The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an
Episcopal 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 ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
. The seminary was chartered by an act of the Episcopal Church's
General Convention The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority ...
and its name was chosen to reflect its founders' vision that it be a seminary to serve the whole Church.
In 2022 the Seminary entered into a formal affiliation with Virginia Theological Seminary, whereby the two separate institutions share a common leadership structure.
History
Founding
In May 1817
General Convention The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority ...
, the governing body of the Episcopal Church, met in New York City and passed two resolutions: first, to found a general Episcopal seminary to be supported by the whole church; second, that it be located in New York City.
[ This was emended in 1820 to remove the school to New Haven, ]Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
, but in 1821 the will of Trinity Church vestry
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...
member Jacob Sherred unexpectedly heeded the words of his friend John Pintard and directed that his entire fortune of around $60,000 should be paid when:
... there shall be established within the state of New-York, under the direction or by the authority of the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, or of the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the State of New-York, a College, Academy, School, or Seminary, for the education of young men designed for holy orders in the Protestant Episcopal Church.[.]
The newly established diocesan school in New York expected to be the beneficiary and Bishop Hobart published his thanks for the gift in the April 4 ''New York Evening Post'',[ since the General Seminary had already begun its 1820 term in Connecticut. A special convocation of the bishops was hastily arranged, however, and it was agreed to return the school to New York City in order to claim Sherred's grant, although the Virginia deputies continued to bemoan that the seminary should be "placed under more favorable auspices for the promotion of what we elieveto be sound views of the Gospel and the Church than it would be in New York". Duncan Cameron mollified them and convinced one to note that "the evil of the undue influence of New York in the General Seminary ... would be chiefly at the beginning, and would be decreasing every year". With some stipulations concerning its governance, Bishop Hobart consented to the union of the diocesan school with the General Seminary rather than contesting the inheritance. The unified school opened for the spring term of 1822.
Other parishioners of Trinity Church went on to support the once more local institution. Clement Clarke Moore, famous for penning '']A Visit from St. Nicholas
''A Visit from St. Nicholas'', more commonly known as ''The Night Before Christmas'' and ''Twas the Night Before Christmas'' from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title ''Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas'' i ...
'', owned the estate "Chelsea", which included most of what would become the Manhattan neighborhood by that name. Also a member of Trinity Church, he donated 66 tracts of land—which was his apple orchard—to become the site of the new seminary. It was not, however, until 1827 that the seminary occupied that land.["A Detailed History of General Seminary"]
General Theological Seminary. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
Other figures influential in the founding of the seminary include Theodore Dehon
Theodore Dehon (December 8, 1776 – August 6, 1817) was the second bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.
Biography
Theodore Dehon was born in Boston and graduated from Harvard University in 1795. He was ordained deacon by Bishop Ed ...
, William White, and John Henry Hobart
John Henry Hobart (September 14, 1775 – September 12, 1830) was the third Episcopal bishop of New York (1816–1830). He vigorously promoted the extension of the Episcopal Church in upstate New York, as well as founded both the General Th ...
. Bishop Hobart served as the seminary's first dean, after which the Bishop of New York served in this capacity until the 1850s.
19th century
In 1878, Eugene Augustus Hoffman
Eugene Augustus Hoffman (March 21, 1829 – June 17, 1902) was an American Episcopal clergyman.
Biography
Eugene Augustus Hoffman was born in New York City on March 21, 1829, the son of Samuel Verplanck Hoffman. He was educated at Columbia Gra ...
– said to be the richest clergyman in the world due to his extensive real estate holdings – was appointed dean. Under his tenure, the seminary saw tremendous growth, both in student body and facilities. Dean Hoffman's "grand design" was for the seminary's Chelsea campus to be built on an Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
model, with neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
buildings facing onto a central quadrangle or Close. Likely Dean Hoffman's most influential addition to the seminary's campus was the Chapel of the Good Shepherd which was begun in 1886, completed two years later, and became known as the "Jewel of Chelsea Square." Its set of 15 tubular bells is the oldest extant in this country, with tubes by John Harrington of Coventry, England; original installation (1888) by Walter Durfee of Providence, Rhode Island; and a modern baton clavier (1983) by Royal Eijsbouts of Asten, Netherlands. The tower chime is played daily by members of the seminary's Guild of Chimers to call the community to worship. Architect Charles C. Haight
Charles Coolidge Haight (March 17, 1841 – February 9, 1917) was an American architect who practiced in New York City. He designed most of the buildings at Columbia College's now-demolished old campus on Madison Avenue, and designed numerou ...
designed and supervised construction of most of the buildings on Chelsea Square while Haight's father, Benjamin I. Haight, was the first priest at nearby St. Peter's Episcopal Church.
Due to growing housing needs for married students, GTS acquired 422 West 20th Street, a residential building opposite the seminary's 20th Street gate in March 1957.
Early 2000s
A renovation and expansion of the seminary's buildings facing 10th Avenue was completed in 2007, when the Desmond Tutu Center opened. Named for Desmond Tutu, former visiting professor at GTS and retired archbishop of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of which twenty-one are loc ...
, the Tutu Center operates primarily as a hotel and conference center.
In 2007 the seminary engaged in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, along with general operating costs, by converting many of its buildings to geothermal heating and cooling.
Also in 2007, the seminary, in need of funds, sold Sherrill Hall, a 1960s building along 9th Ave to the Brodsky Organization for the construction of a residential condominium building. The Chelsea Enclave was completed in 2010 and contains 53 residential units as well as retail space, an underground parking garage, and the seminary's new Keller Library. The seminary's main entrance is now located on 21st Street between 9th and 10th Avenues.
Still facing financial difficulties, General Theological Seminary is currently engaged in its ''Plan to Choose Life'', a strategic initiative which necessitates the sale of several properties: 422 West 20th Street, the Chelsea 2,3,4 building, and the West Building. Assets from the sales are expected to eliminate the seminary's debt, rebuild its depleted endowment, and restore it to financial solvency.
2014
In September 2014, eight of the seminary's ten full-time faculty announced their intention to unionize and announced their intention to absent themselves from teaching and worship, alleging harassment and bullying behavior on the part of Dean Kurt Dunkle. In a letter to the Board of Trustees on September 17, the eight faculty alleged that Dunkle had repeatedly made racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks; made unprofessional comments about faculty members to their colleagues; compromised the confidentiality of student records; and responded to staff who complained of his behavior by threatening their jobs. The protesting faculty warned that unless the Board agreed to meet to discuss the allegations, the eight would be obliged to absent themselves from teaching, meetings, and worship.
The Board of Trustees of the seminary treated the letter as a mass resignation, which it accepted on September 29. The faculty contested this characterization, noting that no resignations were tendered, and published the details of their grievances online, including the original September 17 letter.
The news quickly became a national issue widely reported on within religious circles. A previously arranged series of lectures by a visiting theologian from Duke had to be canceled when he declined to attend, citing the controversy roiling the seminary. Around the same time an online petition was established supporting the faculty, with hundreds of co-signers including theologians from all over the country who pledged not to speak at GTS until the terminated faculty were reinstated.
2020s
During the COVID-19 pandemic, like most other institutions of higher learning, the Seminary quickly pivoted to a hybrid learning model which - for the first time in the Seminary's history - enabled seminary faculty and students to engage in a structure program and education, formation, and training in their home contexts. The program, initially begun in response to the pandemic, helped the Seminary to identify a need within the Church for a high-quality, low-residency, accredited MDiv program. In 2021, the Board of Trustees authorized the Seminary to launch a fully hybrid MDiv program, which welcomed its first cohort of students in 2022.
At the same time, under the leadership of Acting Dean and President Michael W. DeLashmutt, the Seminary Board entered into a formal process, aimed at assessing the Seminary's long-term financial and operational model. Through the "Strategic and Faithful Partnerships" the Trustees of General Seminary the need for the Seminary to engage in a substantial partnership with another institution, in order to secure the mission and legacy of the School. In 2022 this led to the establishment of a formal Affiliation Agreement between General Seminary and Virginia Theological Seminary. While remaining separate institutions, the two Seminaries now share a common leadership structure and support services.
Academics
The mission of the General Theological Seminary is to "educate and form leaders for the church in a changing world." GTS does this chiefly through its Master of Divinity program, which prepares persons for ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...
, primarily in the Episcopal Church. The M.Div. requires a foundation curriculum in Old Testament, New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
, church history
__NOTOC__
Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception.
Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritua ...
, 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 topic ...
, ethics
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, concer ...
, ascetical theology
Ascetical theology is the organized study or presentation of spiritual teachings found in Christian Scripture and the Church Fathers that help the faithful to more perfectly follow Christ and attain to Christian perfection. Christian asceticism ...
, liturgics, homiletics
In religious studies, homiletics ( grc, ὁμιλητικός ''homilētikós'', from ''homilos'', "assembled crowd, throng") is the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific art of public preaching. One who practices or ...
, and pastoral theology
Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as a ...
. Elective courses allow students to more deeply explore areas of particular interest and, if studying full-time, the Master of Divinity is generally completed in three years.
Since 1880 the General Theological Seminary has annually hosted the Paddock Lectures, which were founded by benefactor George A. Jarvis and named in honor of Benjamin Henry Paddock (Class of 1852 and Bishop of Massachusetts). The lectures have featured many of the world's leading theologians including Francis Joseph Hall, Diogenes Allen
Diogenes Allen (October 17, 1932 – January 13, 2013) was an American philosopher and theologian who served as the Stuart Professor of Philosophy at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, whi ...
, William Temple, and Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...
.
The seminary has been accredited by the since 1938.
Library
According to Niels Henry Sonne, "The Library of The General Theological Seminary is a magnificent treasury of books, manuscripts, records and source materials for the study of the life and thought of Christianity." The library's first donation was by John Pintard in 1820 and, within a year, the library had grown to over 2,500 volumes. J. H. Feltus was the first librarian and, in 1834, the Friends of the Library association was formed and their endowment is still productive today. Under the direction of Eugene Augustus Hoffman
Eugene Augustus Hoffman (March 21, 1829 – June 17, 1902) was an American Episcopal clergyman.
Biography
Eugene Augustus Hoffman was born in New York City on March 21, 1829, the son of Samuel Verplanck Hoffman. He was educated at Columbia Gra ...
, who became dean in 1879, the library was classified and catalogued using modern systems and Hobart Hall was built to house the collection. Hoffman also bought the Walter A. Copinger collection of Latin Bibles and made other significant purchases.
The library has a collection of ancient Bibles and English Bibles. The Ancient Bible Collection includes a Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
'' Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible, the Mazarin Bible or the B42) was the earliest major book printed using mass-produced movable metal type in Europe. It marked the start of the " Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of printed ...
. "The General Theological Seminary copy was acquired in 1898 when the Offenburg-Syston Park-Makellar copy came up for auction." One of the pages of this copy was found to have been forged and was replaced with another page from another incomplete Gutenberg Bible, making this the first incomplete Gutenberg Bible to be made whole again. In 1978, this copy was sold for $2.2 million to the Württembergische Landesbibliothek
The State Library of Württemberg (german: Württembergische Landesbibliothek or WLB) is a large library in Stuttgart, Germany, which traces its history back to the ducal public library of Württemberg founded in 1765. It holds c. 4 million vol ...
in Stuttgart, Germany
Stuttgart (; Swabian German, Swabian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fe ...
.
The library of the General Theological Seminary has been known as the St. Mark's Library since the 1960s. In 2011, the library moved into a new facility on the east side of the Close, on the site of the former Sherrill Hall. In October 2011, the building was dedicated as the Christoph Keller, Jr. Library, to honor the tenth Bishop of Arkansas.
Campus
Located on the west side of Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, the General Theological Seminary sits in the heart of Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, a largely residential area
A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.
Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family resi ...
with a large gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
population that is known as a center of the New York art world
The art world comprises everyone involved in producing, commissioning, presenting, preserving, promoting, chronicling, criticizing, buying and selling fine art. It is recognized that there are many art worlds, defined either by location or alte ...
, with over 200 galleries in the neighborhood. Chelsea Square, the block between 9th and 10th Avenues and 20th and 21st Streets on which the seminary sits, is at the center of the Chelsea Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. The seminary is frequently noted for the beauty of the gardens on its campus, called the Close, an English term used to refer to a private piece of enclosed property and often associated with cathedrals. The seminary's Close is characterized by a row of neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
buildings along 21st Street and tree-shaded lawns uncharacteristic of its urban setting.
Worship
Worship is at the center of seminary life and the community gathers several times throughout the day for worship in the centrally located Chapel of the Good Shepherd.
People
Because it has formed many of the church's clergy, GTS has maintained a considerable influence on the life of the church.
Notable former professors include J. Robert Wright the St. Mark's in the Bowery Professor of Ecclesiastical History and David Hurd
David Hurd (born 1950) is a composer, concert organist, choral director and educator.
Dr. Hurd was Professor of Sacred Music and Director of Chapel Music at the General Theological Seminary, Chelsea, New York City, for 39 years. He was also the ...
the Professor of Church Music and Organist of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd.
Notable alumni include:
*James Lloyd Breck
James Lloyd Breck (June 27, 1818 – April 2, 1876) was a priest, educator, and missionary of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
Breck is commemorated on April 2 on the Episcopal calendar of saints.
Early life and education
...
, a co-founder of Nashotah House
Nashotah House is an Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically conservative seminaries i ...
and the founder of Seabury Divinity School Seabury may refer to:
* Seabury, Dublin
* Seabury (name)
*Seabury-Western Theological Seminary
Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (SWTS) was a seminary of the Episcopal Church, located in Evanston, Illinois.
It ceased operations as a resident ...
* Jeannette Piccard, one of the " Philadelphia Eleven" who were the first women to be ordained in the Episcopal Church
*Gene Robinson
Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as Canon to the ...
, ninth Bishop of New Hampshire and first openly gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
bishop in the Episcopal Church
* Frank T. Griswold, 25th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
This is a list of the Presiding Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Initially the position of Presiding Bishop rotated geographically. After 1795 the Presiding Bishop was the senior bishop in order of consecration. Starting in 1 ...
from 1998 to 2006.
Many other notable figures, including a number of bishops, have graduated from the seminary.
In popular culture
Because of its proximity to film studios
A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the productio ...
in New York City and its collection of neo-Gothic buildings, GTS has appeared in multiple television shows to portray a number of schools and universities. Only a block from the Chelsea Piers
Chelsea Piers is a series of piers in Chelsea, on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located to the west of the West Side Highway ( Eleventh Avenue) and Hudson River Park and to the east of the Hudson River, they were originally a p ...
, where '' Law & Order'', ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent
''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...
'' were filmed and where '' Law & Order: SVU'' and ''The Blacklist
''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily s ...
'' are currently filmed, the seminary's Close has frequently appeared in those shows as a stand-in for several schools whose campuses are not as accessible and most frequently as the fictitious Hudson University
''Law & Order'' is a media franchise composed of a number of related American television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment. They were originally broadcast on NBC, and all of them deal with some aspect of the cri ...
."Exploring Law & Order's famous NYC TV locations"
Screen Tours. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
Gallery
File:Chapel Tower at GTS.jpg, Chapel tower
File:Good Shepherd at GTS.jpg, Statue of Christ the Good Shepherd in the chapel
File:Chapel Doors.jpg, Doors of The Chapel of the Good Shepherd
File:CoE Gen Theol Cem 20st jeh.JPG, The Chapel of the Good Shepherd from 20th Street
File:Refectory East Side.jpg, Interior of the Hoffman Refectory
File:General Theological Seminary Desmond Tutu Center.jpg, The Desmond Tutu Center on 10th Avenue
File:General Theological Seminary quad.jpg, The east end of the Close viewed from 20th Street
File:General Theological Seminary buildings on West 20th St.jpg, Chelsea 2,3,4 Building sold for development
File:Enclave from Close.jpg, The Keller Library is on the ground floor of the Enclave building
See also
*
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Berner, Nancy and Lowry, Susan. ''Garden Guide: New York City''. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2002.
* Boggs, Timothy A, Bruce Parker, and Sam Waterson. ''Through the Gates into the City: a Metropolis, a Seminary, and a Chapel''. New York: The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church, 2007.
* Burrows, Edwin G, and Mike Wallace. ''Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
* .
* Sonne, Niels H. America's Oldest Episcopal Seminary Library and the Needs It Serves. New York?: General Theological Seminary, 1953.
* St. Mark's Library (General Theological Seminary). The Gutenberg Bible of the General Theological Seminary. New York: St. Mark's Library, the General Theological Seminary, 1963.
External links
Official website
*
{{authority control
Episcopal Church (United States)
Seminaries and theological colleges in New York City
Seminaries and theological colleges in Connecticut
Anglican seminaries and theological colleges
Universities and colleges in New York City
Educational institutions established in 1817
Educational institutions established in 1820
Educational institutions established in 1822
Episcopal Church in New York (state)
Episcopal Church in Connecticut
Universities and colleges in Manhattan
Universities and colleges in New Haven County, Connecticut
Chelsea, Manhattan
1822 establishments in New York (state)