John Cunningham Geikie (

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 ...

, 26 October 1824 – 1 April 1906) was a Scottish-born minister and author, primarily active first in Toronto, Canada, and then in England.

Biography

Born in

, Scotland, Geikie was the second son of Reverend Archibald Geikie, a Presbyterian Congregationalist minister in Toronto and subsequently at Canaan, Connecticut. Geikie received his early education in Edinburgh, and afterwards studied divinity for four years at Queen's College,

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

. Ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1848, he first engaged in missionary work in Canada. From 1851 to 1854 he was Presbyterian minister at

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

. In 1860 he returned to Great Britain and held a Presbyterian charge at

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

till 1867, and at

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

Chapel from 1867 to 1873. In 1876 he was ordained

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

and priest next year. He was curate of St. Peter's,

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of ...

(1876–79), rector of Christ Church, Neuilly,

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 ...

(1879–81), vicar of St Mary's,

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...

(1883–85), and vicar of St Martin at Palace, Norwich (1885–90). In 1871 he was made an Honorary DD of Queen's College, Kingston, Ontario, and in 1891 an Honorary DD from 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 ...

. In 1890 he retired, owing to ill health, to

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

, where he died in 1906. He was buried at Barnstaple. In 1849, he married in 1849 Margaret, daughter of David Taylor of Dublin. She survived him with two sons. A daughter, Jeanie,Geikie, Old Testament Characters, 1897, James Pott & Co. preceded them in death in 1897. Geikie enjoyed a wide reputation as a writer of popular books on biblical and religious subjects.

Charles Spurgeon Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers". He wa ...

described him as "one of the best religious writers of the age". His chief writings dealt on orthodox lines with historical and practical rather than with theological themes. His most ambitious work was 'Hours with the Bible, or, the Scriptures in the Light of Modern Discovery and Knowledge' (10 vols. 1881-84; new edit, largely re-written, 12 vols. 1896-97). His 'Life and Words of Christ' (2 vols. 1877; new edit. 1 vol. 1891) reached a circulation of nearly 100,000 copies, and Delitzsch placed the book in 'the highest rank.' He was deeply interested in the exploration of Palestine under the direction of

Claude Reignier Conder Claude Reignier Conder (29 December 1848, Cheltenham – 16 February 1910, Cheltenham) was an English soldier, explorer and antiquarian. He was a great-great-grandson of Louis-François Roubiliac and grandson of editor and author Josiah Conder. ...

, and several visits to the country supplied him with material for 'The Holy Land and the Bible: A Book of Scripture Illustrations gathered in Palestine' (2 vols. 1887; abridged edit. 1903).

Publications

Geikie's other works included: * ''George Stanley, or Life in the Woods'', 1864; 2nd edition 1874. * ''Entering on Life'', 1870. * ''Old Testament Portraits'', 1878 (dedicated to his deceased daughter, Jeanie); new edition, entitled ''Old Testament Characters'', 1880; enlarged edition 1884. * ''The English Reformation'', 1879, a popular history from the ultra-Protestant standpoint which ran through numerous editions. * ''The Precious Promises, or Light from Beyond'', 1882. * * ''Landmarks of Old Testament History'', 1894. * ''The Vicar and his Friends'', 1901. Geikie was also a voluminous contributor to religious magazines.

References

External links

Biography of John Cunningham Geikie
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Geikie, John Cunningham 1824 births 1906 deaths Writers from Edinburgh Scottish writers Holy Land travellers Clergy from Edinburgh Scottish Presbyterian ministers ordained outside Scotland