Merritt Conrad Hyers (1933–2013) was an American historian of religion and

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

minister. He taught for many years at

Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its name ...

, and wrote multiple books on humor in religion and on

Zen Buddhism Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), an ...

Early life and education

Hyers was born on July 31, 1933, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He earned a bachelor's degree at

Carson–Newman University Carson–Newman University is a private Baptist university in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Carson-Newman is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1851, the university enrolls about 2,500 studen ...

in 1954, and a

bachelor of divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theolog ...

from the

Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary Palmer Theological Seminary is a Baptist seminary in St. Davids. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. It was founded in 1925 as Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Its parent institution is Eastern University. History The ...

in 1958. He then earned a

master of theology Master of Theology ( la, Theologiae Magister, abbreviated MTh, ThM, or MTheol) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a sta ...

from the

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of t ...

in 1959, and completed his

doctor of philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

degree in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

and the

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning p ...

from the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1965.

Academic career

He taught the history of religion at

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and ...

and then, beginning in 1977, at

St. Peter, Minnesota St. Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. It is 10 miles north of the Mankato – North Mankato metropolitan area. The population was 12,066 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. St. ...

. In 1986 he was the inaugural winner of the Gustavus Scholarly Accomplishment Award of the college, "the highest accolade a Gustavus faculty member can receive for distinguished scholarly achievements". He retired in 1997.

Personal life

In 1977 and 1978, after first arriving at Gustavus Adolphus, Hyers and his family rented an 1850-era house in St. Peter. His son, Jon Hyers, later produced a feature-length film, ''The Haunting of North Third Street'' (2007), "an independent docu-drama" alleging that the house was haunted. Hyers died on March 23, 2013, in East Fallowfield Township, Pennsylvania.

Books

* ''Holy Laughter: Essays on Religion in the Comic Perspective'' (editor, 1969) * ''Once-Born, Twice-Born Zen: The Soto and Rinzai Schools of Japanese Zen'' (1971) * ''The Chickadees: A Contemporary Fable'' (1974) * ''Zen and the Comic Spirit'' (1975) * ''The Comic Vision and the Christian Faith: A Celebration of Life and Laughter'' (1981) * ''The Meaning of Creation: Genesis and Modern Science'' (1984) * ''And God Created Laughter: The Bible as Divine Comedy'' (1987) * ''The Laughing Buddha: Zen and the Comic Spirit'' (1989) * ''The Spirituality of Comedy: Comic Heroism in a Tragic World'' (1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyers, Conrad 1933 births 2013 deaths American historians of religion 20th-century American theologians 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 21st-century American theologians 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians American religion academics Beloit College faculty Clergy from Philadelphia Gustavus Adolphus College faculty Presbyterian Church (USA) teaching elders Carson–Newman University alumni Princeton Theological Seminary alumni