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Thomas Coke, M.A., D.C.L. (September 9, 1747 – May 2, 1814) was the first Methodist Bishop[1] and is known as the Father of Methodist Missions. In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts ( MA) is awarded to Bachelors Some universities such as the University of Oxford, award Doctor of Civil Law (DCL degrees instead of Doctor of Laws (LL Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1747 ( MDCCXLVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1814 ( MDCCCXIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
Born in Brecon, south Wales, his father was a well-to-do apothecary. Brecon (Aberhonddu is an historic Market town in southern Powys, mid Wales, with a population of roughly 8000 with around 6000 in the surrounding area Coke, who was only 5 foot and 1 inch tall and prone to being overweight, read Jurisprudence at Jesus College, Oxford, which has a strong Welsh tradition, graduating Bachelor of Arts, then Master of Arts in 1770, and Doctor of Civil Law in 1775. Jesus College (in full Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts ( MA) is awarded to Bachelors Some universities such as the University of Oxford, award Doctor of Civil Law (DCL degrees instead of Doctor of Laws (LL On returning to Brecon he served as Mayor in 1772. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government
In the same year as his mayoralty he was ordained in the Church of England and served a curacy at Petherton in Somerset. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Somerset ( or) is a county in south west England The County town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county He had already allied himself with the Methodist movement and this made for trouble when a new Rector arrived in the parish. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations The word rector ("ruler" from the Latin regere and Rector meaning "Teacher" In Latin has a number of different meanings but all of them indicate an academic Coke had begun to hold cottage services and open services of the sort promoted by Wesley. John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical He was dismissed from his post on Easter Sunday 1777 and his parishioners celebrated at the Rector's behest by ringing the church bells and opening a hogshead of cider. The word rector ("ruler" from the Latin regere and Rector meaning "Teacher" In Latin has a number of different meanings but all of them indicate an academic He returned to Petherton in 1807 and preached to a crowd of 2,000.
He met John Wesley in August 1776, becoming one of his closest assistants. John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical Wesley called Coke "the flea" because he seemed always to be hopping around on his missions.
He was appointed Superintendent of the London District in 1780 and President of the Methodist Church in Ireland in 1782 - a function he was to serve many times in the coming decades.
Following the American Revolution most of the Anglican clergy who had been in America came back to England. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Wesley asked the Bishop of London to ordain some ministers for the New World, but he declined. The Bishop of London is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. At this point Wesley was still an Anglican and he therefore considered only a canonically consecrated bishop capable of conferring Holy Orders. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs In a general sense the term Holy Orders refers to those in the Christian religion who have been ordained in Apostolic Succession. However, in 1784 Wesley consecrated Coke as the Superintendent, a title soon replaced by that of Bishop (Greek episkope) in spite of Wesley's strong disapproval. Since Coke was already a priest (Greek presbuter) or presbyter in the Church of England, some interpret this consecration as the equivalent of episcopal consecration. A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations then a synonym of episkopos (which has now come to mean Bishop He set sail for New York; during the voyage he read Augustine's Confessions, Virgil's Georgics, biographies of Francis Xavier (Jesuit missionary to India) and David Brainerd (Puritan missionary to North American aboriginals), and a treatise on episcopacy. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or Saint Francis Xavier ( Konkani / Konknni: Sam Fransisku Xavier/ Sanv Fransisk Xavier Basque: San Frantzisko Xabierkoa Spanish: San Francisco David Brainerd, ( April 20, 1718 &ndash October 9, 1747) was an American Missionary to the Native Americans. A conference of Methodist preachers was held at Baltimore at which Coke and Francis Asbury were elected bishops and the Church was constituted as an independent body under the name of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Francis Asbury ( August 20 1745 &ndash March 31 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the On 27 December 1784 Coke ordained deacons and presbyters and consecrated Asbury bishop: they are regarded as having been jointly the first Bishops and Superintendents of the Methodist Church in America (the American Conference formally endorsed the title of Bishop in 1787).
Coke returned to England in June 1785 and made eight further visits to America until he made his final visit in 1803. While in America he spoke out against slavery and wrote a letter on the subject to George Washington. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Washington met Coke twice and even invited him to preach before the United States Congress. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses After spending some months travelling throughout Great Britain and Ireland Coke made his first mission to the West Indies in 1786, making further visits in 1788-89, 1790, and 1792-93. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world
Following Wesley's death in 1791 Coke became Secretary to the English Conference, having been widely supposed to be Wesley's desired successor. He was President of the Conference in 1797 and 1805, on both occasions trying to persuade the Conference to confer on him the official title of Bishop.
In the same year he went to Paris and preached in French. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city He established a mission in Gibraltar in 1803 and then spent five years travelling in the cause of Methodist missions, including visiting Sierra Leone. Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. He promoted others in setting up missions in Canada and Scotland. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.
In 1805, at the age of 58, Coke married Penelope Smith, a wealthy lady who happily spent her personal fortune furthering the missions. She travelled with him until her death. In 1811 he married for a second time and his wife died the following year.
He hoped to open Methodist missions in the East Indies and at his own expense he set sail for Ceylon on 30 December 1813. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island He had in fact tried to persuade the Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool, to appoint him to an Indian bishopric in the[Church of England (the right of appointing Bishops was then, as now, a prerogative exercised by the Prime Minister on behalf of the Sovereign). Robert Banks Jenkinson 2nd Earl of Liverpool (7 June 1770 &ndash 4 December 1828 was a British politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the However, Coke died after four months at sea on the way to Ceylon (Sri Lanka). [2]
Asbury described Coke as "a gentleman, a scholar, a bishop to us; and as a minister of Christ, in zeal, in labours, in services, the greatest man in the last century. "
Coke's publications included a Commentary of the Bible (1807), A History of the West Indies (3 volumes, 1808-11), History of the Bible, Six Letters in Defence of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith, Four Discourses on the Duties of a Minister, and a Preacher's Manual, as well as, jointly with collaborators, a Life of Wesley (1792).
Sources
- General Commission on Archives and History for The United Methodist Church
- The John Rylands Library: Mr Wesley's Preachers
- Dr Victor Shepherd (2001). Victor Shepherd (born 1944 is a Canadian Presbyterian minister, Theology Professor and Author living in Toronto "Chapter 33: Thomas Coke (1747 - 1814)", Witnesses to the Word. Toronto: Clements Pub. . ISBN 189466700X.
- 1911 Encyclopedia
- Southwestern University chapel windows
References
See also
External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Coke, Thomas |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 9, 1747 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Brecon, south Wales |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 2, 1814 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | At sea, on passage to Ceylon |
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