Emanuel Vogel Gerhart (
Freeburg, Pennsylvania, 13 June 1817 –
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...
, 6 May 1904) was an American minister of the
German Reformed Church
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
and first president of
Franklin and Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankli ...
.
Early life and education
Gerhart was born on June 13, 1817, in Freeburg,
Snyder County, Pennsylvania
Snyder County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,736. The county seat is Middleburg. Snyder County was formed in 1855 from parts of Union County.
Snyder County comprises the Selin ...
. His parents were the Reverend Isaac Gerhart (1788–1865) and Sarah Vogel Gerhart (1790–1861).
Gerhart's great-grandfather, Peter Gerhart, emigrated from the town of
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
, France, to
Bucks County
Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...
, Pennsylvania, in the early 18th century. Emmanuel Gerhart's mother, of French descent, grew up in Philadelphia but was born in Northhampton, PA, while his father led ministries of
German Reformed
The Evangelical and Reformed Church (E&R) was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) with the Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA). A m ...
churches in several counties, including
Union County,
Snyder County, and
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
In the early years of his education, Gerhart went to the Classical Institution of the Reformed Church in York, Pennsylvania, under the leadership of Rev. Frederich Rauch. The school included a rigorous training in philosophy, history, math, science, Greek and Latin based on the German education system. At this school, Gerhart was one of the first members and developers of the Diagnothian Literary Society in 1835.
The school he attended moved to Mercersburg in 1836 and was established as Marshall College (later to become
Franklin and Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankli ...
). Gerhart would graduate from Marshall College in 1838 and from Mercersburg Theological Seminary in 1841. At the seminary, Gerhart studied under
Frederick Augustus Rauch Frederick Augustus Rauch n Germany, Friedrich August Rauch(27 July 1806, Hesse-Darmstadt - 2 March 1841, Mercersburg, Pennsylvania) was an educator and the founding president of Marshall College. He was a professor of systematic theology and is o ...
and
John Williamson Nevin
John Williamson Nevin (February 20, 1803June 6, 1886), was an American theologian and educationalist. He was born in the Cumberland Valley, near Shippensburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. He was the father of noted sculptor and poet Blanche Nev ...
, who were leading figures in the founding of
Mercersburg Theology. During this time, Gerhart became a teacher at the Preparatory Department of Education and at the school for young women.
Pastorship and professorship
Gerhart began his ministry work during his studies at seminary and was approved by the Synod of the Reformed Church to minister in Reading, Pennsylvania. In 1849, Gerhart worked with the First Reformed Church in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, Ohio. There he ministered to German immigrants and later traveled various states including Kentucky, Indiana, and Wisconsin to form new congregations. Starting in 1843, Gerhart would become an elected representative to the various church Synods and the General
Synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
in Baltimore.
He acted as president of
Heidelberg College
Heidelberg University is a private university in Tiffin, Ohio. Founded in 1850, it was known as Heidelberg College until 1889 and from 1926 to 2009. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
History
Heidelberg University was founded b ...
in 1851, after which he became professor of theology in the Theological
Seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
of
Tiffin
Tiffin is an Indian English word for a type of meal. It refers to a light breakfast or a light tea-time meal at about 3 p.m., consisting of typical tea-time foods. In certain parts of India, it can also refer to the midday luncheon or, in s ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, whence he was called to the presidency of
Franklin and Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankli ...
in 1855, where he held the title as Professor of Mental and
Moral Philosophy
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...
. As president, Gerhart campaigned for the college to decrease debts and increase the student body and lead the college during the time of the Civil War. In 1868, he was appointed professor 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 ...
at Mercersburg Theological Seminary, today called
Lancaster Theological Seminary
Lancaster Theological Seminary is a seminary of the United Church of Christ in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1825 by members of the German Reformed Church in the United States to provide theological education for prospective clergy an ...
in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...
. He would continue there as president and professor for the rest of his life. Gerhart was also the editor of the ''Mercerbsburg Review'' journal for several years.
During his time as professor and president, Gerhart delivered several speeches. He was known to be very gregarious and articulate in speech. According to the Alumni Association of Franklin and Marshall, "his unruffled manner, his deliberateness of speech and the logical cast of his mind always came into service." He was said to have displayed a particular "energy and endurance" and had a strong and engaging presence at college events and games.
Works
Gerhart's works include over 60 articles published at the ''Mercersburg Review'' and the following:
*''Relation of Religion and Science: An Address, Delivered before the Alumni Association of Marshall College'' (1842)
*''An Introduction to the Study of Philosophy with an Outline Treatise on Logic'' (1857)
*''Christ the Source of Salvation'', Lancaster, PA: Inquirer Printing and Publishing Company (1875)
*''Lectures on the Heidelberg Catechism'', Lancaster, PA: Lecture Pringint Society of the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church (1891)
*''Prolegomena to Christian Dogmatics'' (1891)
*''Institutes of Christian Religion'' (1891, 1894)
See also
*
German Reformed Church
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
*
German Americans
German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...
*
Mercersburg Theology
*
American philosophy
American philosophy is the activity, corpus, and tradition of philosophers affiliated with the United States. The ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' notes that while it lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can nevert ...
*
List of American philosophers
This is a list of American philosophers; of philosophers who are either from, or spent many productive years of their lives in the United States.
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Notes
References
* ''Dictionary of Early American Philosophers.'' (2012). United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing.
* Evans, W. B. (2019).&nbs
A Companion to the Mercersburg Theology: Evangelical Catholicism in the Mid-Nineteenth Century.nbsp;United States: Wipf and Stock Publishers.
* Gerhart, Emanuel V.
''Christocentric Reformed Theology in Nineteenth-Century America: Key Writings of Emanuel V. Gerhart''.Edited by Annette G. Aubert. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2021.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerhart, Emanuel Vogel
1817 births
1904 deaths
American philosophers
American theologians
Presidents of Franklin & Marshall College
Heidelberg University (Ohio)
Franklin & Marshall College alumni
Reformed Church in America members
People from Snyder County, Pennsylvania