John Henderson Seaforth Burleigh (1894–1985) was a Scottish minister and biblical scholar
who served as
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 1960. He was Honorary President of the
Scottish Church History Society. In authorship he is usually referred to as ''J. H. S. Burleigh''.
Life
He was born in the
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 '' ...
at
Ednam
Ednam is a small village near Kelso in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.
Places nearby include Stichill, Sprouston, Nenthorn, Eccles, Gordon, Greenlaw as well as Floors Castle.
The village was formerly in Roxburghshire. Its name is a cor ...
in the
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...
in 1894 the son of Rev Burleigh. He was educated at
Kelso High School and
George Watson's College
George Watson's College is a co-educational Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a Scottish education in the eight ...
in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
.
He studied classics at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
graduating in 1915.
In
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he served in the
King's Own Scottish Borderers
The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own ...
. Returning to the University of Edinburgh after the war he changed to divinity and graduated a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) in 1920. He then undertook postgraduate studies researching
Jan Huss
Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the inspi ...
in various European centres:
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
,
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
and
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 ...
.
From 1931 to 1964, he was Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Edinburgh, also acting as Dean of the Faculty of Divinity from 1956.
As Moderator he was succeeded in 1961 by
Archibald Campbell Craig.
He retired in 1964 and died in
Peebles
Peebles ( gd, Na Pùballan) is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 wa ...
on 22 March 1985.
Publications
*''The Church: What Is It?'' (1937)
*''The City of God'' (1949)
*''Augustine: Early Writings'' (1953)
*''A Church History of Scotland'' (1961)
*''St Augustine: Of True Religion'' (1968)
References
1894 births
1985 deaths
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland
Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Clergy from the Scottish Borders
British biblical scholars
20th-century Scottish historians
Historians of Scotland
Historians of Christianity
People educated at Kelso High School, Scotland
People educated at George Watson's College
King's Own Scottish Borderers officers
British Army personnel of World War I
British historians of religion
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