George Aaron Barton (12 November 1859 – 28 June 1942) was a Canadian author,
Episcopal clergyman
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
, and professor of
Semitic languages
The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and latterly North Africa, Malta, West Africa, Chad, and in large immigra ...
and the
history of religion
The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BC). The prehistory of religion involves th ...
.
Biography
Barton was born on 12 November 1859 in
East Farnham,
Canada East
Canada East (french: links=no, Canada-Est) was the northeastern portion of the United Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new ...
, Canada. After attending
Oakwood Seminary in
Union Springs, New York
Union Springs is a village (New York), village in Cayuga County, New York, Cayuga County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,197 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from the mineral springs near the village. Union S ...
. Barton became a minister in the
Religious Society of Friends
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...
and continued his education at
Haverford College
Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...
, completing a MA in 1885. He taught in
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
from 1884 to 1889, then earned a PhD at
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
and became a professor of
Semitic languages
The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and latterly North Africa, Malta, West Africa, Chad, and in large immigra ...
at
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...
in 1891.
In 1922 Barton moved to the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, where he was professor of Semitic languages and the history of religion. He retired in 1931 and held the title of professor
emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
until his death. He specialized in many subjects, particularly in Semitic languages. His many publications cover a wide range of topics in areas such as
biblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 Fo ...
, religion, and
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
along with translations of
Sumerian cuneiform
Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-sha ...
tablets.
He was fascinated by bible
archeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
and wrote a
text book
A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textboo ...
on the subject, published in 1916, along with other publications on similar subjects.
Barton specialized in translations of
Sumerian &
Akkadian Akkadian or Accadian may refer to:
* Akkadians, inhabitants of the Akkadian Empire
* Akkadian language, an extinct Eastern Semitic language
* Akkadian literature, literature in this language
* Akkadian cuneiform
Cuneiform is a logo- syllabi ...
tablets, seals and cylinders.
He notably translated a set of Sumerian tablets recovered in 1896–1898 by the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
's
excavation at
Nippur
Nippur (Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Nibru'', often logogram, logographically recorded as , EN.LÍLKI, "Enlil City;"The Cambridge Ancient History: Prolegomena & Prehistory': Vol. 1, Part 1. Accessed 15 Dec 2010. Akkadian language, Akkadian: '' ...
initially labelled as "Miscellaneous
Babylonian Inscriptions", including creation myths known as the
Barton Cylinder
The Barton Cylinder is a Sumerian creation myth, written on a clay cylinder in the mid to late 3rd millennium BCE, which is now in the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Joan Goodnick Westenholz suggests it dates t ...
and the
Debate between sheep and grain
The "Debate between sheep and grain" or "Myth of cattle and grain" is a Sumerian creation myth, written on clay tablets in the mid to late 3rd millennium BC.
Disputations
Seven "debate" topics are known from the Sumerian literature, falling i ...
.
These were later revised by
Samuel Noah Kramer
Samuel Noah Kramer (September 28, 1897 – November 26, 1990) was one of the world's leading Assyriologists, an expert in Sumerian history and Sumerian language. After high school, he attended Temple University, before Dropsie and Penn, both in ...
.
Barton died in
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* W ...
,
, on 28 June 1942.
Positions, awards and accolades
* 1891–1922 Professor of Semitic languages,
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...
.
* 1922–1931 Professor of Semitic languages and the history of religion,
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
.
* 1932–1942 Professor Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania
* 1921–1934 Director of the
American School of Oriental Research
The American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR), founded in 1900 as the American School of Oriental Study and Research in Palestine, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Alexandria, Virginia which supports the research and teaching of ...
,
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
.
Books
* Barton, G.A., 1894, ''Native Israelitish Deities'', Oriental Club of Philadelphia.
* Barton, G.A., 1902, ''A Sketch of Semitic Origins: Social and Religious'', The Macmillan Company.
* Barton, G.A., 1904, ''A Year's Wandering in Bible Lands'', Ferris & Leach.
* Barton, G.A., 1905–14, ''The Haverford Library Collection of Cuneiform Tablets, or Documents from the Temple Archives of Telloh''. Parts 1–3. New Haven.
* Barton, G.A., 1906, ''Traces of the Diatessaron of Tatian in Harclean Syriac Lectionaries'', s.n.
* Barton, G.A., 1908, ''A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes'', T & T Clark Ltd, Edinburgh.
* Barton, G.A., 1909, ''Haverford Library Collection of Cuneiform Tablets or Documents from the Temple Archives of Telloh, Volumes 1-3'', The John C. Winston Company.
* Barton, G.A., 1911, ''Commentary on the Book of Job'', The Macmillan Company.
* Barton, G.A., 1912, ''The Heart of the Christian Message'', The Macmillan Company.
* Barton, G.A., 1913, ''The Origin and Development of Babylonian Writing'', J. C. Hinrichs.
* Barton, G.A., 1915, ''Sumerian Business and Administrative Documents from the Earliest Times to the Dynasty of Agade'', Harvard University Museum.
* Barton, G.A., 1916, ''Archæology and the Bible'',
American Sunday School Union
InFaith has its roots in the First Day Society (founded 1790). InFaith officially formed in 1817 as the “Sunday and Adult School Union.” In 1824, the organization changed its name to American Sunday School Union (ASSU). Then, in 1974, the ASSU ...
. Re-printed BiblioBazaar (26 November 2009)
* Barton, G.A., 1917, ''New Babylonian Material Concerning Creation and Paradise'', The University of Chicago Press.
* Barton, G.A., 1918, ''The Religion of Ancient Israel'', The Macmillan Company.
* Barton, G.A., 1918, ''Miscellaneous Babylonian Inscriptions, Volume 1'', Yale University Press.
* Barton, G.A., 1919, ''The Religions of the World'', The University of Chicago Press.
* Barton, G.A., 1922, ''Jesus of Nazareth: A Biography'', The Macmillan Company.
* Barton, G.A., 1926, ''The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research'', American Schools of Oriental Research.
* Barton, G.A., 1928, ''Studies in New Testament Christianity'', University of Pennsylvania Press.
* Barton, G.A., 1928, ''Hittite Studies, Volumes 1-2'', P. Geuthner.
* Barton, G.A., 1929, ''The Royal Inscriptions of Sumer and Akkad'', Yale University press.
* Barton, G.A., 1930, ''A History of the Hebrew People from the Earliest Times to the Year 70 A.D.: Largely in the Language of Bible'', The Century co.
* Barton, G.A., 1932, ''A Hittite
Chrestomathy
A chrestomathy ( ; from the Ancient Greek (, “desire of learning”) = (, “useful”) + (, “learn”)) is a collection of selected literary passages (usually from a single author); a selection of literary passages from a foreign language ...
with Vocabulary'', P. Geuthner.
* Barton, G.A., 1934, ''Christ and Evolution: A Study of the Doctrine of Redemption in the Light of Modern Knowledge'', University of Pennsylvania Press.
* Barton, G.A., 1934, ''Semitic and Hamitic Origins: Social and Religious'', University of Pennsylvania Press.
* Barton, G.A., 1936, ''The Apostolic Age and the New Testament'', University of Pennsylvania Press.
See also
*
Christian O'Brien
Christian Arthur Edgar "Tim" O'Brien (9 January 1914 – 17 February 2001) was a British exploration geologist and author. In 1936 he was also involved in the discovery of the Chogha Zanbil ziggurat in Southern Iran. Appointed by BP In 1967, h ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, George Aaron
1859 births
1942 deaths
19th-century Canadian male writers
19th-century Canadian non-fiction writers
19th-century Christian biblical scholars
19th-century Quakers
20th-century Canadian Anglican priests
20th-century Canadian male writers
20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers
20th-century Christian biblical scholars
20th-century Quakers
Anglican biblical scholars
Anglophone Quebec people
Biblical archaeology
Bryn Mawr College faculty
Canadian archaeologists
Canadian biblical scholars
Canadian Christian religious leaders
Canadian historians of religion
Canadian male non-fiction writers
Canadian Quakers
Converts to Anglicanism from Quakerism
Former Quakers
Harvard University alumni
Haverford College alumni
Linguists from Canada
New Testament scholars
People from Montérégie
Quaker ministers
Quaker writers
Semiticists
University and college chaplains in America
University of Pennsylvania faculty
Writers from Quebec