Walter Lowrie (April 26, 1868 – August 12, 1959) was a
Kierkegaardian
theologian
Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
and translator.
Biography
He was born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. Lowrie received his B.A. in 1890, and his M.A. in 1893, both from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
. He studied in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, and
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
in 1893–1894. Upon his return home he joined the
Episcopal Church. Lowrie was ordained deacon on June 9, 1895, and priest on December 27, 1896. From 1896 until 1898, he was curate at St. James Church, Philadelphia. In 1898–1899, and 1900–1903, he was with the City Mission in Philadelphia. He then served churches in
Southwark, Pennsylvania;
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
; and
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...
. From 1907 until 1930, Lowrie was
rector of
St Paul's American Church in Rome.
When he retired in 1930, he returned to Princeton and began what he called an "itinerant ministry." He published 39 books and numerous articles, including ''The Short Story of Jesus'' (1943) and ''
Kierkegaard'' (1938). A Complete Bibliography of Walter Lowrie was compiled by Donald M. Fox, and published in 1979. From his retirement in 1930 until his death, Lowrie studied and translated the works of
Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard ( , ; ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danes, Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical tex ...
, the Danish nineteenth-century theologian. From 1939 until 1945, he published twelve volumes of Kierkegaard translations and worked very closely with fellow Kierkegaard translator
David F. Swenson, who was working from the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
. The Rev. Walter Lowrie was awarded the Knight Cross of the Order of Dannebrog on July 25, 1947 with the following motivation: "As an appreciation of his extensive efforts to spread the knowledge of the intellectual production of Søren Kierkegaard in the Anglo-Saxon world and, thereby, promoting the general understanding of Danish spiritual life." During his retirement, he traveled and lectured throughout the world. Lowrie died in
Princeton
Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...
, and his wife, Barbara Armour, left his home, now known as the
Walter Lowrie House, to the university.
Walter Lowrie House, Princeton
/ref>
References
External links
Translations and books by Walter Lowrie from "Goodreads"
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowrie, Walter
1868 births
1959 deaths