Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Jones, John (1821?-1878)
JONES, JOHN (1821?–1878), Welsh baptist and biblical scholar, commonly known as Mathetes, the eldest son of Roger and Mary Jones, was born about 1821 at the village of Tanyrhelig, near Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, where his father was a small tenant-farmer. His early education was meagre, and in 1838–9 he worked as a miner at Dowlais in Glamorganshire. In the summer of 1839 he returned home, joined the baptist denomination, and in 1841 commenced to preach. He spent a short time at the Cardigan grammar school, and from 1843 to 1846 studied at the Baptist College at Haverfordwest. He was ordained to the pastorate of Bethlehem Church at Porthyrhyd, Carmarthenshire, on 27 May 1846, but removed in the winter of 1848–9 to ‘Caersalem Newydd,’ near Swansea. Subsequently he successively held the following ministerial charges: ‘Y Deml,’ Newport, from 1854 to January 1857; Llangollen, 1857 to 1859, as co-pastor with Dr. Prichard; Llanfachreth, Anglesey, 1859 to 1861; Pyle, Glamorganshire, 1861 to November 1862; Rhymney (Penuel Church), Monmouthshire, November 1862 to 1877; and Salem Church, Briton Ferry, where he remained from 1877 until his death, 18 Nov. 1878. He was buried at Pant cometery, Dowlais. He was an active radical politician, and an advocate of secular education. Jones while a student at Haverfordwest contributed articles on ‘Civil and Religious Liberty’ and on ‘The Use of History’ to ‘Seren Gomer’ for 1846. During the following ten years he won many prizes at eisteddfodau for essays, several of which, dealing with the geology of Wales, its mining industries, and cognate subjects, were published. A prize essay on ‘Logic’ was also published in ‘Seren Gomer’ for 1861–3. About 1860 he commenced a biblical and theological dictionary in Welsh, entitled ‘Geiriadur Beiblaidd a Duwinyddol’ (Carmarthen, 8vo), the first volume of which appeared in 1864, the second in 1869, and the third (and last), posthumously, in 1883. He also published a collection of sermons and sketches bearing the title of ‘Areithfa Mathetes,’ Aberdare, 1873, 8vo. While at Llangollen he was editor of a denominational magazine called ‘Y Greal,’ published in that town, and while at Rhymney he was co-editor of ‘Yr Arweinydd,’ published at Aberdare.
[A short memoir (with portrait) by the Rev. D. Powell in vol. iii. (pp. 827–8) of Y Geiriadur Beiblaidd; a series of articles by the same writer in Seren Gomer for October 1882, January, April, and July 1883, and January, April, July, and October 1884.]