Divinity Divinity School. COPYRIGHT, 1891, BY THE UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. COPYRIGHT, 1891, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS. PREFACE. The THE inaugural address on the Authority of Holy Scripture, delivered Jan. 20, 1891, in the Adams chapel of the Union Theological Seminary, New York, was printed by authority of the directors of the Seminary, in accordance with their custom, for the use of the directors, faculty, students, and friends of the institution. address has attracted the attention of the public far beyond anything that could have been anticipated. The discussions about it have not only developed the usual hostility of the reactionary anti-revision party in the Presbyterian Church and of the ultra-conservative factions in other denominations; but have also made it evident that some of my friends do not altogether understand my position with regard to certain difficult and delicate questions of our times. I have seen nothing in the hostile criticism to lead me to make any changes whatever, either in the matter or the form of the address. But it seems to me wise to respond to the wishes of some of my friends and republish the address under my own responsibility, with some additional notes and explanations. MAY 4, 1891. C. A. BRIGGS. TABLE OF CONTENTS. I. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHAIR by the Di- rectors of the Seminary in accordance with the endowment of Charles Butler, LL.D.; and the choice of the incumbent, Prof. Charles A. Briggs, II. THE INAUGURATION SERVICES, January 20, 1891; PAGE I. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EDWARD ROBINSON CHAIR OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. AT the regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York, held November 11, 1890, the following preamble and resolution were adopted by a unanimous vote: WHEREAS, The Honorable Charles Butler, LL.D., President of the Board of Directors of this Seminary, has made provision for a permanent fund for the purpose of establishing and endowing a Chair in this Seminary, to be called the Edward Robinson Chair of Biblical Theology; NOW THEREFORE, Resolved, That a new professorship shall be and is hereby created, which shall be called the "Edward Robinson Chair of Biblical Theology"; that the income of the endowment of one hundred thousand dollars given to this Seminary by the said Charles Butler in the manner mentioned in his bond, dated April 25, 1890, shall be applied solely to the support of said Chair, according to the provisions of said bond. The President of the Faculty suggested that the Board, in courtesy, should ask Dr. Butler to express to us freely his wishes with reference to the action just taken. Thereupon President Butler addressed the Board of Directors as follows: "The formal establishment by the Board of ‘The Edward Robinson Chair of Biblical Theology' fulfils the object desired in the provision which I have made for its endowment. I beg to express my satisfaction and gratitude for this action. It is in accord with the views of the distinguished Christian scholar in whose memory the Chair is founded. In a letter to the Board, dated January 20, 1837, accepting the Professorship of Sacred Literature, he said: 'The Constitution properly requires every Professor to declare that he believes the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. This is placing the Bible in its true position as the only foundation of Christian theology. It fol lows as a necessary consequence that the study of the Bible, as taught in the department of Biblical Literature, must be the foundation of all right theological education.' This new Chair of Biblical Theology seems to me to realize the sentiment embodied in this quotation, in a form which, if he were now present with us, would receive his benediction. It embalms his memory indissolubly with the life of this Seminary, and will ever be an inspiration to its students in their 'search of the Scriptures.' "In regard to the incumbent of this Chair, I avail of the courtesy of the Board to express my wish that it may be one who sat as a pupil at the feet of that eminent teacher, and I regard it as a felicity to the Seminary that there is one here who has been trained within its walls, and who, by his ripe scholarship and purity of character in Christian faith and practice, has won the confidence and affection of his associate Professors, of |
