Crawford Howell Toy
Encyclopedia
Crawford Howell Toy American
Hebrew
scholar, was born in Norfolk, Virginia
, on 23 March 1836. He graduated at the University of Virginia
in 1856, and studied at the University of Berlin from 1866 to 1868. From 1869 to 1879 he was professor of Hebrew in the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
(first in Greenville, South Carolina
, and after 1877 in Louisville, Kentucky
), and in 1880 he became professor of Hebrew and Oriental languages at Harvard University
, where until 1903 he was also Dexter lecturer on biblical
literature.
in Louisville, Kentucky, he was embroiled in one of the earliest theological controversies of the Southern Baptist Convention, which was founded in 1845. Influenced by European higher criticism of the Bible and advances in science, Toy began intellectual pursuits that would ultimately cost him his tenure at Southern. Toy began to see Darwin's theories as truth revealed by God "in the form proper to his time." Shaped by the "history of religions" approach to the Old Testament popularized in Europe by Julius Wellhausen
, Toy came to believe that the writers of the New Testament—using a rabbinical hermeneutic of their day—misunderstood the original meaning of several Old Testament passages (e.g., Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53) when they placed a christological emphasis on them.
The founding president of Southern, Dr. James P. Boyce, asked Toy to refrain from teaching contrary to the school's Abstract of Principles on the doctrine of biblical inspiration. Toy, however, insisted on answering questions by students pertinent to his modernist understanding of the Old Testament. It was an April 1879 article in The Sunday School Times on his views of Isaiah 53:1-12 that would lead to his forced resignation in May of the same year.
Soon after Toy went to be the professor of Hebrew and Semitic languages at Harvard, he broke his ties with Southern Baptists and became a practicing Unitarian. The effects of Toy's dismissal continued to rumble through Southern Baptist life. Two young missionaries appointed by the Foreign Mission Board (SBC) were ultimately dismissed because of holding views similar to those of Professor Toy's.
(Charlotte Diggs Moon), the "patron saint" of Southern Baptist missions. Toy first encountered Lottie Moon at the Albemarle Female Institute, founded by Southern Seminary founder John Broadus. Lottie was a capable student in languages, becoming one of the first women in the south to earn a master's degree in the field. Lottie—who previously learned Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and Spanish—would learn Hebrew and English grammar under Toy's tutelage. Toy wrote of Moon, "She writes the best English I have ever been privileged to read."
Lottie Moon went on to become a missionary in Tengchow, China. In her 1881 correspondence with FMB secretary H. A. Tupper, Moon expressed her plans to marry Toy, who was now a professor at Harvard. Ultimately, Toy and Moon's relationship was broken before their marriage plans were realized. Moon cited religious reasons for calling of the wedding—his controversial new beliefs regarding the Bible and her commitment to remain in China doing mission work for Southern Baptists.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
scholar, was born in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, on 23 March 1836. He graduated at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1856, and studied at the University of Berlin from 1866 to 1868. From 1869 to 1879 he was professor of Hebrew in the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary , located in Louisville, Kentucky, is the oldest of the six seminaries affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention . The seminary was founded in 1859, at Greenville, South Carolina. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to Louisville...
(first in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, and after 1877 in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
), and in 1880 he became professor of Hebrew and Oriental languages at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where until 1903 he was also Dexter lecturer on biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
literature.
Controversy
While Professor Toy was a professor at The Southern Baptist Theological SeminarySouthern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary , located in Louisville, Kentucky, is the oldest of the six seminaries affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention . The seminary was founded in 1859, at Greenville, South Carolina. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to Louisville...
in Louisville, Kentucky, he was embroiled in one of the earliest theological controversies of the Southern Baptist Convention, which was founded in 1845. Influenced by European higher criticism of the Bible and advances in science, Toy began intellectual pursuits that would ultimately cost him his tenure at Southern. Toy began to see Darwin's theories as truth revealed by God "in the form proper to his time." Shaped by the "history of religions" approach to the Old Testament popularized in Europe by Julius Wellhausen
Julius Wellhausen
Julius Wellhausen , was a German biblical scholar and orientalist, noted particularly for his contribution to scholarly understanding of the origin of the Pentateuch/Torah ....
, Toy came to believe that the writers of the New Testament—using a rabbinical hermeneutic of their day—misunderstood the original meaning of several Old Testament passages (e.g., Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53) when they placed a christological emphasis on them.
The founding president of Southern, Dr. James P. Boyce, asked Toy to refrain from teaching contrary to the school's Abstract of Principles on the doctrine of biblical inspiration. Toy, however, insisted on answering questions by students pertinent to his modernist understanding of the Old Testament. It was an April 1879 article in The Sunday School Times on his views of Isaiah 53:1-12 that would lead to his forced resignation in May of the same year.
Soon after Toy went to be the professor of Hebrew and Semitic languages at Harvard, he broke his ties with Southern Baptists and became a practicing Unitarian. The effects of Toy's dismissal continued to rumble through Southern Baptist life. Two young missionaries appointed by the Foreign Mission Board (SBC) were ultimately dismissed because of holding views similar to those of Professor Toy's.
Relationship with Lottie Moon
In addition to his controversy at Southern Seminary, Toy is also famous for teaching and once being engaged to Lottie MoonLottie Moon
Charlotte Digges "Lottie" Moon was a Southern Baptist missionary to China with the Foreign Mission Board who spent nearly forty years living and working in China...
(Charlotte Diggs Moon), the "patron saint" of Southern Baptist missions. Toy first encountered Lottie Moon at the Albemarle Female Institute, founded by Southern Seminary founder John Broadus. Lottie was a capable student in languages, becoming one of the first women in the south to earn a master's degree in the field. Lottie—who previously learned Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and Spanish—would learn Hebrew and English grammar under Toy's tutelage. Toy wrote of Moon, "She writes the best English I have ever been privileged to read."
Lottie Moon went on to become a missionary in Tengchow, China. In her 1881 correspondence with FMB secretary H. A. Tupper, Moon expressed her plans to marry Toy, who was now a professor at Harvard. Ultimately, Toy and Moon's relationship was broken before their marriage plans were realized. Moon cited religious reasons for calling of the wedding—his controversial new beliefs regarding the Bible and her commitment to remain in China doing mission work for Southern Baptists.
Writings
- The History of the Religion of Israel: An Old Testament Primer. Boston: American Unitarian Association, 1882.
- Judaism and Christianity: A Sketch of the Progress of Thought from Old Testament to New Testament. Boston: Little, Brown, 1891.
- Esther as Babylonian Goddess. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1898.
- A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Proverbs. New York: Scribner's, 1899.
- The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel. New York: Dodd, 1899.
- Introduction to the History of Religions. Boston: Ginn, 1913.