Shirley Jackson Case (1872–1947) was an historian of early Christianity, and a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

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 ...

. He served as dean of the Divinity School at the University of Chicago.

Biography

Case was born on September 28, 1872, in

Hatfield Point, New Brunswick Hatfield Point is a settlement on the Belleisle Bay in Kings County, New Brunswick. History Hatfield Point is located at the head of the Belleisle Bay, called "Pascobac" ("Side Bay") by the Maliseet, who hunted and fished in the area. Europea ...

. He received a BA (1893) and MA (1896) in mathematics from

Acadia University Acadia University is a public, predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level. The enabling legislation consists of the Acadia ...

. He taught mathematics at the New Hampton Library Institute. In 1904, he obtained a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

degree from

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

and a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degree in 1908. He was professor of New Testament literature and interpretation at

University of Chicago Divinity School The University of Chicago Divinity School is a private graduate institution at the University of Chicago dedicated to the training of academics and clergy across religious boundaries. Formed under Baptist auspices, the school today lacks any s ...

until 1925. In 1924, he served as President of the

American Society of Church History The American Society of Church History (ASCH) was founded in 1888 with the disciplines of Christian denominational and ecclesiastical history as its focus. Today the society's interests include the broad range of the critical scholarly perspectiv ...

and, in 1926, served as President of the

Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...

. Case is known for his research into the person of Jesus, who he argued was a historical person. He edited ''

The American Journal of Theology ''The Journal of Religion'' is an academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press founded in 1897 as ''The American Journal of Theology''. The journal "embraces all areas of theology (biblical, historical, ethical, and constructive ...

'' and its successor ''

The Journal of Religion ''The Journal of Religion'' is an academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press founded in 1897 as ''The American Journal of Theology''. The journal "embraces all areas of theology ( biblical, historical, ethical, and constructive ...

''. Case considered himself a historian of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. He was drawn to

liberal theology Religious liberalism is a conception of religion (or of a particular religion) which emphasizes personal and group liberty and rationality. It is an attitude towards one's own religion (as opposed to criticism of religion from a secular position, ...

. He was convinced that Jesus was an

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

person and criticized the arguments of

Christ myth theory The Christ myth theory, also known as the Jesus myth theory, Jesus mythicism, or the Jesus ahistoricity theory, is the view that "the story of Jesus is a piece of mythology", possessing no "substantial claims to historical fact". Alternatively ...

proponents. He died on December 5, 1947, in Lakeland,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Selected publications

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

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External links

The Historicity of Jesus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Case, Shirley Jackson 1872 births 1947 deaths 20th-century Canadian Baptist ministers 20th-century Canadian historians 20th-century Canadian mathematicians 20th-century Protestant theologians Acadia University alumni Canadian Baptist theologians Canadian historians of religion Critics of the Christ myth theory Florida Southern College faculty University of Chicago Divinity School faculty Writers from New Brunswick Yale Divinity School alumni