (1883-1953).
Some 13 popes have taken the name Leo, from Leo the Great, pope from 440 until his death in 461 to Leo XIII (1878-1903) who succeeded in 1878. Some lasted six months or less, others longer. Leo III (Pope from 795 until his death in 816) crowned Charlemagne. Luther’s foe was Leo X (1475-1521) who became Pope in 1513.
Talking about the Reformation, it might be worth noting that Jacques Lefevre d’Etaples (1450-1537) translator of the French Bible must be distinguished from his contemporary Pierre Lefevre (1506-1546) one of the founders of the Jesuits.
There is little likelihood of us confusing High Anglican William Law (1686-1761), author of the Serious Call and evangelical Anglican Henry Law (1797-1884), some of whose books are also in print today.
The 25 volume Commentary on the Holy Scriptures translated from the German by Philip Schaff, still seen today, is the work of theologian Johann Peter Lange (1802-1884). Other German Langes include Francke’s colleague, Halle professor Johann Joachim Lange (1670-1744). There is also Johann Christian Lange (1679-1756) in the same tradition. The author of O God thou bottomless abyss which was translated and popularised by Wesley was the Mennonite Ernst Lange (1650-1727). All four wrote poems and hymns.
Finally, a little word about the Arian and martyr Lucian of Antioch (c 240-312). Although he was born in Samosata, he is not to be confused with the earlier pagan writer Lucian of Samosata (c 125-190) who is of interest because of references to Christians in his satires. Lucian of Beauvais (d c 290) was a Christian martyr and St Lucian of Chester (fl 1195) a Christian monk, was the author of De laude Cestrie.
This article first appeared in The Evangeelical Library Bulletin and was the last to be completed in the series. Perhaps I will work on M-Z and see if I can finish it.
This article first appeared in The Evangeelical Library Bulletin and was the last to be completed in the series. Perhaps I will work on M-Z and see if I can finish it.
