Distinct character, island god pens holy work (8)
I believe the answer is:
identity
'distinct character' is the definition.
'identity' can be an answer for 'character' (I've seen this before). I am unsure of the 'distinct' bit.
'island god pens holy work' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'island' could be 'i' (geographical abbreviation) and 'i' is located in the answer.
'god' could be 'd' (abbreviation in various Latin phrases) and 'd' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'entity' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for identity that I've seen before include "Sameness - individuality" , "It's on the cards" , "One's sometimes mistaken" , "equation" , "Individuality providing recognition" .)