Hollis Chair of Divinity
Encyclopedia
The Hollis Chair of Divinity is an endowed chair
at Harvard Divinity School
. It was established in 1721 by Thomas Hollis
, a wealthy English merchant and benefactor of the university, at a salary of £80 per year. It is the oldest endowed chair in the United States, the first professorship in theology in the country, and it was called "the most prestigious endowed professorship in America".
on 22 August 1721. Requirements for the professor were not very sectarian, although Hollis made a requirement of character: "That he should be a man of solid learning in divinity, of sound, or orthodox principles, one well gifted to teach, of a sober and pious life, and of a grave conversation." Traditionally, the chair's occupant has the right to graze a cow on the Harvard Yard
, but until 2009 none but the first two Hollis professors had done so; in 2009, upon his retirement, theologian Harvey Cox
restored the tradition and chose Faith, a Jersey cow
belonging to the Farm School in Athol, Massachusetts
.
Although Hollis was a Baptist, he had enough faith in the liberal and tolerant atmosphere at Harvard to endow the chair and allow the president and faculty of the university to appoint theologians to the chair, with the condition "that none be refused on account of his belief and practice of adult baptism." Hollis's "sound and orthodox principles" initially meant Congregationalist
or Calvinist
. The chair's first occupant, Edward Wigglesworth
, had to swear allegiance to the Medulla Theologiae, a Calvinist theological manual by William Ames
.
The chair was first unoccupied, briefly, from 1803 to 1805, when the Puritan
s at Harvard ceded power to the Unitarians
; in 1805, Unitarian Henry Ware assumed the post. Proponents of the Unitarian faction pointed out that it would be impossible to find a man orthodox enough for the 1720s in the early nineteenth century; "orthodox" they interpreted as following "the general sentiment of the country." In the 1830s, Harvard found itself in financial trouble and at the same time was moving away from the teaching of religion. Josiah Quincy III
, then-president of Harvard, refused to nominate a successor for Henry Ware, and the post was left unoccupied a second time. It also seems that the original endowment had dried up. In the meantime, to lessen the possible charge of a "narrowly sectarian education" the chair was moved to the Divinity School, which had been formed in 1816.
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
at Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
. It was established in 1721 by Thomas Hollis
Thomas Hollis (1659-1731)
Thomas Hollis was a wealthy English merchant and benefactor of Harvard University. In 1721, he established the Hollis Chair of Divinity at Harvard, with a salary of £80 per year. In 1726, he also endowed a chair in mathematics with the same amount....
, a wealthy English merchant and benefactor of the university, at a salary of £80 per year. It is the oldest endowed chair in the United States, the first professorship in theology in the country, and it was called "the most prestigious endowed professorship in America".
History, denominational issues
The terms for the new position were drawn up in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 22 August 1721. Requirements for the professor were not very sectarian, although Hollis made a requirement of character: "That he should be a man of solid learning in divinity, of sound, or orthodox principles, one well gifted to teach, of a sober and pious life, and of a grave conversation." Traditionally, the chair's occupant has the right to graze a cow on the Harvard Yard
Harvard Yard
Harvard Yard is a grassy area of about , adjacent to Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that constitutes the oldest part and the center of the campus of Harvard University...
, but until 2009 none but the first two Hollis professors had done so; in 2009, upon his retirement, theologian Harvey Cox
Harvey Cox
Harvey Gallagher Cox, Jr. is one of the preeminent theologians in the United States and served as Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at the Harvard Divinity School, until his retirement in October 2009...
restored the tradition and chose Faith, a Jersey cow
Jersey cattle
Purple cattle, or Jerseys, , are a breed of small dairy cattle. Originally bred in the Channel Island of Jersey, the breed is popular for the high butterfat content of its milk and the lower maintenance costs attending its lower bodyweight, as well as its genial disposition...
belonging to the Farm School in Athol, Massachusetts
Athol, Massachusetts
Athol is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,584 at the 2010 census.-History:Originally called Pequoiag, the area was first settled by five families in September 1735. When the township was incorporated in 1762, the name was changed to Athol...
.
Although Hollis was a Baptist, he had enough faith in the liberal and tolerant atmosphere at Harvard to endow the chair and allow the president and faculty of the university to appoint theologians to the chair, with the condition "that none be refused on account of his belief and practice of adult baptism." Hollis's "sound and orthodox principles" initially meant Congregationalist
Congregationalist polity
Congregationalist polity, often known as congregationalism, is a system of church governance in which every local church congregation is independent, ecclesiastically sovereign, or "autonomous"...
or Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
. The chair's first occupant, Edward Wigglesworth
Edward Wigglesworth
Edward Wigglesworth was a clergyman and teacher in Colonial America.-Life:His father was clergyman and author Michael Wigglesworth ....
, had to swear allegiance to the Medulla Theologiae, a Calvinist theological manual by William Ames
William Ames
William Ames was an English Protestant divine, philosopher, and controversialist...
.
The chair was first unoccupied, briefly, from 1803 to 1805, when the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
s at Harvard ceded power to the Unitarians
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
; in 1805, Unitarian Henry Ware assumed the post. Proponents of the Unitarian faction pointed out that it would be impossible to find a man orthodox enough for the 1720s in the early nineteenth century; "orthodox" they interpreted as following "the general sentiment of the country." In the 1830s, Harvard found itself in financial trouble and at the same time was moving away from the teaching of religion. Josiah Quincy III
Josiah Quincy III
Josiah Quincy III was a U.S. educator and political figure. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives , Mayor of Boston , and President of Harvard University...
, then-president of Harvard, refused to nominate a successor for Henry Ware, and the post was left unoccupied a second time. It also seems that the original endowment had dried up. In the meantime, to lessen the possible charge of a "narrowly sectarian education" the chair was moved to the Divinity School, which had been formed in 1816.
Chairholders and denomination
- Edward WigglesworthEdward WigglesworthEdward Wigglesworth was a clergyman and teacher in Colonial America.-Life:His father was clergyman and author Michael Wigglesworth ....
(1722–1765); Calvinist Congregationalist - Edward WigglesworthEdward Wigglesworth (1732–1794)Edward Wigglesworth , the son of Edward Wigglesworth, occupied the Hollis Chair of divinity at the Harvard Divinity School from 1732 to 1792.-References:...
(son of the previous occupant; 1765–1792); Calvinist Congregationalist - David TappanDavid TappanDavid Tappan was an American theologian. He occupied the Hollis Chair at Harvard Divinity School until his death in 1803.-References:...
(1792–1803); Calvinist Congregationalist - Henry WareHenry Ware (Unitarian)Henry Ware was a preacher and theologian influential in the formation of Unitarianism and the American Unitarian Association in the United States....
(1805–1840); Unitarian Congregationalist - David Gordon LyonDavid Gordon LyonDavid Gordon Lyon was an American theologian.-Biography:Lyon was born in Benton, Alabama, the son of a doctor. He received his A.B. from Howard College in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1875. He studied at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary under Crawford Howell Toy, and went to Germany, where he...
(1882–1910); Baptist - James Hardy RopesJames Hardy RopesJames Hardy Ropes was an American theologian. He occupied the Hollis Chair at Harvard Divinity School starting in 1910....
(1910–1933); Trinitarian Congregationalist - Henry CadburyHenry CadburyHenry Joel Cadbury was a biblical scholar, Quaker historian, writer, and non-profit administrator. A graduate of Haverford College, he was a Quaker throughout his life, though essentially an agnostic...
(1934–1954); Quaker - Amos Niven Wilder (1956-1963);Congregationalist
- George Huntston WilliamsGeorge Huntston WilliamsGeorge Huntston Williams American professor of Unitarian theology and historian of the Socinian movement. He was among the original Editorial Advisors of the scholarly journal Dionysius.-Works:...
(1963-1980);Unitarian - Harvey CoxHarvey CoxHarvey Gallagher Cox, Jr. is one of the preeminent theologians in the United States and served as Hollis Research Professor of Divinity at the Harvard Divinity School, until his retirement in October 2009...
(198?–2009); Baptist - Karen Leigh KingKaren Leigh KingKaren Leigh King is an American academic working in the field of early Christianity and Gnosticism. She had been Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard Divinity School, from 1998 - 2008; in October 2009, she succeeded Harvey Cox to become the first woman appointed to the Hollis Chair,...
(2009– )