Basil Manly Jr. (December 19, 1825 – January 31, 1892) was an American
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christianity, Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe ...
minister and educator. He was one of a group of theologians instrumental in the formation of the
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was a ...
in South Carolina.
Early life and education
Basil Manly Jr. was born December 19, 1825, in
Edgefield District, South Carolina to
Basil Manly Sr. (1798–1868), a prominent Baptist preacher and educator.
He and his family moved to
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...
, when Manly Jr. was 12 years old, as his father served as president of the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...
(1837–1855) for nearly 20 years. He grew up in a
planter's family, as his father owned 40
slaves and supported the institution of slavery. In Tuscaloosa, Manly Jr. was baptized at age 14 after reading a biography of
Jonathan Edwards. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1843.
[
He was licensed by the Baptist church to preach the ]gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
at age nineteen. He enrolled at Newton Theological Institution
Newton Theological Institution was a Baptist theological seminary founded on November 28, 1825 in Newton Centre, Massachusetts.Hovey, Alvah, Historical Address Delivered at the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Newton Theological Institution, June 8, 1 ...
in Massachusetts. In 1845 after the Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wo ...
was formed, Manly Jr. transferred to 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 o ...
.[
His father had drafted the "Alabama Resolutions", which formed part of the case for separation of the convention from northern churches. The Newton seminary was affiliated with the rival ]Northern Baptist Convention
The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline/evangelical Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainl ...
at a time of deepening sectional strife prior to the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
.
Manly graduated from Princeton in 1847. He married Charlotte Whitfield Smith in 1852 and they had two sons and a daughter. He remarried in 1869 to Harriet Summers Hair, and they had one son.[
]
Career
Manly was the pastor of First Baptist Church (Richmond, Virginia)
First Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Established in 1780, the church is currently located on the corner of Monument Avenue and Arthur Ashe Boulevard. The current senior minister is the Rev. D ...
from 1850 to 1854.
With John Albert Broadus
John Albert Broadus (January 24, 1827 – March 16, 1895) was an American Baptist pastor and President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Early life
Born in 1827 in Culpeper County, Virginia, Broadus was educated at home and at a priv ...
, William Williams, and James Petigru Boyce
James Petigru Boyce (January 11, 1827 – December 28, 1888) was an American pastor, theologian, professor and chaplain who was one of the founders of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Biography
Early life
James Petigru Boyce was b ...
, he was instrumental in the formation of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Greenville, South Carolina. The seminary was central to the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention and its ministers. In 1877 the seminary moved to Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...
. With Broadus, Manley was also one of the first leaders of the Sunday School Board
Lifeway Christian Resources, based in Nashville, Tennessee, is the Christian media publishing and distribution division of the Southern Baptist Convention and provider of church business services. Until the end of their physical retail presenc ...
publishing operations.
Manly was president of Georgetown College
Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educa ...
from 1871 to 1879.
Basil Manly Jr. died at his home in Louisville on January 31, 1892. He was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery
Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buria ...
.
Works
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References
Further reading
Guide to the Manly Family papers, W. S. Hoole Special Collections Library, The University of Alabama
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Manly, Basil Jr.
1825 births
1892 deaths
American Baptist theologians
Princeton Theological Seminary alumni
Southern Baptist ministers
Baptist ministers from the United States
Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary people
19th-century American clergy