Trinity College, Glasgow
Encyclopedia
Trinity College, Glasgow, Scotland
, is the Church of Scotland's College at the University of Glasgow. It provides special supervision of candidates for the ministry through a Principal (appointed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
) and a College Council. The College is the official channel of liaison between the University of Glasgow
, the Church of Scotland
, and the United Free Church of Scotland
The current Principal is Rev Dr. Doug Gay and the Clerk, Rev. Dr. AKMA Adam.
marked a schism in the Church of Scotland
, resulting in the creation of the Free Church of Scotland
. The Free Church established three colleges or seminaries of its own, detached from the universities, for the education of its ministers. As well as its Glasgow college, the other two colleges were New College, Edinburgh
and Christ's College, Aberdeen
.
The Glasgow College, funded by local subscription, was established in 1856. It was a multi-disciplinary institution of considerable reputation, existing outside the University of Glasgow's Faculty of Divinity.
Later, in 1930, following the reunion of the churches and theological teaching facilities, the Glasgow Church college was renamed "Trinity College". After the reunion of the main Scottish Presbyterian churches in 1929–30, the two teaching facilities in the University and the Church College were reintegrated. After 1976, when the Church-owned Trinity College buildings at Park Circus were finally vacated, all teaching of theology took place in the university Divinity Faculty. Accordingly, while Trinity College still exists, it is a body without walls.
On 2 November 2006, Trinity College celebrated its 150th Anniversary with a gathering of some 250 alumni and friends. Its 155th anniversary celebrations will take place on 4th November 2011.
, Ronald Gregor Smith, William McKane, William H.C. Frend
, William Barclay (theologian)
, John Zizioulas
, Robert P. Carroll, Robert Davidson (theologian)
George Newlands
, John Riches and John Barclay.
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, is the Church of Scotland's College at the University of Glasgow. It provides special supervision of candidates for the ministry through a Principal (appointed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...
) and a College Council. The College is the official channel of liaison between the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, and the United Free Church of Scotland
United Free Church of Scotland
The United Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland...
The current Principal is Rev Dr. Doug Gay and the Clerk, Rev. Dr. AKMA Adam.
History
The Disruption of 1843Disruption of 1843
The Disruption of 1843 was a schism within the established Church of Scotland, in which 450 ministers of the Church broke away, over the issue of the Church's relationship with the State, to form the Free Church of Scotland...
marked a schism in the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, resulting in the creation of the Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)
The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the "Disruption of 1843"...
. The Free Church established three colleges or seminaries of its own, detached from the universities, for the education of its ministers. As well as its Glasgow college, the other two colleges were New College, Edinburgh
New College, Edinburgh
New College was opened in 1846 as a college of the Free Church of Scotland, later of the United Free Church of Scotland, and from the 1930s has been the home of the School of Divinity of the University of Edinburgh...
and Christ's College, Aberdeen
Christ's College, Aberdeen
Christ's College, Aberdeen was one of three colleges in Scotland founded by the Free Church of Scotland for the training of ministers following the Disruption of 1843. The other two were New College, Edinburgh and Trinity College, Glasgow....
.
The Glasgow College, funded by local subscription, was established in 1856. It was a multi-disciplinary institution of considerable reputation, existing outside the University of Glasgow's Faculty of Divinity.
Later, in 1930, following the reunion of the churches and theological teaching facilities, the Glasgow Church college was renamed "Trinity College". After the reunion of the main Scottish Presbyterian churches in 1929–30, the two teaching facilities in the University and the Church College were reintegrated. After 1976, when the Church-owned Trinity College buildings at Park Circus were finally vacated, all teaching of theology took place in the university Divinity Faculty. Accordingly, while Trinity College still exists, it is a body without walls.
On 2 November 2006, Trinity College celebrated its 150th Anniversary with a gathering of some 250 alumni and friends. Its 155th anniversary celebrations will take place on 4th November 2011.
Some notable teachers
Teachers in the pre-1930 College included Archibald B. Bruce, James Denney, Thomas M. Lindsay, George A. Smith, James Moffatt, Henry Drummond, and James Orr. In the modern era, in the reunited faculty, notable teachers have included John MacQuarrieJohn Macquarrie
John Macquarrie FBA TD was a Scottish theologian and philosopher, the author of Principles of Christian Theology and Jesus Christ in Modern Thought...
, Ronald Gregor Smith, William McKane, William H.C. Frend
William Hugh Clifford Frend
The Reverend Professor William Hugh Clifford Frend was an English ecclesiastical historian, archaeologist, and Anglican priest.-Academic career:* Haileybury College...
, William Barclay (theologian)
William Barclay (theologian)
William Barclay was an author, radio and television presenter, Church of Scotland minister, and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow.-Life:...
, John Zizioulas
John Zizioulas
John Zizioulas is the Eastern Orthodox metropolitan of Pergamon. He is the Chairman of the Academy of Athens and a noted theologian.-Academic Education and Career:...
, Robert P. Carroll, Robert Davidson (theologian)
Robert Davidson (theologian)
Robert Davidson is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at the University of Glasgow and was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1990.-References:...
George Newlands
George Newlands
George McLeod Newlands is Emeritus Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow.- Background :George Newlands is a Scottish liberal Christian theologian...
, John Riches and John Barclay.
Archives
The archives of Trinity College are maintained by the University of Glasgow Archives ServicesArchives of the University of Glasgow
The Archives of the University of Glasgow maintain the historical records of the University of Glasgow back to its foundation in 1451. Its earliest record is a charter dating from 1304 for the lands of the earliest mention of record-keeping in the University is in 1490 when it is recorded in...
.
Further reading
- Stewart Mechie, Trinity College Glasgow 1856–1956, London & Glasgow, 1956.
- W. Ian P Hazlett (ed.), Traditions of Theology in Glasgow 1450–1990, Edinburgh, 1993.
- D. Wright, "Trinity College Glasgow", in Dictionary of Scottish Church History & Theology, Edinburgh, 1991.