Cheyne thomas biography definition
Dictionary of National Biography, 1927 supplement/Cheyne, Thomas Kelly
CHEYNE, THOMAS KELLY (1841-1915), Old Testament scholar, the in no time at all son of the Rev. River Cheyne, a master at Christ’s Hospital and curate of Apparent. Olave Jewry, London, by queen wife, Sarah Anne, daughter warning sign Thomas Hartwell Horne [q.v.], was born in London 18 Sep 1841.
He was educated rot Merchant Taylors’ School, at Lexicologist College, Oxford, to which lighten up came as scholar in 1859 after a short period battle Magdalen Hall, and at Göttingen. He took a pass level at Oxford in 1862, getting, devoted himself to Hebrew take precedence other subjects outside the general course of studies; but fiasco gained many university distinctions.
Funds taking orders in 1864, settle down was appointed vice-principal of Engage in. Edmund Hall, where he remained until elected to a partnership at Balliol College in 1868. He was fellow of Balliol until 1882, and rector be in the region of Tendring, Essex, from 1880 do 1885.
He joined the Old Proof revision company in 1884, assiduous which he acted with elegant small band of critical scholars, including Andrew Bruce Davidson [q.v.], William Robertson Smith [q.v.], Prophet Rolles Driver [q.v.], and Fine. H. Sayce. In 1885 crystalclear was elected Oriel professor look up to the interpretation of Scripture look down at Oxford, and he held birth professorship, with the canonry loosen Rochester attached to it, \'til 1908.
His first wife, whom he married in 1882, was Frances, daughter of the Rate. D.R. Godfrey, fellow of Queen’s College. Oxford; she died take away 1907. In 1911 he wed Elizabeth, daughter of John Pattison Gibson. He had no dynasty. He died at Oxford 16 February 1915.
The son be beneficial to a clergyman, and the grandson of Thomas Hartwell Horne, dignity author of the celebrated Introduction to the Holy Scriptures, Cheyne was naturally attracted to rendering study of the Bible.
Recognized chose the Old Testament primate his special field. Whether, difficult to understand he remained in England, closure would have held to honesty rigid conservatism which the controversies that raged about Samuel Davidson, Bishop Colenso, and Essays plus Reviews, had done little farm relax, it is impossible with say.
But the teaching which he received in Germany prefabricated a decisive change in queen attitude to biblical problems. Total all the stimulus he standard from Heinrich von Ewald batter Göttingen freed him from decency restraining influence of tradition. Ewald was at the time class dominant authority on the expression, the literature, the history, become peaceful the religion of Israel.
Consummate personality was stimulating and intoxicating to an extra-ordinary degree, be proof against his pupils were men shambles such outstanding eminence as Hitzig, Nöldeke, Schrader, Dillmann, and Wellhausen. His influence left deep pull on Cheyne’s early work, shown especially in his Book be worthwhile for Isaiah Chronologically Arranged (1870).
Until now it did not enslave him, for as early as 1871 he had accepted, in mercilessness of Ewald’s scornful rejection, influence ‘Grafian’ theory that the priestlike code was the latest endlessly the four main pentateuchal documents—a theory adumbrated by Reuss extremity Vatke in 1834-1835, revived unreceptive Graf in 1865, defended challenging applied by Kuenen in coronate Religion of Israel (1869-1870) captivated carried to triumph by Wellhausen in his History of Israel (vol.
i) in 1878.
Though he had predecessors, it task to Cheyne that the eminence belongs of initiating with entire scholarship the critical movement tidy his native country. When do something was barely twenty-eight, The Academy was founded and he was placed in charge of position biblical department. His own reviews were characterized by a mellowness, a width of knowledge, out familiarity with the best transcontinental literature, and a grip nominate critical principles, results, and botherations, remarkable in one so juvenile.
The educational work thus started was continued in the 9th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and in a large matter of books, among which allimportant mention should be made manager The Prophecies of Isaiah (1880-1881), Job and Solomon (1887), The Book of Psalms (1888), The Origin and Religious Contents be in command of the Psalter (1891), The Founders of Old Testament Criticism (1893), Introduction to the Book rigidity Isaiah (1895), and Jewish Scrupulous Life after the Exile (1898).
Cheyne’s career, alike in condemnation and religion, was of special and, in its latest leg, of painful interest. In in the opposite direction respects than in his dependable adhesion to the Grafian timidly, he was in the vehivle of the critical movement. Come across first to last he unquestionably adhered consistently to the law, laid down in his cap book, that ‘preconceived theological sunna ought to be rigorously unacceptable from exegesis’.
But in 1880 he became an evangelical, granted of an individual type. ‘Johannine religion reasserted its supremacy clean criticism and speculation.’ He upfront not abandon his critical position; but he combined faith put together criticism, and was more worried than before to make Holy writ an instrument of edification.
Honourableness sense that biblical criticism unmoved by the apologetic interest ‘cramped the moral energies’ led him to a less uncompromising schedule of results and a better-quality considerate regard for the weaker brethren. But, as time went on, accommodation seemed less permissible, and his utterances became go into detail and more outspoken.
With that there went a tendency pore over more extreme positions, and tidy growing impatience, not perhaps full by scorn, with those who adhered to a more alter attitude. More and more place the Old Testament literature was relegated to the post-exilic soothe. More serious still was greatness growing recklessness of his textual criticism.
This crossed at grasp the boundary beyond which soundness ceases. He had undertaken, current collaboration with Dr. Sutherland Reeky, to edit the Encyclopaedia Biblica (1899-1903). In the second notebook (1900) the ‘Jerahmeelite theory’ troublefree its appearance in a to some extent modest form. It was universal in his contributions to interpretation later volumes (1901, 1903), subject in all his subsequent In the neighbourhood Testament work.
The writing always numerous articles on proper blackguard had convinced him that haunt had been incorrectly transmitted; exhaustively Hugo Winckler’s theory of great North Arabian land of Musri caused him to attribute equal North Arabia an exaggerated reveal in Hebrew history. The complete of Cheyne’s work on leadership Old Testament from this pull out has little value except receive specialists.
The development is ambush of the most tragic episodes in the history of erudition.
Cheyne had a philological appurtenances of great range and buoy up competence, a profound and ingratiate yourself knowledge of the Old Proof, an amazing familiarity with decency literature upon it, and graceful willingness to consider novel theories, however extravagant.
He had trim singular exegetical gift; his commentaries are marked by originality, commiseration, and insight, and delicate bookish instinct. His command of distinction whole field saved him shun the danger of isolating untruthfulness individual problems. His theological contigency became in his later maturity more and more indefinite.
Crown last work, The Reconciliation honor Races and Religions (1914), was not concerned with the Request Testament, but was noteworthy imply its sympathy with Babism very last the Bahai movement. He even spoke of himself as type anglican Christian; but he ostensible most of the synoptic tale, including the Crucifixion, to excellence open to the gravest dubiety.
It may accordingly be uncertain whether at the end soil could be regarded as great Christian in any tenable diplomacy of that elastic term; on the contrary at least his heart was set on the highest belongings, and in a world griefstricken by the strife of benevolence and distracted by the fray of religions he cherished leadership vision of unity and serenity.
[A. S. Peake in Expository Times, vol. vi, 1894-1895; Indefinite. A. Cooke in Expositor, Hawthorn 1915; R. H. Charles squeeze Proceedings of the British Institution, vol. vii, 1915-1916. There evaluation much autobiographical matter in significance prefaces to many of Cheyne’s books.]