Andrew Martin Fairbairn
Encyclopedia
Dr Andrew Martin Fairbairn (4 November 1838 – 1912) was a Scottish
theological scholar, born near Edinburgh
.
, the University of Berlin, and at the Evangelical Union Theological Academy in Glasgow
. He entered the Congregational church
ministry and held pastorates at Bathgate
, West Lothian
and at Aberdeen
.
, England
, a post which he gave up to become the first principal of Mansfield College, Oxford
. In the transference to the University of Oxford of the existing Spring Hill College, Birmingham, he took a considerable part, and he exercised influence not only over generations of his own students (most famous of which is probably Peter Taylor Forsyth
), but also over a large number of undergraduates in the university generally. He was granted the degree of M.A. by a decree of Convocation, and in 1903 received an honorary Doctor of Literature degree. He was also awarded Doctor of Divinity degrees from Edinburgh
and Yale
universities, and a Doctor of Laws from the University of Aberdeen. His activities were not, however, limited to his college work. He delivered the Muir lectures at Edinburgh University (1878–1882), the Gifford lectures at Aberdeen (1892–1894), the Lyman Beecher lecture at Yale (1891–1892), and the Haskell lectures in India (1898–1899). He was a member of the Royal Commission of Secondary Education in 1894–1895, and of the Royal Commission on the Endowments of the Welsh Church in 1906. In 1883 he was chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales. He resigned his position at Mansfield College in the spring of 1909. He was a prolific writer on theological subjects.
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...
theological scholar, born near Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Education
Fairbairn was educated at the University of EdinburghUniversity of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, the University of Berlin, and at the Evangelical Union Theological Academy in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. He entered the Congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
ministry and held pastorates at Bathgate
Bathgate
Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway west of Livingston. Nearby towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Whitburn, Livingston, and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is away...
, West Lothian
West Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
and at Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
.
Educator
From 1877 to 1886 he was principal of Airedale College, BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, a post which he gave up to become the first principal of Mansfield College, Oxford
Mansfield College, Oxford
Mansfield College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Of the colleges that accept both undergraduate and graduate students Mansfield College is one of the smallest, comprising approximately 210 undergraduates, 130 graduates, 35 visiting students and 50...
. In the transference to the University of Oxford of the existing Spring Hill College, Birmingham, he took a considerable part, and he exercised influence not only over generations of his own students (most famous of which is probably Peter Taylor Forsyth
Peter Taylor Forsyth
Peter Taylor Forsyth, also known as P. T. Forsyth, was a Scottish theologian.The son of a postman, Forsyth studied at the University of Aberdeen and then in Göttingen...
), but also over a large number of undergraduates in the university generally. He was granted the degree of M.A. by a decree of Convocation, and in 1903 received an honorary Doctor of Literature degree. He was also awarded Doctor of Divinity degrees from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
universities, and a Doctor of Laws from the University of Aberdeen. His activities were not, however, limited to his college work. He delivered the Muir lectures at Edinburgh University (1878–1882), the Gifford lectures at Aberdeen (1892–1894), the Lyman Beecher lecture at Yale (1891–1892), and the Haskell lectures in India (1898–1899). He was a member of the Royal Commission of Secondary Education in 1894–1895, and of the Royal Commission on the Endowments of the Welsh Church in 1906. In 1883 he was chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales. He resigned his position at Mansfield College in the spring of 1909. He was a prolific writer on theological subjects.
Works
- Studies in the Philosophy of Religion and History (1876)
- Studies in the Life of Christ (1881)
- Religion in History and in Modern Life (1884; rev. 1893)
- Christ in Modern Theology (1893)
- Christ in the Centuries (1893)
- Catholicism Roman and Anglican (1899)
- Philosophy of the Christian Religion (1902)