Diogenes Allen
Encyclopedia
The Diogenes Allen is Professor Emeritus and former Stuart Professor of Philosophy at Princeton Theological Seminary
. He is ordained by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and currently serves as Priest
Associate at All Saints' Episcopal Church, Princeton, New Jersey
. He holds courtesy membership as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA)
as well.
and raised in Lexington, Kentucky
. His family was Greek Orthodox
, but as there was no Greek Orthodox church nearby, the family joined fellow Greeks who attended an Episcopal church. A new Episcopal bishop, however, forbade them from doing so, meaning that the family attended only Orthodox services whenever a visiting Greek priest conducted them. During this time the young Allen was invited by a friend to visit a Presbyterian church and eventually he became a Presbyterian.
in 1954, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and awarded the Sullivan Award for academic excellence and humanitarian work. He then began graduate study at Princeton University
, but, after being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
, he matriculated to the Oxford University. There he studied philosophy
and met his wife Jane, a fellow student and a sprinter.
After returning to America, Allen earned a Bachelor of Divinity
at Yale Divinity School
. He was ordained in what is now the Presbyterian Church (USA) and called to a pastor
ate in Windham, New Hampshire
. Shortly thereafter he enrolled at Yale University
Graduate School to study for a Ph.D.
in philosophy
, which was awarded in 1965.
offered him the position of Associate Professor of Philosophy, which, though he was advised not to accept, he took. In 1974, he was appointed to a full Professorship there and in 1981 was named Stuart Professor of Philosophy. By the time of his retirement in 2002, he had served the faculty for thirty-five years and had become an authority on Gottfried Leibniz
and an influential interpreter of Simone Weil
and Søren Kierkegaard
.
; a Canada Council
Fellowship; research fellowship
s given by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
and the Center for Theological Inquiry; a Pew Evangelical Scholarship; and two John Templeton Foundation
Awards for Best Courses in Science and Religion.
He is also the recipient of an Outstanding American Educator Award in 1974; a past member of the executive board of the Society of Christian Philosophers
; a co-founder and member of the executive board of the American Weil Society; and a member of the board of directors of the Ecumenical Institute of Canada.
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
. He is ordained by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and currently serves as Priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
Associate at All Saints' Episcopal Church, Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. He holds courtesy membership as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
as well.
Early life
Allen was the child of immigrant GreeksGreek American
Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...
and raised in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. His family was Greek Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
, but as there was no Greek Orthodox church nearby, the family joined fellow Greeks who attended an Episcopal church. A new Episcopal bishop, however, forbade them from doing so, meaning that the family attended only Orthodox services whenever a visiting Greek priest conducted them. During this time the young Allen was invited by a friend to visit a Presbyterian church and eventually he became a Presbyterian.
Education
Allen graduated from the University of KentuckyUniversity of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
in 1954, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and awarded the Sullivan Award for academic excellence and humanitarian work. He then began graduate study at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, but, after being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
, he matriculated to the Oxford University. There he studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and met his wife Jane, a fellow student and a sprinter.
After returning to America, Allen earned a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
at Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. preparing students for ordained or lay ministry, or for the academy...
. He was ordained in what is now the Presbyterian Church (USA) and called to a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
ate in Windham, New Hampshire
Windham, New Hampshire
Windham is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 13,592 at the 2010 census.- History :The area was initially home to the Pawtucket Native Americans. Scottish immigrants began to settle in the area in 1719. The region was known as “Nutfield” and included what...
. Shortly thereafter he enrolled at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
Graduate School to study for a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, which was awarded in 1965.
University career
Allen began his teaching career in 1964 at York University, Toronto. In 1967, Princeton Theological SeminaryPrinceton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
offered him the position of Associate Professor of Philosophy, which, though he was advised not to accept, he took. In 1974, he was appointed to a full Professorship there and in 1981 was named Stuart Professor of Philosophy. By the time of his retirement in 2002, he had served the faculty for thirty-five years and had become an authority on Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. He wrote in different languages, primarily in Latin , French and German ....
and an influential interpreter of Simone Weil
Simone Weil
Simone Weil , was a French philosopher, Christian mystic, and social activist.-Biography:Weil was born in Paris to Alsatian agnostic Jewish parents who fled the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany. She grew up in comfortable circumstances, and her father was a doctor. Her only sibling was...
and Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel...
.
Awards
Allen's numerous awards include a Rockefeller FellowshipRockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
; a Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
Fellowship; research fellowship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s given by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has more than 250 member institutions...
and the Center for Theological Inquiry; a Pew Evangelical Scholarship; and two John Templeton Foundation
John Templeton Foundation
"The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organizationthat funds inter-disciplinary research about human purpose and ultimate reality. It is usually referred to simply as the Templeton Foundation...
Awards for Best Courses in Science and Religion.
He is also the recipient of an Outstanding American Educator Award in 1974; a past member of the executive board of the Society of Christian Philosophers
Society of Christian Philosophers
The Society of Christian Philosophers is a society associated with the American Philosophical Association. The society was founded in 1978. Past Presidents include William Alston, Robert Merrihew Adams, Alvin Plantinga, Marilyn McCord Adams, George I. Mavrodes, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Eleonore...
; a co-founder and member of the executive board of the American Weil Society; and a member of the board of directors of the Ecumenical Institute of Canada.
Publications
- Leibniz' Theodicy (1966)
- The Reasonableness of Faith (1968)
- Finding Our Father (1974, republished as The Path of Perfect Love in 1992)
- Between Two Worlds (1977, republished as Temptation in 1986)
- Traces of God in a Frequently Hostile World (1981)
- Three Outsiders: Pascal, Kierkegaard and Simone Weil (1983)
- Mechanical Explanation and the Ultimate Origin of the Universe according to Leibniz (1983)
- Philosophy for Understanding Theology (1985)
- Love: Christian Romance, Marriage and Friendship (1987)
- Spirituality and Theology: Essays in Honor of Diogenes Allen, edited Eric Springsted (1988).
- Christian Belief in a Postmodern World: The Full Wealth of Conviction (1989)
- Quest: The Search for Meaning through Christ (1990)
- Primary Readings in Philosophy for Understanding Theology (1992)
- Nature, Spirit and Community: Issues in the Thought of Simone Weil (1994)
- Spiritual Theology: The Theology of Yesterday for Help Today (1997)
- Steps Along the Way: A Spiritual AutobiographySteps Along the Way: A Spiritual AutobiographySteps Along the Way is the spiritual autobiography of Diogenes Allen, professor emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary. In it, he recounts his search for the providence of God...
(2002) - "Farrer's Spirituality." In David Hein and Edward Hugh Henderson (eds). Captured by the Crucified: The Practical Theology of Austin Farrer. New York and London: T & T Clark / Continuum, 2004, chapter 2 (pp. 47–65).
- and over fifty journal articles.