Sylvanus Charles Breyfogel (July 20, 1851November 24, 1934) was an American

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the

Evangelical Association The Evangelical Church or Evangelical Association, also known in the early 1800s as the Albright Brethren, was a "body of American Christians chiefly of German descent", Arminian in doctrine and theology; in its form of church government, Methodi ...

, elected in 1891.

Life

Sylvanus Breyfogel was born in Reading, Pennsylvania to Sarah Ely and Seneca Breyfogel. He married Kate Boas in 1877 and together they had two sons and four daughters. He attended Reading High School; the Union Seminary of Pennsylvania;

Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockford ...

, from which he received a Ph.B;

Otterbein University Otterbein University is a private university in Westerville, Ohio. It offers 74 majors and 44 minors as well as eight graduate programs. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and named for United Bre ...

(D.D, 1891); and

Ohio Northern University Ohio Northern University (Ohio Northern or ONU) is a private United Methodist Church–affiliated university in Ada, Ohio. Founded by Henry Solomon Lehr in 1871, ONU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It offers over 60 programs to ...

(

LL.D Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the earl ...

, 1909).

Career

Breyfogel was licensed to preach by the East Pennsylvania

Annual Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...

of the Evangelical Association. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in 1873. He served as a

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

and as a district superintendent until his election to the episcopacy. Breyfogel was made a bishop by the 1891 General Conference of the Evangelical Association, in which position he served for 39 years. He retired at the 1930 General Conference. As of 1912, he was chair of the theology department at Schuylkill Seminary, since absorbed into

Albright College Albright College is a private liberal arts college in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1856. History Albright College traces its founding to 1856 when Union Seminary opened. Present-day Albright was formed by the mergers of several ins ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breyfogel, Sylvanus C 1851 births 1934 deaths American bishops American evangelicals Bishops of the Evangelical Association German-language writers Historians from Pennsylvania Ministers of the Evangelical United Brethren Church Writers from Reading, Pennsylvania Illinois Wesleyan University alumni Ohio Northern University alumni

Life

Career

See also

References