BRIGGS.
BRIGGS.
Bridgman '" (Boston, 1879). by Mary Swift Lam-
son. She died at the Perkin.s institute, Boston,
Mass., where the greater part of her life had been
spent. May 24, 1889.
BRIGGS, Charles Augustus, theologian, was born in New York city, Jan. 15, 1841. He was a student at the University of Virginia, 1857-'60; at Union theological seminary, New York, 1861-'63 ; merchant in New York, 1863-'66; student University of Berlin, 1866-'69; and ordained by the pres- bji;ery of Elizabeth, N.J., Jime 30, 1870. He was a soldier in the civil war three months, 1861; pastor at Roselle, N.J., 1870- ■74; professor of He- brew and cognate languages at Union theological seminary N.Y. city from 1875. His reputation as a scholar grew steadily; he was diligent and exact in his investiga- tions, enthusiastic and outspoken in making known the' results of his studies. At the centenary celebration of the University of Edinburgh in 1884, the degi-ee of doctor of divinity was conferred upon him. This dis- tinguished honor — granted to only three Amer- icans besides himself — was a recognition not only of the rank he had attained in his own seminary, but of that also which he held in the estimation of world-renowned theologians. In 1891, by the munificence of Mr. Charles Butler, a chair of biblical theologj^ in the Union theo- logical seminary was endowed, in which Dr. Briggs was installed. While the duties of his position were substantially the same as they had been, yet his investiture as professor of biblical theology gave rise to the veto of the Presby- terian general assembly. Dr. Briggs having for some time provoked the criticism of his feUow- presbyters by his utterances in regard to the verbal inspiration of the Bible. Before the veto there had been indications of conflict. Dr. Briggs was a recognized power; he represented opinions widely held among Presbyterians, and as widely denounced by others of the same sect. Respected as an original thinker and conscienti- ous student, some were disinclined to reject his utterances ; others were more cautious in their acceptance of his judgment. Dr. Briggs, with a dignified self-respect not inconsistent with entire modesty, in reply to strictures made upon him by Dr. Shedd, prior to the meeting of the pres-
bytery of New York, before which he had been
summoned, said : " There are two things in which
I may claim to be a specialist ; one of them is in
the theology of the Old Testament, and the other,
the Westminster Confession. I have studied the
Westminster documents repeatedly in all the
great libraries of Great Britain. I have gathered
in the library of the Union theological seminary,
the best library of the Westminster divines out-
side the British musemn. I have studied these
divines with enthusiastic devotion for many
years." On the basis of such preparation he
asserted his right to si^eak with authority, and
he claimed that new doctrines had come into the
field, new questions had arisen, with which the
Westminster Confe.ssion could not have had any-
thing to do, and " The thoughts of men had
widened by the process of the sun." Dr. Brigg.s
published several works in which his views were
presented without hesitation and with vigor.
His lectures before his classes made a profound
impression, but for some years no vigorous out-
spoken protest was made. In January, 1891, Dr.
Briggs delivered an inaugural address before the
Union theological seminary. In it he declares
" there are historically three great foimtains of
divine authority — the Bible, the church and the
reason." He contended that the "majority of
Christians from the apostolic age have found
God through the church." He declared reason
to be " The Holy of Holies of human nature," in
which " God presents himself to those who seek
him." He cited Newman as, "finding God in the
church, ' ' and Martineau as ' 'one who could not find
God in the church or the Bible, but did find him
enthroned in his own soul " ; and Spurgeon who
"assails the church and reason in the interests
of the authority of scripture. " These furnished
the three charges brought against him. He was
summoned before the New York presbj-tery
which dismissed the case. In the general as-
sembly, May, 1893, the decision of the presbytery
of New York was reversed, and he was suspended
from the ministry, but he continued his work
at the Union theological seminary. Among his
published works are : "Biblical Study, itsMethods
and History " (1883); "American Presbyterian-
ism, its Origin and Growth " (1885) ; " Messianic
Prophecy" (1886); "Study of Higher Criticism
with special reference to the Pentateucli " (1883) ;
"Hebrew Poems of the Creation" (1884);
" Poem of the Fall of Man; Series of Articles on
Hebrew Poetry" (1886); "Opening address on
Biblical History " (1889) ; " Schaff-Lange Com-
mentary on Ezra " (1876) ; " Address on Exeget-
ical Theology " (1876) ; article in Encyclopedia
Britannica on " Presbyterianism in tlie United
States;" the " Right, Duty and Limits of Biblical
Criticism" (1881); " Wliither ? A Theological
