Charles Augustus Briggs

Charles Augustus Briggs ( born January 15, 1841 in New York City; † June 8, 1913 ) was an American theologian, prolific, early advocate of the historical- critical method and an ordained minister, first in the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, and then, after he was sentenced there for heresy in the Episcopal Church.

Briggs was born the son of Alanson Briggs and Sarah Mead Berrian.

Studied at Briggs mainly at the University of Virginia ( 1857-1860 ). In 1863 he completed his studies at Union Theological Seminary and then went to the University of Berlin. Subsequently, he was from 1869 to 1874 pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Roselle, New Jersey and from 1874 to 1891 professor of Jewish languages ​​at Union Theological seminary. From 1891 to 1904 he was professor of theological encyclopaedia and symbolics. From 1880 to 1890 he wrote for the magazine Presbyterian Review.

Because of statements in his inaugural lecture on 20 January 1891, he was accused in 1892 and accused by the New York presbytery of the heresy. In brief, the indictment read:

  • Did he had taught did reason and the Church are each a fountain of divine authority Which apart from Holy Scripture june and does savingly enlighten men ( he taught that each source of divine authority, the people next to the Scriptures reason and the church were saving can enlighten )
  • Did june errors have Existed in the original text of the Holy Scripture (there could be errors crept into the original text of the Holy Scriptures )
  • So that many of the Old Testament predictions have been reversed by history and did the great body of Messianic prediction Has not and can not be Fulfilled (many of the predictions of the Old Testament were made ​​retrospectively by history, and the majority of the messianic prophecies are not and can do not come true )
  • Did Moses is not the author of the Pentateuch, and did Isaiah is not the author of half of the book Which bears his name (Moses was not the author of the Pentateuch, Isaiah, and not the author of half of the book that bears his name )
  • Did the processes of redemption extend to the world to come he had Considered it a fault of Protestant theology did it limits redemption to this world and did sanctification is not complete at death. ( that the processes of redemption will be effective even in the next world, and is the sanctification not already completed with the death )

Briggs was suspended in 1893 by the parish due to the accusations by the General Assembly. It is thought the assembly was influenced by Briggs habit and sound; also colleagues from him at Union Theological Seminary found his introductory lecture there " dogmatic and irritating ".

The case was regarded as sensational and led to the independence of the Union Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church.

1899 Briggs was ordained as an Episcopal priest. In 1884, Briggs of the University of Edinburgh, 1901 from the University of Glasgow each have a theological honorary doctorate (DD), in 1901 also the Litt.D. the University of Oxford.

Together with Francis Brown and Samuel Rolles Driver Briggs gave a revised Hebrew -English dictionary out ( 1891-1905, known by the abbreviation BDB), which was based on the lexicon of William Gesenius. Together with Samuel Rolles Driver, he edited the series International Commentary Series on the books of the Bible.

His works include, among others:

Works by Briggs

  • Biblical Study: Its Principles, Methods and History (1883 )
  • Hebrew Poems of the Creation ( 1884)
  • American Presbyterianism: Its Origin and Early History ( 1885)
  • Messianic Prophecy (1886 )
  • Whither? A Theological Question for the Times (1889 )
  • Biblical history (1889, digitized )
  • The Authority of the Holy Scripture (1891 )
  • The Bible, the Church and the Reason (1892 )
  • The Higher Criticism of the Hexateuch (1893 )
  • The Messiah of the Gospels (1894 )
  • The Messiah of the Apostles (1894 )
  • New Light on the Life of Jesus (1904 )
  • The Ethical Teaching of Jesus (1904 )
  • A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms ( with the support of his daughter; 2 editions: 1906, 1907)
  • The Virgin Birth of Our Lord (1909 )
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