Charles Augustus Briggs Papers, 1841-1913

Presbyterian/Episcopal minister, theologian, biblical scholar, pioneer ecumenist, and librarian and professor at Union Theological Seminary.

Charles Augustus Briggs was born on January 15, 1841 in New York City. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1860 and then completed studies at Union Theological Seminary in 1863. He also studied at the University of Berlin from 1866-1869. From 1870-1874 he served as pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Roselle, New Jersey, before returning to Union Theological Seminary as Professor of Hebrew and Cognate Languages in 1874.

In 1883 Briggs wrote Biblical Study: Its Principles, Methods and History: a collection of previously published articles discussing biblical criticism. In 1885, he published American Presbyterianism: Its Origins and Early History, challenging the traditional assumptions staunchly held by the Presbyterian Church in light of the Biblical criticism debate.

In 1890 Briggs became the first incumbent of the Edward Robinson Chair of Biblical Theology at Union Theological Seminary. His inaugural address on January 20th 1891 entitled "The Authority of Holy Scripture" informed and inflamed both sides of the modernism and biblical criticism debates with its outspokenness and force.

In 1892 the Presbyterian Church charged Briggs with heresy and put him on trial. Briggs spoke in his own defense in four sessions and provided thorough examinations of all charges. Briggs was acquitted of the charges. The Committee on Prosecution then appealed to the General assembly meeting in Washington in 1893 and that appeal trial suspended him from the office of Presbyterian minister until he gave "satisfactory evidence of repentance." In order to avoid schism within the Presbyterian church Briggs continued as Presbyterian, preaching as a layman within the church for a further 5 years, before enacting his earlier plan to join the Episcopal Church. He was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1899.

Briggs continued teaching and writing, and with co-writers Francis Brown and S.R. Driver, prepared the Hebrew and English Lexicon, thoroughly revised from earlier versions and commonly known by the initials BDB, published in 1905. Emilie Grace Briggs, his daughter, made significant contributions as an amanuensis to her father. She was the first woman to graduate from Union Theological Seminary and the first to obtain the Bachelor of Divinity in 1897. After Briggs' death in 1913, Emilie worked to complete and publish posthumously her father's unfinished works. She assumed the role of curator, spending many years organizing and preserving her father's sermons and correspondence with the intention of producing a biography of her father.

Briggs received honorary degrees of Doctor of Divinity from the College of New Jersey (1875), University of Edinburgh (1884), Williams College (1894), University of Glasgow (1901), and the D. Litt. from Oxford University also in 1901.

Charles Augustus Briggs died on June 8th 1913 as a result of pneumonia.