William D. Reynolds (, 1867–1951) was an American Southern Presbyterian (PCUS) missionary and Bible translator in Korea.
William Davis Reynolds was born 12 November 1867. He received his undergraduate education at
Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia and subsequently studied theology at
Union Presbyterian Seminary. In 1891 he attended the Inter-Seminary Alliance for Foreign Missions and heard a talk by
Horace Grant Underwood who was
furlough
A furlough (; from nl, verlof, "leave of absence") is a temporary leave of employees due to special needs of a company or employer, which may be due to economic conditions of a specific employer or in society as a whole. These furloughs may be s ...
from a medical missionary scheme in Soeul; Reynolds was inspired by the talk and applied to the PCUS Executive Committee of Foreign Missions to go to Korea as a missionary.
He and his wife Patsy were living in Korea by 1904. They wrote several magazine articles during their time there. He took the name of ‘Lee Nulseo’ while in Korea.
[ Academy of Science of South Africa website, ''The Biblicism of the Korean Protestant churches: Its origin and early development'', article by Jae-Buhm Hwang, dated April 13, 2016 (page 8)]
/ref>
He completed the first translation of the Old Testament into Korean in 1910.
Along with Horace G. Underwood, James Scarth Gale, Henry G. Appenzeller
Rev. Henry Gerhard Appenzeller (February 6, 1858 – June 11, 1902) was a Methodist missionary. He and four other missionaries, including Horace N. Allen, Horace G. Underwood, William B. Scranton, and Mary F. Scranton introduced Protestant Christi ...
, William B. Scranton
William Benton Scranton (May 29, 1856 – March 23, 1922) was an American medical doctor and Methodist missionary in Korea.
Biography
William B. Scranton was born on May 29, 1856, in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of William Talcott Scranton, a ...
, Lee Seung Doo (이승두), and Kim Jeong Sam (김정삼), Reynolds and the team's efforts led to the first Korean translation of the New Testament and the first Korean Hymnal.
From 1917-1937 he was professor in Systematic Theology and Biblical Languages at Pyongyang Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He was known for teaching a conservative and fundamentalist version of theology.
References
External links
*
[Presbyterian Historical Society: Guide to the Reynolds and Groves Family Papers]
1867 births
1951 deaths
Translators of the Bible into Korean
American Presbyterian missionaries
Presbyterian missionaries in Korea
People from Norfolk, Virginia
Hampden–Sydney College alumni
Union Presbyterian Seminary alumni
American expatriates in Korea
Missionary linguists
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