William Evans (d. 1720?), was a Welsh Presbyterian minister.
Evans was educated at the college at Ystradwalter, then under the presidency of the Rev. Rees Prytherch. He was ordained at Pencader, near Carmarthen, in 1688, and continued pastor there for fifteen years. In 1703 he removed to Carmarthen to become pastor of the presbyterian congregation, and received in his house students for the Christian ministry. He has been regarded as the founder of the Welsh Academy, from the fact that the education of divinity students first assumed under him a collegiate form.
Evans was patronised both by the London funds and by the liberality of wealthy dissenters. Dr. Daniel Williams bequeathed a sum of money towards his support, and it continued to his successors. He is supposed to have retired in 1718, and he died in 1720.
In 1707 Evans published in Welsh The Principles of the Christian Religion, based apparently on Westminster Assembly's catechism; in 1714 he published and wrote a preface for Gemmeu Doethineb ("Gems of Wisdom"), a work by his old tutor Rees Prytherch. In 1717 he wrote and long preface to his friend and neighbour Iago ab Dewi's translation of Matthew Henry's Catechism; in 1757 Abel Morgan published Evans's Principles of the Christian Religion, which he had adapted so as to teach adult baptism.
Thomas Burgess was an English author, philosopher, Bishop of St Davids and Bishop of Salisbury, who was greatly influential in the development of the Church in Wales. He founded St David's College, Lampeter, was a founding member of the Odiham Agricultural Society, helped establish the Royal Veterinary College in London, and was the first president of the Royal Society of Literature.
A catechism is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult converts. Catechisms are doctrinal manuals – often in the form of questions followed by answers to be memorised – a format that has been used in non-religious or secular contexts as well. According to Norman DeWitt, the early Christians appropriated this practice from the Epicureans, a school whose founder Epicurus had instructed to keep summaries of the teachings for easy learning. The term catechumen refers to the designated recipient of the catechetical work or instruction. In the Catholic Church, catechumens are those who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism. Traditionally, they would be placed separately during Holy Mass from those who had been baptized, and would be dismissed from the liturgical assembly before the Profession of Faith and General Intercessions.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : "Evans, William (d.1720?)". Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.