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The grave of John Tulloch, Eastern Cemetery, St Andrews

John Tulloch (1 June 1823 – 13 February 1886) was a Scottish

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Life

Tulloch was born at Dron, south of

Bridge of Earn Bridge of Earn ( gd, Drochaid Èireann) is a small town in Perthshire, Scotland. Often referred to simply as 'The Brig' (Scots Language, Scots for 'bridge'). The village grew up on the south bank of an important crossing of the River Earn, whose ...

, Perthshire, and educated at

Perth Grammar School Perth Grammar School is a secondary school in Perth, Scotland. It is located in the Muirton district of Perth at the junction of Bute Drive and Gowans Terrace. The catchment serves the area to the north of Perth between Murthly and Methven whi ...

.https://archive.org/stream/fastiecclesiaesc00scot/fastiecclesiaesc00scot_djvu.txt He studied Divinity at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

and

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 ...

. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Perth in March 1844. In March 1845 (following a period as assistant) he was ordained as minister of St Paul's church in

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

, and in 1849 was translated to

Kettins Kettins is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland about northeast of Perth and northwest of Dundee. It is from Coupar Angus, north of the A923 road. Notable people * Robert Trail minister of the parish 1746 to 1753 * John Ker minister ...

, in Strathmore, where he remained for six years. In 1854 he was appointed Principal of

St Mary's College, St Andrews (In the Beginning was the Word) , established = , type = College , endowment = , staff = , faculty = , rector = , chancellor = , principal = Oliver D. Crisp , free_label = Teaching staff , free = 20 , ...

. The appointment was immediately followed by the appearance of his Burnet prize essay on ''

Theism Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with '' deism'', the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred ...

''. At St Andrews, where Tulloch was also

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

of systematic theology and

apologetics Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...

, his teaching was distinguished by several novel features. He lectured on comparative religion and treated doctrine historically, as being not a fixed product but a growth. He was appointed as one of Her Majesty's Chaplains for Scotland and preached a number of sermons before Her Majesty the Queen in Scotland between 1866 and 1876. Tulloch was popular with his students. In 1862 he was appointed a clerk of the General Assembly, and from then on he took a leading part in the councils of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

. Tulloch was also deeply interested in the reorganization of education in Scotland, both in school and university, and acted as one of the temporary board which settled the primary school system under the

Education Act Education Act (with its variations) is a stock short title used for legislation in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States that relates to education. The Bill for an Act with this short title wil ...

of 1872. In 1878 Tulloch was chosen to be

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states t ...

, and did much to widen the national church. Two positions on which he repeatedly insisted took a firm hold—first, that a church must be comprehensive of various views and tendencies, and that a national church especially should seek to represent all the elements of the life of the nation; secondly, that subscription to a creed can bind no one to all its details, but only to the sum and substance, or the spirit, of the symbol. For three years before Tulloch's death he was convener of the church interests committee of the Church of Scotland, which had to deal with agitation for disestablishment. In 1884, he was a guest at

Haddo House Haddo House is a Scottish stately home located near Tarves in Aberdeenshire, approximately north of Aberdeen (). It has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland since 1979. The Gordons, who later became the Earls of Aberdeen and Marques ...

for a dinner hosted by

John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, (3 August 1847 – 7 March 1934), known as The 7th Earl of Aberdeen from 1870 to 1916, was a British politician. Born in Edinburgh, Lord Aberdeen held office in several coun ...

in honour of

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

on his tour of Scotland. Tulloch died at

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paig ...

, in 1886. A biography was written by

Mrs Oliphant Margaret Oliphant Wilson Oliphant (born Margaret Oliphant Wilson; 4 April 1828 – 20 June 1897) was a Scottish novelist and historical writer, who usually wrote as Mrs. Oliphant. Her fictional works cover "domestic realism, the historical nove ...

. His body was returned to Scotland for burial. He is buried beneath a large memorial at the centre of the Eastern Cemetery in

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...

. His wife, Jane Anne Sophia (1826-1887) is buried with him.

Family

His older brother was Rev David Tulloch (d.1841).

Works

Tulloch's best-known works are collections of biographical sketches of leaders in church history, including those of the Reformation and

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

ism. His major work, ''Rational Theology and Christian Philosophy'' (1872), treats the

Cambridge Platonists The Cambridge Platonists were an influential group of Platonist philosophers and Christian theologians at the University of Cambridge that existed during the 17th century. The leading figures were Ralph Cudworth and Henry More. Group and its na ...

and other 17th century

latitudinarian Latitudinarians, or latitude men, were initially a group of 17th-century English theologiansclerics and academicsfrom the University of Cambridge who were moderate Anglicans (members of the Church of England). In particular, they believed that ...

s in a similar way. He delivered the second series of the

Croall lectures The Croall Lectures are a lecture series in Christian theology given in Edinburgh, and founded in 1876. The Lectures were endowed by John Croall of Southfield, who died in 1871. Lecturers *1876 John Tulloch *1878–79 John Caird, ''Philosophy o ...

, on the Doctrine of Sin, which were afterwards published. He also published a small work, ''The Christ of the Gospels and the Christ of History'', in which the views of Ernest Renan on the gospel history were dealt with; a monograph on

Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal ( , , ; ; 19 June 1623 – 19 August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic Church, Catholic writer. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. Pa ...

for Blackwood's Foreign Classics for English Readers series; and a little work, ''Beginning Life'', addressed to young men, written at an earlier period.

Books

* ''Beginning Life a Book for Young Men''. London: Alexander Strahan & Co., 1863. * ''Rational Theology and Christian Philosophy'', 2 vols. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1872; second edition, 1874. * ''Modern Theories in Philosophy and Religion''. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1884.

References

External links

*
Tulloch, John, 1823-1886, Principal, St Mary's College, University of St Andrews, Scotland

A Memoir of the Life of John Tulloch, D.D., LL.D.
Margaret Oliphant, 1888 * * * * ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Tulloch, John 1823 births 1886 deaths Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of St Andrews Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Principals of the University of St Andrews Deans of the Thistle