Charles Hodge

Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was one of nineteenth-century America's leading theologians, owing in part to a lengthy teaching career, voluminous writings, and a faculty post at one of the nation's most influential schools, Princeton Theological Seminary. Surprisingly, the only biography of this towering figure was written by his son, just two years after his death. Paul C. Gutjahr's book is the first modern critical biography of a man some have called the "Pope of Presbyterianism."
Hodge's legacy is especially important to American Presbyterians. His brand of theological conservatism became vital in the 1920s, as Princeton Seminary saw itself, and its denomination, split. The conservative wing held unswervingly to the Old School tradition championed by Hodge, and ultimately founded the breakaway Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
The views that Hodge developed, refined, and propagated helped shape many of the central traditions of twentieth- and twenty-first-century American evangelicalism. Hodge helped establish a profound reliance on the Bible among Evangelicals, and he became one of the nation's most vocal proponents of biblical inerrancy. Gutjahr's study reveals the exceptional depth, breadth, and longevity of Hodge's theological influence and illuminates the varied and complex nature of conservative American Protestantism.

Paul C. Gutjahr is Associate Professor of English at Indiana University. He also teaches American Studies and Religious Studies. He has written and edited numerous books and articles, including: An American Bible: A History of the Good Book in the United States, 1776-1881; Popular American Literature of the 19th Century; and Illuminating Letters: Typography and Literary Interpretation.

IllustrationsKey Events in Hodge's LifeKey Figures in Hodge's LifePrologue - The Pope of Presbyterianism Part I 1797-1810 - The Hodges of Philadelphia1. Andrew Hodge, Family Patriarch2. Presbyterian Heritage3. Beauty and the BeastPart II The 1810s - Student Years4. The Beginnings of Self5. Prince's Town6. Witherspoon's Common Sense7. "Classick Learning"8. Enlisting under the Banner of King Jesus9. Happy Jaunts and the "Man of Men"10. "Give us ministers!"11. Student Years at the Seminary12. "Where am I to go?"Part III The 1820s - Young Professor13. "The Most Eligible Situation for Improvement"14. New England's Theological Landscape15. Democratic Christianity16. The Birth of the Biblical Repertory17. The Trip to Europe18. "The Dirtiest, Ugliest, Gloomiest Town"19. Berlin and the Return Home20. A Sense of Mission21. The Repertory RebornPart IV The 1830s - Crusader22. The Imputation Controversy23. Romans24. Crippled in Body, But not in Mind25. Hodge's Home: "Sunny, Genial, Kindly and Tolerant" 26. The Coming Storm27. The Slavery Question28. The Schism29. The New School Fights Back30. Writing HistoryPart V The 1840s - Professor of Theology31. The Way of Life32. Didactic Theology33. Teaching and Preaching34. The Public Face of the Seminary35. Moderator of the General Assembly36. "The Nonsensical Dialect of Transcendentalism"37. Roman Catholic Baptism38. Infection of German Idealism39. "When the will of the wife is the other way"40. "Covered in Gloom"Part VI The 1850s - Inspired Churchman41. College Trustee42. Language and Feeling43. The Inspiration of Scripture44. "Graces of the Spirit"45. The Battle against "Churchianity"46. Thornwell and "Thus Saith the Lord"47. The Pauline Commentaries48. Politics and ConsciencePart VII The 1860s - Conflicted Unionist49. The State of the Country and the Church50. Hodge's Family at War51. The Unities of Mankind52. The Disunities of Mankind53. Reuniting the Old and New SchoolsPart VIII 1870s - Systematic Theologian and Scientist54. The Systematic Theology55. "The apex of my life" 56. Science and Darwinism57. "O Death, Where is Thy Sting?"Epilogue - Hodge's LegacyIndex