Ralph Emerson (Aug. 18, 1787 – May 26, 1863) was Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Pastoral Theology in the

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...

. He was born on August 18, 1787, in

Hollis, New Hampshire Hollis is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,342 at the 2020 census, growing 9% from the 2010 population of 7,684. The town center village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Ho ...

, where his father was a leading citizen, and where his grandfather, Rev. Daniel Emerson, was a pastor from 1743 to 1801. He graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1811. After studying theology at Andover, he held the office of Tutor in Yale College, from 1814 to 1816, and at the close of this service he was ordained and installed as pastor of the

Congregational church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

Norfolk, Connecticut Norfolk () is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2020 census. The urban center of the town is the Norfolk census-designated place, with a population of 553 at the 2010 census. Norfolk is per ...

. Here he remained till 1829, when he was appointed professor in the Theological Seminary at Andover, an office which he retained through a period of 25 years till April, 1854. The next five years he resided at

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

, after which he removed to

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

, for the sake of being near his children. While there, he repeated by request his lectures on the History of Christian Doctrine, to the students of the

Chicago Theological Seminary Founded in 1855, the Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is the oldest higher education institution in the City of Chicago and was established with two principal goals: first, to educate pastors who would minister to people living on the new weste ...

. He was a contributor to the ''

Bibliotheca Sacra ''Bibliotheca Sacra'' (colloquially referred to as "BibSac") is a List of theological journals, theological journal published by Dallas Theological Seminary, first published in 1844 and the oldest theological journal in the United States. It was f ...

'' and the ''

Christian Spectator ''The Yale Review'' is the oldest literary journal in the United States. It is published by Johns Hopkins University Press. It was founded in 1819 as ''The Christian Spectator'' to support Evangelicalism. Over time it began to publish more on hi ...

'', and to other religious periodicals. He also published a life of his brother, the Reverend Joseph Emerson, and a translation, with notes, of a work on

Augustinism Augustinianism is the philosophical and theological system of Augustine of Hippo and its subsequent development by other thinkers, notably Boethius, Anselm of Canterbury and Bonaventure. Among Augustine's most important works are ''The City of God ...

and

Pelagianism Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the original sin did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius ( – AD), an ascetic and philosopher from th ...

, by C. F. Wiggins. He received the degree of

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

from Yale College in 1830. He was married in 1817 to Miss Eliza Rockwell who survived him. Three of his sons, including

Joseph Emerson Joseph Emerson (May 28, 1821 – August 4, 1900) was an American minister and theologian. Emerson, son of Professor Ralph Emerson (theologian), Ralph Emerson, Doctor of Divinity, D.D. and Eliza (Rockwell) Emerson, was born on May 28, 1821, at No ...

, entered the ministry, and one was a lawyer. One of his daughters was noted clubwoman Charlotte Emerson Brown. He died at Rockford, Illinois, May 26, 1863, aged nearly 76. A sermon was preached at his funeral by his son-in-law, Rev Prof. Haven, and his body was interred at

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. History Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire, created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836 and sent ...

External links

Emerson papers
at

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and has ...

Biography
at Beloit College * {{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson, Ralph (theologian) 1787 births 1863 deaths Yale Divinity School alumni People from Hollis, New Hampshire Andover Newton Theological School alumni Andover Newton Theological School faculty American Congregationalist ministers American male writers People from Norfolk, Connecticut People from Rockford, Illinois Yale College alumni