{"title":"Literate Piety","authors":"J. Foster","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0009","url":null,"abstract":"Though separated by a century, the lives and work of John Witherspoon and James McCosh are strikingly similar. Both were Presbyterian ministers, leaders of the Evangelical party in the Church of Scotland, presidents of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and public intellectuals in America. Both also attempted to unite the philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment with the Calvinist theology of the Westminster Confession. This chapter examines the theology of both men through their careers and major works, and evaluates their legacy of literate piety.","PeriodicalId":120315,"journal":{"name":"The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125590030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Between Orthodoxy and Enlightenment","authors":"P. Helm","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0002","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter is an attempt to gauge the theology of the Church of Scotland in the first half of the eighteenth century by considering a representative selection of theological writers of that period. Each of those considered—Thomas Blackwell, Robert Riccaltoun, and Thomas Halyburton—held parish ministries, two them for most of their adult lives, and two of them held chairs of theology. Distinct personalities, each upheld the position of the Westminster Standards con animo. Yet each reveal in their different ways an awareness of changes that the Enlightenment was bringing, calling for adaptation to the literary form of theology, or in its apologetic direction.","PeriodicalId":120315,"journal":{"name":"The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II","volume":"32 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115222494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Significance of the Westminster Confession","authors":"D. Macleod","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0001","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter discusses the relation between the Westminster Confession and Scripture, between the Confession and earlier Scottish Reformed theology, and between the Confession and the wider theological tradition of Western Christianity. It addresses the question whether obligatory subscription of the Confession inhibited the development of Scottish theology, identifies significant issues which the Confession left as open questions, and briefly examines the relevance of the Confession in notable heresy trials. It concludes by taking note of growing disquiet with the Confession, especially its doctrine of the power of the civil magistrate; the reluctance, nevertheless, to amend the text; and the ultimate resort to disclaimers, culminating in the historic Declaratory Acts passed by the major Presbyterian bodies.","PeriodicalId":120315,"journal":{"name":"The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121883161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Catholic Thought in the Late Eighteenth Century","authors":"R. McCluskey","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0012","url":null,"abstract":"The chapter features the work of Bishops George Hay (1729–1811) and John Geddes (1735–99) as exemplars of the extent to which Scottish Catholic thought was in dialogue with the ‘enlightened’ culture of the eighteenth century. A shared theological lexicon allowed for sophisticated discourse with representatives of other religious and philosophical persuasions. Commentary on a range of works by both Hay and Geddes demonstrates the extent to which they addressed timeworn theological and devotional themes, such as miracles and the Last Things, but were influenced by modern authors in their treatments. Hay is presented as the more systematic of the two but Geddes was equally, if not more, respected in contemporary literati circles. Particular attention is given to both writers’ perspectives on the role of the papacy in the Church of their day.","PeriodicalId":120315,"journal":{"name":"The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II","volume":"203 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121933411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Scottish Literature in a Time of Change","authors":"I. Campbell","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0015","url":null,"abstract":"This essay attempts, by selective reference to a range of works in several genres, to identify and comment on some of the ways in which Scottish writers have responded to centuries of development and change in public worship and the exercise of personal Christian faith since the middle of the eighteenth century. As the Church of Scotland and the public perception of worship have changed, notably so in the last century, literature has tried to find a way which accurately reflects that change, while highlighting some of the legacy of Scotland’s religious practice.","PeriodicalId":120315,"journal":{"name":"The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131409348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Scottish Theology in Nineteenth-Century Ireland","authors":"A. Holmes","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0020","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter considers how Irish Presbyterians in the nineteenth century defined Scottish theology in terms of the Westminster Standards and how this was shaped by certain philosophical and political commitments. Against the backdrop of theological liberalism and political radicalism in the eighteenth century, it begins with how conservative Presbyterians employed the Scottish Enlightenment and how Thomas Chalmers embodied for them the synthesis of Common Sense philosophy and Calvinist theology. This synthesis was reinforced by a powerful understanding of a shared history. Presbyterians in Ireland and Scotland claimed that the persistence and principles of their early modern co-religionists were the foundation of civil and religious liberty in the United Kingdom and would promote global Presbyterian unity in the aftermath of the Disruption in 1843. Yet, Irish Presbyterians were increasingly distressed as this shared definition of Scottish theology was undermined from the 1870s by Presbyterians in Scotland who advocated modern criticism and acquiesced in Irish Home Rule.","PeriodicalId":120315,"journal":{"name":"The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132185485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reformed Theology in Gaelic Women’s Poetry and Song","authors":"Anne Hill","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0008","url":null,"abstract":"Gaelic women’s poetry and song track the reception of Reformed theology in Gaelic communities both geographically and diachronically. They also allow insights into the spiritual, ethical, and societal concerns of those whose voices are otherwise unheard. Whether ostensibly secular or explicitly spiritual, Gaelic women’s songs carry a record of the religious, cultural, and domestic life of Highland Scotland in many individual voices. The earliest Gaelic evangelical songs belonged to the oral tradition, and were specifically directed towards making biblical teaching and Reformed doctrine accessible within non-literate Gaelic-speaking communities. Women’s spiritual songs quickly became a forum for personal and communal religious expression, public exhortation, and discussions on faith and doctrine. They show women, both literate and non-literate, acting as spiritual mentors, actively engaging in biblical exegesis, relating scriptural teaching to contemporary issues, and demanding that Christian ethics be applied in both personal and public life.","PeriodicalId":120315,"journal":{"name":"The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II","volume":"205 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123247356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Early Enlightenment Shifts","authors":"Christiane Maurer","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0004","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter focuses on the tensions concerning doctrinal matters between several Committees for Purity of Doctrine of the Church of Scotland and the three Divinity professors John Simson (1667–1740), Archibald Campbell (1691–1756), and William Leechman (1706–85). It analyses how the themes of innovation, toleration, and rational debate marked theological debates in the early stages of the Scottish Enlightenment. The cases of Simson, Campbell, and Leechman exemplify how in a relatively short time span, the General Assembly and the Kirk started dealing with doctrinal debates concerning orthodoxy and heresy in a more moderate manner, and how the status of the Confession of Faith was subject to discussion, even if there were no proper debates on subscription in eighteenth-century Scotland.","PeriodicalId":120315,"journal":{"name":"The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123989503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Biblical Criticism in the Nineteenth Century","authors":"W. Johnstone","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0024","url":null,"abstract":"Against the background of the Enlightenment and the weakening of the restrictions imposed by the Westminster Confession, this chapter seeks to trace the development of biblical interpretation in Scotland in the nineteenth century, in terms of the evolution of ‘lower criticism’ focusing on philological and textual evidence and of ‘higher criticism’ aiming to identify the social and historical contexts within which the biblical writers operated. The chapter begins with the pioneering work of Alexander Geddes (1737–1802) and considers Scottish participation in the culmination of ‘lower criticism’ in the production of the Revised Version (1870–95) and of ‘higher criticism’ in the work especially of William Robertson Smith (1846–94).","PeriodicalId":120315,"journal":{"name":"The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115364345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dissenting Theology from the 1720s to the 1840s","authors":"D. Bebbington","doi":"10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198759348.003.0010","url":null,"abstract":"Scottish Dissent included the Reformed Presbyterians, who upheld the covenants, the Secession, both Burghers and Antiburghers, who also looked back to the seventeenth century, and the Relief Church, which was forward-looking. The Secession branches split around 1800 over New Light, the majority effectively adopting religious toleration. John Dick and John Brown were distinguished Secession theologians. Non-Presbyterian Dissenters included the Glasites, with their Sandemanian view of faith, the Old Scots Independents, the Bereans and the Scotch Baptists, all principled Independents. The Haldane brothers launched a new evangelistic movement that led to the creation of many Independent and Baptist churches, and their associate Greville Ewing forged a Congregational Union. A number of other groups added to the diversity of Scottish Dissent. Drawing on the Westminster Confession, the various bodies were influenced by the Enlightenment and by the Evangelical Revival.","PeriodicalId":120315,"journal":{"name":"The History of Scottish Theology, Volume II","volume":"73 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122838332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}