Archibald Alexander Hodge (July 18, 1823 – November 12, 1886), an American

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 nam ...

leader, was the principal of

Princeton 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 ...

between 1878 and 1886.

Biography

He was born on July 18, 1823 to Sarah and

Charles Hodge Charles Hodge (December 27, 1797 – June 19, 1878) was a Reformed Presbyterian theologian and principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. He was a leading exponent of the Princeton Theology, an orthodox Calvinist theol ...

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

. He was named after Charles' mentor, the first principal of Princeton Seminary,

Archibald Alexander Archibald Alexander (April 17, 1772 – October 22, 1851) was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary. He served for 9 years as the President of Hampden–Sydney College in Virginia and for 39 yea ...

. Hodge attended the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) in 1841 and then

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 ...

in 1847. He served as a missionary in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

for three years (1847–1850). He held pastorates at Lower West Nottingham,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

(1851–1855),

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...

(1855–1861), and

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(1861–1864). In 1864 he accepted a call to the chair of

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topi ...

in Western Theological Seminary (later

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS) is a Presbyterian graduate seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1794, it houses one of the largest theological libraries in the tri-state area. History Pittsburgh Theological Seminary was formed ...

) in

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. There he remained until in 1877 he was called to Princeton to be the associate of his father, Charles Hodge, in the distinguished chair of systematic theology. He took on the full responsibilities of the chair of systematic theology in 1878. He died on November 12, 1886 in

from "a severe cold ... which settled in his kidneys".

Influence

At the time of his death, he was a trustee of the College of New Jersey and a leader in the Presbyterian Church. His interests extended beyond religion. He touched the religious world at many points. During the years immediately preceding his death he did not slacken his work, but continued his work of writing, preaching, lecturing, making addresses, coming into contact with men, influencing them, and by doing so widening the influence of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. Among the most influential was an article titled ''Inspiration'' that began a series in the ''Presbyterian Review'' which established the discipline of

biblical theology Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, Biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define. Description Although most speak of biblical theology as a particular method or emphasis within biblical studies, some scho ...

as a historical science. This article was coauthored with B. B. Warfield in 1880.

Characteristics

Hodge's distinguishing characteristic as a theologian was his power as a thinker. He had a mind of singular acuteness, and though never a professed student of

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

, he was essentially and by nature a metaphysician. His theology was that of the Reformed confessions. He had no peculiar views and no peculiar method of organizing

theological 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 the ...

dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...

s; in this he may be identified with his father, who claimed at the end of his life that he had taught and written nothing new. Though he taught the same theology that his father had taught before him, he was independent as well as reverent. His first book and that by which he is best known was his ''Outlines of Theology'' (

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, 1860; enlarged ed., 1878; reprinted 1996, ), which was translated into

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

modern Greek Modern Greek (, , or , ''Kiní Neoellinikí Glóssa''), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the ...

, and Hindustani. ''The

Atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ex ...

'' (

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, 1867; reprinted 1989, ) is still one of the best treatises on the subject. This was followed by his commentary on the

Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the " subordinate standard" ...

(1869, ), a very useful book, full of clear thinking and compact statement. He contributed some important articles to encyclopedias – Johnson's, McClintock and Strong's, and the Schaff-Herzog (the Schaff-Herzog encyclopedia furnished the kernel from which this article developed). He was one of the founders of the ''Presbyterian Review'', to the pages of which he was a frequent contributor.

Sermons

In the pulpit, Hodge had few

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

s, and he preached them frequently. They were never written nor deliberately planned. They grew from small beginnings and, as he went through the process of thinking them over as often as he preached them, they gradually became more elaborate.

Publications

* The Rule of Faith and Practice * The Protestant rule of faith
The Rules of Interpreting ScriptureCommentary on the Westminster Confession of FaithOutlines of TheologyJustification (Part 1)(Part 2)(Part 3)
*A commentary on the Confession of Faith : with questions for theological students and Bible classes **(1869) https://archive.org/details/commentaryonconf00hodguoft (Robarts - University of Toronto) **(1869) https://archive.org/details/acommentaryonthe00hodguoft (Knox - University of Toronto) **(1869) https://archive.org/details/commentaryonconf00hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) **(1901 printing) https://archive.org/details/commentaryonconf1901hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) *A commentary on the confession of faith f the Assembly of divinesed. by W.H. Goold (1870) **https://archive.org/details/acommentaryonco00hodggoog (Oxford University) *Comentario de la Confesion de fe de Westminster de la Iglesia Presbiteriana (1897) **https://archive.org/details/comentariodelaco00hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) *The atonement (1867) **(1867) https://archive.org/details/theatonement00hodguoft (Trinity College - University of Toronto) **(1867) https://archive.org/details/atonement00hodguoft (Robarts - University of Toronto) **(1867) https://archive.org/details/atonement00publgoog (New York Public Library) **(1867) https://archive.org/details/atonement00hodg (New York Public Library) *Outlines of theology **(1860) https://archive.org/details/outlinesoftheolo1860hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) **(1861) https://archive.org/details/outlinesoftheolo00hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) **(1863) https://archive.org/details/outlinestheolog03hodggoog (Harvard University) **(1863) (ed. by W.H. Goold) https://archive.org/details/outlinestheolog01hodggoog (Oxford University) **(1865) https://archive.org/details/outlinesoftheolo1865hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) **(1866) https://archive.org/details/outlinestheolog02hodggoog (unknown library) **(1876) https://archive.org/details/outlinesoftheo00hodg (New York Public Library) **(1877) https://archive.org/details/outlinesoftheolo00hodguoft (Emmanuel - University of Toronto) **(1878) https://archive.org/details/outlinesoftheolo1878hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) **(1879) https://archive.org/details/outlinesoftheolo1879hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) **(1879) (ed. by W.H. Goold) https://archive.org/details/outlinestheolog00hodggoog (Oxford University) **There is also a companion to this book by William Passmore (1873)A compendium of evangelical theology given in the words of holy Scripture https://archive.org/details/acompendiumevan00unkngoog *The life of Charles Hodge ... professor in the Theological seminary, Princeton, N.J. (1880) **https://archive.org/details/lifeofcharleshodg00hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) **https://archive.org/details/lifeofcharleshod00hodg0 (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) **https://archive.org/details/lifeofcharlesh00hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) **https://archive.org/details/lifeofcharleshod00hodgrich (University of California Libraries) **https://archive.org/details/lifecharleshodg01hodggoog (University of California) **https://archive.org/details/lifecharleshodg02hodggoog (New York Public Library) **(1881) https://archive.org/details/lifecharleshodg00hodggoog (Oxford University) *Popular lectures on theological themes (1887) **https://archive.org/details/popularlectures00hodggoog **https://archive.org/details/popularlectures00publgoog **https://archive.org/details/popularlectures00hodguoft **https://archive.org/details/popularlectureso00hodg *Inspiration (1881) (Reprinted from the Presbyterian review, April, 1881) https://archive.org/details/inspiration00hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) *Westminster doctrine anent holy scripture : tractates by professors A. A. Hodge and Warfield (1891) **https://archive.org/details/westminsterdoct00howi (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) *Manual of forms for baptism, admission to the communion, administration of the Lord's Supper, marriage and funerals : conformed to the doctrine and discipline of the Presbyterian Church (1877) **https://archive.org/details/manualofformsfor00hodg **https://archive.org/details/manualofforms00hodg **(1882 copyright, 1883 published) https://archive.org/details/manualofforms00hodguoft (Emmanuel - University of Toronto) *The system of theology contained in the Westminster shorter catechism opened and explained (1888) https://archive.org/details/systemoftheology00hodg *Questions on the text of the Systematic Theology of Dr. Charles Hodge : together with an exhibition of various schemes illustrating the principles of theological construction (by A. A. Hodge)(1885) **https://archive.org/details/questionsontexto00hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) *Address at the funeral of the Rev. Henry Augustus Boardman, D.D. (1881) **https://archive.org/details/addressatfuneral00hodg (Princeton Theological Seminary Library) *Van Dyke, Joseph Smith (1886) Theism and evolution : an examination of modern speculative theories as related to theistic conceptions of the universe. With an introduction by d Alexander Hodge **https://archive.org/details/theismandevolut00vanduoft (Trinity College - University of Toronto) **https://archive.org/details/theismevolutione00vand (Princeton Theological Seminary Library)

Articles

* * *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hodge, Archibald Alexander 1823 births 1886 deaths American Calvinist and Reformed theologians American Presbyterians American evangelicals Princeton Theological Seminary faculty People from Fredericksburg, Virginia Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers Christianity in Pittsburgh Religious leaders from Pittsburgh Contributors to the Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge 19th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Presidents of Calvinist and Reformed seminaries Pittsburgh Theological Seminary faculty Princeton University alumni Princeton Theological Seminary alumni 19th-century American clergy