Thomas Erskine of Linlathen (13 October 178820 March 1870) was a Scottish

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

and

lay theologian A lay theologian is a theologian "who is not ordained, or a theologian who has not been trained as a theologian". Despite not being trained as theologian or ordained, lay theologians may have academic qualifications in other disciplines. Examples ...

in the early part of the 19th century. With his friend the Reverend John McLeod Campbell he attempted a revision of

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

Life

Erskine was the youngest son of David and Ann Erskine. His great-grandfather was Colonel John Erskine of

Carnock Carnock () is a village and parish of Fife, Scotland, west of Dunfermline. It is east of Oakley, Fife. The name of the village derives from Scottish Gaelic, from ''ceàrn'' ("corner"), with a suffix denoting a toponym, thus giving " hecorne ...

, near

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

. The colonel's son was

John Erskine of Carnock John Erskine of Carnock (4 November 1695 – 1 March 1768) was a Scottish jurist and professor of Scottish law at the University of Edinburgh. He wrote the ''Principles of the Law of Scotland'' and ''An Institute of the Law of Scotland'', ...

whose second son, David, was a writer to the signet, and purchased the estate of Linlathen, near

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

; by the death without surviving issue of his elder brothers, it came into the possession of Thomas Erskine in 1816. After his father's death when he was very young, Erskine was left largely to the care of his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Graham of

Airth Castle Airth Castle is a castle overlooking the village of Airth and the River Forth, in the Falkirk area of Scotland. Until 2023, the castle operated as a hotel and spa. History According to an account attributed to Blind Harry, in 1298 William Wall ...

, a Stirling of Ardoch,

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

and a strong Jacobite. Erskine was educated at the

Edinburgh High School The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves around 1,400 pupils drawn from four feeder pr ...

, a school in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

, and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, and was admitted a member of the

Faculty of Advocates The Faculty of Advocates () is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a const ...

in 1810. He took a place in the literary society of Edinburgh. Inheriting by the death of his brother James the estate of Linlathen, Erskine retired from the bar, and gave himself up to the study of questions of theology. He travelled and made friends including

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...

Arthur Penrhyn Stanley Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, (13 December 1815 – 18 July 1881) known as Dean Stanley, was an English Anglican priest and ecclesiastical historian. He was Dean of Westminster from 1864 to 1881. His position was that of a Broad Churchman and he wa ...

, Alexander Ewing, F. D. Maurice,

Lucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradol Lucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradol (; 8 August 1829 – 20 July 1870) was a French journalist and essayist. Background Prévost-Paradol was born in Paris, France, conceived through an irregular liaison between the opera singer Lucinde Paradol an ...

Alexandre Vinet Alexandre Rodolphe Vinet (17 June 17974 May 1847) was a Swiss literary critic and theologian. Literary critic He was born near Lausanne, Switzerland. Educated for the Protestant ministry, he was ordained in 1819, when already teacher of the Fren ...

Adolphe Monod Adolphe-Louis-Frédéric-Théodore Monod (21 January 1802 – 6 April 1856) was a French Protestant pastor and theologian. His elder brother was Frédéric Monod. Biography Monod was born in Copenhagen, where his father, Jean Monod (1765–1836 ...

, and Madame de Broglie. He initially wrote extensively on contemporary religious controversies. In 1831 the

General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body.''An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland'' by A. Gordon McGillivray, ...

deposed John McLeod Campbell, minister of Rhu, for preaching the doctrine of

universal atonement Unlimited atonement (sometimes called general atonement or universal atonement) is a doctrine in Protestant Christianity that states Jesus died as a propitiation for the benefit of all humans without exception. It is normally associated with Amyr ...

. Erskine strongly supported Campbell, and went further in doctrine, espousing

universal reconciliation Christian universalism is a school of Christian theology focused around the doctrine of universal reconciliation – the view that all human beings will ultimately be saved and restored to a right relationship with God. "Christian universalism" ...

. When Erskine died at home in 1870, his last words were: "Lord Jesus!"

Works

Erskine was known as the author of: *''Remarks on the Internal Evidence for the Truth of Revealed Religion'' (1820); * an ''Essay on Faith'' (1822); and * ''Unconditional Freeness of the Gospel'' (1828). These books all passed through several editions. Erskine also authored ''The Brazen Serpent'' (1831), and then wrote ''The Doctrine of Election'', a lengthy treatise on the theological doctrine of predestination and interaction with Paul's Letter to the Romans, which appeared in 1837. This was the final work during his lifetime. A posthumously published work was ''The Spiritual Order and Other Papers'' (1871). Two volumes of his letters, edited by

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, voice actor, and musician who is best known for co-creating ''Tom and Jerry'' and providing the vocal effects for the series' title characters. Alongside Joseph B ...

, appeared in 1877.

Views

Erskine was an

, self-taught in theology. He emphasized the loving side of God's nature, supported the

of Christ, and was critical of the typical

federal theology Covenant theology (also known as covenantalism, federal theology, or federalism) is a biblical theology, a conceptual overview and biblical hermeneutics , interpretive framework for understanding the overall structure of the Bible. It is often ...

of the Scottish Calvinism of his time. The work ''The Doctrine of Election'' has a purpose and theme that may be summed up as follows:

The current form of Calvinistic doctrine goes against human experience and the real message of Scripture. The powers of good and evil, of God and the self, strive within every person's soul. A person's 'elective will' in one's own personality determines with which of the other two wills one chooses to side. This last will only chooses which of the two shall be dominant. Thus, God inwardly encourages us to choose the good, the true and the beautiful—we are not agents of our own good decision making, but rather we choose that which God has already chosen for us.

As Erskine studied the Bible text he became convinced that it "presented a history of wondrous love in order to excite gratitude, of a high and holy worth, to attract veneration and esteem. It presented a view of danger, to produce alarm; of refuge to confer peace and joy; and of eternal glory, to animate hope." A quote shows some of his thinking:

Christ, the gift of God's present forgiving love to every man and woman, is the door through which alone we can enter into our provision of hope. Until we know the love of our Father's heart to us, as manifested in Christ, the future must always be to us at best a dark and doubtful wilderness. But when we know that all that we have conceived of our Father's love, is as nothing to the reality—that he is indeed love itself—a love passing knowledge—a shoreless, boundless, bottomless ocean-fountain of love, of holy, sin-hating, sin-destroying love, which longs over us that we should be filled with itself—and be by it delivered from the power of evil—then, indeed, we are saved by hope, for we know that love must triumph and fulfill all its counsel.

Reputation

In his day and time Erskine was influential on theologically forward-thinking pastors and theologians. The German church historian

Otto Pfleiderer Otto Pfleiderer (; 1 September 1839 – 18 July 1908) was a German Protestant theologian. Through his writings and his lectures, he became known as one of the most influential representatives of liberal theology. Biography Pfleiderer was born at ...

"regard d rskine'sideas as the best contribution to dogmatics which British theology has produced in the present century."''The Development of Theology in Germany since Kant, and its Progress in Great Britain since 1825'', p. 382. He influenced especially

Frederick Denison Maurice John Frederick Denison Maurice (29 August 1805 – 1 April 1872), commonly known as F. D. Maurice, was an English Anglican priest and theologian. He was a prolific author and one of the founders of Christian socialism. Since the Second World War ...

Alexander John Scott Alexander John Scott (23 July 1768 - 24 July 1840) was an Anglican chaplain who served in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He served as Horatio Nelson's personal chaplain at the Battle of Trafalgar, and had ...

and

George MacDonald George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carrol ...

References

External links