Charles Hodge : Guardian of American Orthodoxy

Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was one of nineteenth-century America's leading theologians, owing in part to a lengthy teaching career, voluminous writings, and a faculty post at one of the nation's most influential schools, Princeton Theological Seminary. Surprisingly, the only biography of this towering figure was written by his son, just two years after his death. Paul C. Gutjahr's book is the first modern critical biography of a man some have called the "Pope of Presbyterianism." Hodge's legacy is especially important to American Presbyterians. His brand of theological conservatism became vital in the 1920s, as Princeton Seminary saw itself, and its denomination, split. The conservative wing held unswervingly to the Old School tradition championed by Hodge, and ultimately founded the breakaway Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The views that Hodge developed, refined, and propagated helped shape many of the central traditions of twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangelicalism. Hodge helped establish a profound reliance on the Bible among Evangelicals, and he became one of the nation's most vocal proponents of biblical inerrancy. Gutjahr's study reveals the exceptional depth, breadth, and longevity of Hodge's theological influence and illuminates the varied and complex nature of conservative American Protestantism. Table of Contents 8 Illustrations 12 Acknowledgments 14 Key Events in Hodge’s Life 18 Chronology 20 Key Figures in Hodge’s Life 24 Prologue: The Pope of Presbyterianism 44 Part I: 1730–1810: The Hodges of Philadelphia 48 1. Andrew Hodge, Family Patriarch 50 2. Presbyterian Heritage 54 3. Hodge’s Parents 59 Part II: The 1810s: Student Years 64 4. The Beginnings of Self 66 5. Prince’s Town 73 6. Witherspoon’s Common Sense 77 7. “Classick Learning” 85 8. Enlisting under the Banner of King Jesus 92 9. Happy Jaunts and the “Man of Men” 95 10. “Give Us Ministers!” 100 11. Student Years at the Seminary 106 12. “Where Am I to Go?” 113 Part III: The 1820s: Young Professor 120 13. “The Most Eligible Situation for Improvement” 122 14. New England’s Theological Landscape 129 15. Democratic Christianity 135 16. The Birth of the Biblical Repertory 138 17. The Trip to Europe 142 18. Halle 149 19. Berlin and the Return Home 155 20. A Sense of Mission 161 21. The Repertory Reborn 169 Part IV: The 1830s: Crusader 174 22. The Imputation Controversy 176 23. Romans 182 24. Crippled in Body, But Not in Mind 188 25. Home Life 196 26. The Coming Storm 201 27. The Slavery Question 209 28. The Schism 217 29. The New School Fights Back 224 30. Writing History 227 Part V: The 1840s: Professor of Theology 236 31. The Way of Life 238 32. Didactic Theology 248 33. Teaching and Preaching 254 34. The Public Face of the Seminary 260 35. Moderator of the General Assembly 263 36. “The Nonsensical Dialect of Transcendentalism” 268 37. Roman Catholic Baptism 276 38. The Infection of German Idealism 281 39. “When the Will of the Wife is the Other Way” 292 40. “Covered in Gloom” 297 Part VI: The 1850s: Inspired Churchman 302 41. College Trustee 304 42. Language and Feeling 308 43. The Inspiration of Scripture 314 44. “Graces of the Spirit” 318 45. The Battle against “Churchianity” 322 46. Thornwell and “Thus Saith the Lord” 329 47. The Pauline Commentaries 334 48. Politics and Conscience 340 Part VII: The 1860s: Conflicted Unionist 350 49. The State of the Country and the Church 352 50. Hodge’s Family at War 359 51. The Unities of Mankind 365 52. The Disunities of Mankind 372 53. Reuniting the Old and New Schools 377 Part VIII: 1870s: Systematic Theologian and Scientist 386 54. The Systematic Theology 388 55. “The Apex of My Life” 400 56. Science and Darwinism 406 57. “O Death, Where is Thy Sting?” 413 Epilogue: Hodge’s Legacy 418 Notes 428 Bibliography 488 Index 508 A 508 B 508 C 509 D 510 E 510 F 510 G 511 H 511 I 513 J 513 K 513 L 513 M 513 N 514 O 514 P 515 Q 515 R 515 S 516 T 517 U 517 V 517 W 517 Y 518 Z 518 "Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was one of nineteenth-century America's leading theologians, owing in part to a lengthy teaching career, voluminous writings, and a faculty post at one of the nation's most influential schools, Princeton Theological Seminary. Surprisingly, the only biography of this towering figure was written by his son, just two years after his death. Paul Gutjahr's book, therefore, is the first modern critical biography of a man some have called the "Pope of Presbyterianism." Hodge's legacy is especially important to American Presbyterians. His brand of theological conservatism became vital in the 1920s, as Princeton Seminary saw itself, and its denomination, split. The conservative wing held unswervingly to the Old School tradition championed by Hodge, and ultimately founded the breakaway Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The views that Hodge developed, refined, and propagated helped shape many of the central traditions of twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangelicalism. Hodge helped establish a profound reliance on the Bible among evangelicals, and he became one of the nation's most vocal proponents of biblical inerrancy. Gutjahr's study reveals the exceptional depth, breadth, and longevity of Hodge's theological influence and illuminates the varied and complex nature of conservative American Protestantism"--Publisher's description Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was one of nineteenth-century America's leading theologians, owing in part to a lengthy teaching career, voluminous writings, and a faculty post at one of the nation's most influential schools, Princeton Theological Seminary. Surprisingly, the only biography of this towering figure was written by his son, just two years after his death. Paul Gutjahr's book, therefore, is the first modern critical biography of a man some have called the "Pope of Presbyterianism." Hodge's legacy is especially important to American Presbyterians. His brand of theological conservatism became vital in the 1920s, as Princeton Seminary saw itself, and its denomination, split. The conservative wing held unswervingly to the Old School tradition championed by Hodge, and ultimately founded the breakaway Orthodox Presbyterian Church. The views that Hodge developed, refined, and propagated helped shape many of the central traditions of twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangelicalism. Hodge helped establish a profound reliance on the Bible among evangelicals, and he became one of the nation's most vocal proponents of biblical inerrancy. Gutjahr's study reveals the exceptional depth, breadth, and longevity of Hodge's theological influence and illuminates the varied and complex nature of conservative American Protestantism. - Publisher. Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was one of 19th-century America's leading theologians, owing in part to a lengthy teaching career, voluminous writings, and a faculty post at one of the nation's most influential schools, Princeton Theological Seminary Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was one of nineteenth-century America's leading theologians, whom some have called the "Pope of Presbyterianism. " Paul Gutjahr's book is the first modern critical biography of this towering figure.