Joseph Stevens Buckminster (May 26, 1784 – June 9, 1812) was an influential Unitarian preacher in Boston, Massachusetts, and a leader in bringing the German higher criticism of the Bible to America.

Biography

Born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to the Rev. Joseph Buckminster,''Memoirs of Rev. Joseph Buckminster, D. D., and of his son, Rev. Joseph Stevens Buckminster'' 1849. W. Crosby & H. P. Nichols, Boston, Publishers. p.458. Buckminster was a precocious child. He learned Latin and the Greek New Testament at age four, entered

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

at 13, and graduated in 1800 at age 16 with both bachelor's and master's degrees. Upon his graduation, he spent two years as an instructor at Phillips Exeter Academy. In 1805 he became minister of the

Brattle Street Church The Brattle Street Church (1698–1876) was a Congregational (1698 – c. 1805) and Unitarian (c. 1805–1876) church on Brattle Street in Boston, Massachusetts. History In January 1698, " Thomas Brattle conveyed the land on which the meetin ...

in Boston, and quickly launched an almost legendary career of eloquent preaching, biblical scholarship, and literary production which set the tone for the pattern of the minister as a man of letters. During 1806-07 he traveled through Europe and collected a library of 3,000 volumes that would become the foundation of the library of the

Boston Athenæum The Boston Athenaeum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States. It is also one of a number of membership libraries, for which patrons pay a yearly subscription fee to use Athenaeum services. The institution was founded in ...

. Buckminster was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1809. He was the most brilliant member of the Anthology Club, an early editor of the

Monthly Anthology The ''Monthly Anthology and Boston Review'' was a miscellaneous magazine published by the Anthology Club of Boston, Massachusetts, from 1804 to 1811. The more famous ''North American Review'' is generally considered to be its successor. Oliver ...

, and in 1811 was appointed Dexter Lecturer at Harvard where he occupied the first Chair in Scripture. Buckminster died in Boston on June 9, 1812.

Influence

Buckminster's influence on his contemporaries was striking. His mastery of the emerging "New Criticism" from German Biblical scholars led to his rational investigation of the Bible, subjecting its text to the same scrupulous scholarly investigation given other texts from antiquity. This approach heavily influenced

William Ellery Channing William Ellery Channing (April 7, 1780 – October 2, 1842) was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton (1786–1853), one of Unitarianism's leading theologians. Chann ...

, and gave rise to the first section of Channing's 1819 "Baltimore Sermon" for the ordination of the Rev.

Jared Sparks Jared Sparks (May 10, 1789 – March 14, 1866) was an American historian, educator, and Unitarian minister. He served as President of Harvard College from 1849 to 1853. Biography Born in Willington, Connecticut, Sparks studied in the common s ...

. Buckminster further convinced the young

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Mass ...

to study for the ministry instead of the law.

Literature

* ''The Works of Joseph Stevens Buckminster'', 2 vols. (Boston, 1839). * Eliza (Buckminster) Lee, ''Memoirs of the Buckminsters'' (Boston, 1851) * *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckminster, Joseph Stevens 1784 births 1812 deaths People from Portsmouth, New Hampshire American Unitarians Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Harvard College alumni Clergy from Boston