George David Henderson (26 March 1888 – 28 May 1957) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

historian and a

minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

of the Church of Scotland.George David Henderson
, University of Glasgow website. Retrieved 19 January 2021.'Dr. G. D. Henderson', ''The Times'' (30 May 1957), p. 12.

Early life and career

He was born in Ayr to Rev. Robert Henderson, who was minister of Flowerhill

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

in Airdrie. He was educated at the High School of Glasgow and the universities of Berlin and Jena. In 1910 he was awarded a first class honours MA in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

from Glasgow University. He also received from Glasgow a MB (1914), a D.Litt. (1931) and a DD (1935). Paris University awarded him a DTheol. in 1954. Henderson worked as an assistant minister in Edinburgh and

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

before he was appointed minister of

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in 1916. During the First World War he was

chaplain to the forces The Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD) is an all-officer department that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army. History The Army Chaplains' Department (AChD) was formed by Royal Warrant of 23 September 1796; until the ...

in Mesopotamia, a post he held until 1920. From 1922 to 1924 he served in Glasgow Patrick St. Mary's and in 1924 he became regius professor of divinity and church history at the University of Aberdeen. In 1924 he married Jennie Holmes McCulloch and they had two sons. Henderson's historical writings focused primarily on Scottish Church history. In 1937 Cambridge University Press published a collection of his essays under the title ''Religious Life in Seventeenth-Century Scotland''. His work on the Disruption of 1843, ''Heritage: A Study of the Disruption'', was published in its centenary year. Henderson's 1951 volume ''The Claims of the Church of Scotland'' was written after he received a request from Scottish churchmen to write a Scottish equivalent of ''The Claims of the Church of England'' by Cyril Garbett, the Archbishop of York. Henderson's biography of the 18th-century Scottish writer

Andrew Michael Ramsay Andrew Michael Ramsay (9 July 16866 May 1743), commonly called the Chevalier Ramsay, was a Scottish-born writer who lived most of his adult life in France. He was a Baronet in the Jacobite Peerage. Ramsay was born in Ayr, Scotland, the son o ...

was published in 1952. Henderson also served in the Church of Scotland; he was Moderator of the

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 ...

of Aberdeen, Moderator of

Aberdeen Presbytery The Presbytery of Aberdeen and Shetland is one of the forty-two presbyteries of the Church of Scotland, being the local presbytery for the city of Aberdeen. The current moderator is the Rev Hutton Steel who is minister of High Hilton Parish ...

, and convener of the Church of Scotland Colonial and Continental Committee. Henderson was

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

in 1955. After his death, ''

The Scottish Historical Review The ''Scottish Historical Review'' is a biannual academic journal in the field of Scottish historical studies, covering Scottish history from the early to the modern, encouraging a variety of historical approaches. It superseded ''The Scottish An ...

'' said that Henderson's "contributions to the history of the Church were always distinguished for their wide scholarship and critical judgment clothed with a warm humanity". '' The Times'' stated that Henderson was "one of the greatest Church historians Scotland ever produced, and in almost all his prolific writings was concerned to maintain and expand the Presbyterian doctrine of worship and government as that had developed down four centuries". A collection of his essays, ''The Burning Bush: Studies in Scottish Church History'', was published posthumously.'Reviewed Work: The Burning Bush by G. D. Henderson', ''The Journal of Theological Studies'', New Series, Vol. 10, No. 2 (October 1959), pp. 450-453.

Works

Books

*''The Scottish Ruling Elder'' (London: James Clarke, 1935). *''The Scots Confession, 1560, and Negative Confession, 1581'', introduction by G. D. Henderson (Edinburgh: Church of Scotland, Committee on Publications, 1937). *''Religious Life in Seventeenth-Century Scotland'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1937). *''The Kirk Through the Centuries'' (Edinburgh: Church of Scotland, Committee on Publications, 1937). *''The Church of Scotland: A Short History'' (Edinburgh: Church of Scotland Youth Committee, 1939). *''Heritage: A Study of the Disruption'' (Edinburgh and London: Oliver and Boyd, 1943). *''The Founding of Marischal College, Aberdeen'' (Aberdeen University Studies, No. 123, Aberdeen University Press 1947). *''Church and Ministry: A Study in Scottish Experience'' (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1951). *''The Claims of the Church of Scotland'' (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1951). *''Chevalier Ramsay'' (London: Thomas Nelson, 1952). *''Presbyterianism'' (Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1954). *''The Burning Bush: Studies in Scottish Church History'' (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1957).

Articles

*'Scotland and the Synod of Dort', ''Nederlands archief voor kerkgeschiedenis/Dutch Review of Church History'', Nieuwe Serie, Vol. 24 (1931), pp. 1–24. *'Review: Knox's History of the Reformation', ''The Scottish Historical Review'', Vol. 29, No. 108, Part 2 (Oct., 1950), pp. 182–188. *'Priesthood of Believers', ''Scottish Journal of Theology'', Vol. 7 (1954), pp. 1–15.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, George David 1888 births 1957 deaths People from Ayr People educated at the High School of Glasgow Humboldt University of Berlin alumni University of Jena alumni Alumni of the University of Glasgow Academics of the University of Aberdeen 20th-century Scottish historians 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 20th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers