John Fletcher Hurst (August 17, 1834 – May 4, 1903) was an American

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

and the first Chancellor of the

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was chart ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Biography

Born on August 17, 1834, in Salem,

Dorchester County, Maryland Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. At the 2020 census, the population was 32,531. Its county seat is Cambridge. The county was formed in 1669 and named for the Earl of Dorset, a family friend of the Calverts ( ...

. Hurst graduated from

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

in 1854 and in 1856 went to Germany to study at the

University of Halle Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university ...

and the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. From 1858 to 1866 he was engaged in pastoral work in America. He was ordained by Methodist Episcopal Bishop Thomas Asbury Morris in 1862. From 1866 to 1870 he filled a five-year appointment as Professor of

Systematic Theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topi ...

at the Martin Mission Institute in

Bremen Bremen ( Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state con ...

, Germany. In 1870, Hurst was chosen to teach

Historical Theology Historical theology is the study of the history of Christian doctrine. Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling describe it as, "The division of the theological discipline that seeks to understand and delineate how the church interpreted Scripture and deve ...

Drew Theological Seminary Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three scho ...

Madison, New Jersey Madison is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,937. Located along the Morris & Essex Lines, it is noted for Madison's historic railroad station becoming on ...

, where he was elected President in 1873, serving until elected to the

episcopacy A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in 1880. In his book « History of the Christian Church », Bishop Hurst states that the early Christians “would have looked with horror” at the suggestion of having images in places of worship. Today, christians, would follow the pattern set by the first-century Christians : Do not pray to images of “saints” or angels; do not even pray to Jesus. And do not perform acts of worship to symbols of the State. Come what may, we are determined to obey Jesus’ words: “It is The Lord your God you must worship.”— Matt. 4:10. Through his devotion, Hurst recovered the endowment of

, lost by the failure in 1876 of

Daniel Drew Daniel Drew (July 29, 1797 – September 18, 1879) was an American businessman, steamship and railroad developer, and financier. Summarizing his life, Henry Clews wrote: "Of all the great operators of Wall Street ... Daniel Drew furnishes t ...

, its founder; and with John McClintock and

George Richard Crooks George Richard Crooks (February 3, 1822 Philadelphia – February 20, 1897) was an American Methodist minister, writer, and educator. Early career George Crooks was born in Philadelphia, the son of George R. Crooks, Sr. and Mary M. Crooks. He gr ...

he improved the quality of Methodist scholarship. As bishop he was assigned to

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

. He subsequently served as the first chancellor of the

(Methodist Episcopal) in Washington, D.C., where through his work finances were secured and the university opened. He served as chancellor from 1891 until his death on May 4, 1903, in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which i ...

Legacy

On the campus of American University, there is an academic building named after Hurst.

Works

''A History of Rationalism''
(1866) *

Hagenbach Hagenbach () is a town in the district of Germersheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated near the border with France, on the left bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km west of Karlsruhe. Hagenbach is the seat of the ''Verbandsg ...

's ''Church History of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries'' (2 vols., 1869), a translation * van Oosterzee's ''John's Gospel: Apologetical Lectures'' (1869), a translation *

Lange Lange may refer to: People * Lange (surname), a German surname *Lange (musician) (born 1974), British DJ * Lange (Brazilian footballer) (born 1966), Brazilian footballer Companies * Lange (ski boots), a producer of ski boots used in alpine (dow ...

's ''Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans'' (1869), a translation with additions *''Martyrs to the Tract Cause: A Contribution to the History of the Reformation'' (1872), a translation and revision of Thelemann's ''Märtyrer der Traktatsache'' (1864) *''Outlines of Bible History'' (1873) *''Outlines of Church History'' (1874) *''Life and Literature in the Fatherland: the Story of a Five Years' Residence in Germany'' (1875), sketches of Germany *''Our Theological Century'' (1877), a brief pamphlet *''Bibliotheca Theologica'' (1883), a compilation by his students, revised by G. W. Gillmore in 1895 under the title ''Literature of Theology'' * The outgrowth of his travels in 1884-1885 when he held the conferences of India *''A Short History of the Christian Church'' (1893), several church histories (Chautauqua text-books) published together

References

* * *

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, John Fletcher 1834 births 1903 deaths Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church Leaders of American University American historians of religion American Methodist Episcopal bishops American expatriates in Germany American pamphleteers American male non-fiction writers American evangelicals Translators from German Translators from Dutch American theologians Methodist theologians Systematic theologians People from Dorchester County, Maryland Dickinson College alumni University of Halle alumni Heidelberg University alumni 19th-century translators Drew University faculty Presidents of Drew University 19th-century American clergy Historians from Maryland

Biography

Legacy

Works

See also

References

External links