The Reverend James Hope Moulton (11 October 1863 – 9 April 1917) was a British non-conformist divine. He was also a
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...
and made a special study of
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion and one of the world's History of religion, oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian peoples, Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a Dualism in cosmology, du ...
.
Biography
His family had a strong
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
background. His
father
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
was the first headmaster of the
Leys School,
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
where James was one of the first students. After attending
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...
, he chose to become a
Wesleyan
Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...
minister. He showed a strong talent for academic studies, and the
University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
invited him to teach
Classical Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
and other languages. He was also teaching at the
Didsbury College, a Methodist seminary near
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He was a friend of
James Frazer
Sir James George Frazer (; 1 January 1854 – 7 May 1941) was a Scottish social anthropologist and folklorist influential in the early stages of the modern studies of mythology and comparative religion.
Personal life
He was born on 1 Janua ...
, the Scottish
social anthropologist
Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...
. He developed a strong interest in
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion and one of the world's History of religion, oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian peoples, Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a Dualism in cosmology, du ...
, one of the world's oldest known
monotheistic religions. Over the course of his life he published many books and papers, mainly focused on Zoroastrianism and the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
texts that the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
is derived from. He was a
Prison Chaplain Prison religion includes the religious beliefs and practices of prison inmates, usually stemming from or including concepts surrounding their imprisonment and accompanying lifestyle. "Prison Ministry" is a larger concept, including the support of th ...
at
Preston for some time around 1910.
In 1916 he decided to take advantage of the academic lull of
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 ...
and spend a long spell in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, to serve as a Methodist missionary and to research and lecture on
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion and one of the world's History of religion, oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian peoples, Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a Dualism in cosmology, du ...
where it is still practiced by certain groups. This was not an easy time for him, as his wife had recently died, and while he was in India, his son William Ralph Osborn Moulton died in the
French trenches
A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit).
In geology, trenches result from erosi ...
on 5 August 1916. He spent 16 months in India under the auspices of the
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
, researching, preaching and lecturing. A matter that was of particular interest to him was the religion of the
Parsis
Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim co ...
, the Zoroastrians of the Indian subcontinent, and the relationship between their beliefs and
Judeo-Christian
The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's borrowing of Jewish Scripture to constitute the "Old Testament" of the Christian Bible, or ...
religions. He felt that the former was awaiting its completion by the latter. While in Karachi, he availed of the friendship and library of
Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla
Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla (22 September 1875 – 25 May 1956), also abbreviated M. N. Dhalla, was a Pakistani Zoroastrian priest and religious scholar.
Dhalla is best known for his criticism of the orthodox factions within the Parsi communit ...
, a U.S.-educated Zoroastrian scholar and the high priest of the Parsi community there.
He left
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
aboard the ''
S.S. City of Paris'', headed for
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
where he met with his friend and colleague Dr
J. Rendel Harris. The pair set sail from
Port Said
Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...
but as their ship passed the
Gulf of Lion
The Gulf of Lion or Gulf of Lions ( French: ''golfe du Lion'', Spanish: ''golfo de León'', Italian: ''Golfo del Leone'', Occitan: ''golf del/dau Leon'', Catalan: ''golf del Lleó'', Medieval Latin: ''sinus Leonis'', ''mare Leonis'', Classical L ...
it was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. Moulton, Harris and several others from the ship escaped in a lifeboat, but James Moulton died on the third of the four days it took the boat to reach
Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
, aged fifty-three. He was buried at sea on 9 April 1917.
Almost 3 years previously he opened up his book ''From Egyptian Rubbish Heaps'' with this paragraph "On July 31, 1914, the ill-fated
Lusitania
Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province located where modern Portugal (south of the Douro river) and
a portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and the province of Salamanca) lie. It was named after the Lusitani or Lusita ...
landed at New York after what proved her last peace voyage. A week later two of her passengers proceeded to the Conference at Northfield, where some two thousand Christian people were gathered in sight of the grave of D. L. Moody. It was very hard for us all, doubly hard for Britons, to detach our thoughts even partially from the horrors that were already beginning—horrors which will long make it impossible to name even the best of Germans without a sharp stab of pain. But we were studying the only Book that can ever bring peace and comfort to men in their direst need, and there is no fear that those who know will think we were 'fiddling while Rome burned.'" He had been aboard the ship on its last voyage just as World War 1 began. It was sunk less than 11 months later, killing everyone on board.
Academic positions
* Tutor at
Didsbury College
*
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...
[
* Greenwood Professor of ]Hellenistic Greek
Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...
and Indo-European Philology at Manchester University
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
,[ 1908-17
* ]Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
(D. Litt.), University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, 19 December 1901
Works
* ''Grammar of New Testament Greek Vol. I - Prolegomena'', 1906
* ''WILLIAM F. MOULTON a memoir'', written with his brother, who had the same name as their father, William Fiddian Moulton
William Fiddian Moulton (14 March 1835 – 5 February 1898) was an English Methodist minister, biblical scholar and educator.
Biography
William's father, James Moulton, was a Wesleyan Methodist minister and he had at least three other brothers, ...
* ''The Papers of Oscar Browning
Oscar Browning OBE (17 January 1837 – 6 October 1923) was a British educationalist, historian and ''bon viveur'', a well-known Cambridge personality during the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. An innovator in the early development of ...
'', written with his father, William Fiddian Moulton
William Fiddian Moulton (14 March 1835 – 5 February 1898) was an English Methodist minister, biblical scholar and educator.
Biography
William's father, James Moulton, was a Wesleyan Methodist minister and he had at least three other brothers, ...
Janus: The Papers of Oscar Browning
at janus.lib.cam.ac.uk
* ''Early Religious Poetry of Persia''
* ''Early Religious Poetry of Persia, 1911''
* ''From Egyptian Rubbish Heaps, 1916 (second edition 1917)''
* ''Early Zoroastrianism''
* ''Fire Temples and Towers of Silence''
* ''Parsi Piety''
* ''The Crown of Zoroastrianism''
* ''The Parsis''
* ''The Parsis and Christian Propaganda''
* ''The Teaching of Zarathushtra''
* ''Treasure of the Magi: a study of modern Zoroastrianism''
* ''Zarathustra and the Outside World''
* ''Zoroastrianism''
* ''An Introduction to the Study of New Testament Greek'' (1895)
* ''Two Lectures on the Science of Language'' (1903)
* ''The Christian Religion in the Study and the Street'' (1919)
* ''A Neglected Sacrament and Other Sermons and Addresses'' (1919)
See also
* William Fiddian Moulton
William Fiddian Moulton (14 March 1835 – 5 February 1898) was an English Methodist minister, biblical scholar and educator.
Biography
William's father, James Moulton, was a Wesleyan Methodist minister and he had at least three other brothers, ...
, father
* John Fletcher Moulton
John Fletcher Moulton, Baron Moulton, (18 November 1844 – 9 March 1921) was an English mathematician, barrister, judge and Liberal politician. He was a Cambridge Apostle.
Early life
Moulton was born in Madeley, Shropshire, England, as ...
, uncle
* Richard Green Moulton
Richard Green Moulton (5 May 1849 – 15 August 1924) was an English professor, author, and lawyer.
Biography
Richard Green Moulton was born in England in 1849. He was the brother of William Fiddian Moulton, John Fletcher Moulton, and James Ega ...
, uncle
* James Egan Moulton
James Egan Moulton (4 January 1841 – 9 May 1909) was an English-born Australian Methodist minister and headmaster and school president.
Early life
Moulton was born in North Shields, Northumberland. Many members of his family were Methodist ...
, uncle
* George Milligan George Milligan may refer to:
* George Milligan (physician) (?-1799), American surgeon
*George Milligan (moderator) (1860–1934), Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland
* George Milligan (politician) (born 1934), American politician in the ...
, co-author of ''Vocabulary of the Greek Testament''.
References
* Church History Institut
* Foreword to The Treasure of the Magi: A Study of Modern Zoroastrianis
* theology today book revie
* kingkong Author Anniversary databas
External links
* ''From Egyptian Rubbish Heaps'', Transcripts of a series of lectures he gave in 191
* Online transcript of ''The Treasure of the Magi: A Study of Modern Zoroastrianism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moulton, James Hope
1863 births
1917 deaths
Academics of the University of Manchester
English biographers
British chaplains
English Methodist missionaries
Fellows of King's College, Cambridge
Methodist ministers
Methodist missionaries in India
People educated at The Leys School
People who died at sea
Burials at sea
James Hope
Prison chaplains
Zoroastrian studies scholars
Missionary linguists
British casualties of World War I