Edward Robinson papers, 1826 -- 1838

Summary Information

Abstract

Edward Robinson (1794-1863) was a Presbyterian minister, Biblical scholar, Union Theological Seminary professor, and its first librarian. This collection contains the manuscript originally entitled "Biblical Researches in Palestine and the Countries in the South," appendices of English-Arabic lists and language exercises, travel itineraries, a guide to Arabic pronunciation, and supplementary materials relating to travel; galley proofs of the Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius lexicon with handwritten annotations by Robinson and possibly others; as well as two plastic-bound transcripts, indexed, of letters exchanged between Edward Robinson and Moses Stuart between 1826 and 1830.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in three series: Series 1: Writings; Series 2: Gesenius lexicon galley proofs; and Series 3: Correspondence.

• Series 1: Writings, 1836 -- 1838
• Series 2: Gesenius lexicon galley proofs, undated
• Series 3: Correspondence, 1826 -- 1830

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains the manuscript originally entitled "Biblical Researches in Palestine and the Countries in the South," appendices of English-Arabic lists and language exercises, travel itineraries, a guide to Arabic pronunciation, and supplementary materials relating to travel; galley proofs of the Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius lexicon with handwritten annotations by Robinson and possibly others; as well as two plastic-bound transcripts, indexed, of letters exchanged between Edward Robinson and Moses Stuart between 1826 and 1830.

• Series 1: Writings, 1836 -- 1838

  This series contains the manuscript originally entitled "Biblical Researches in Palestine and the Countries in the South," as well as appendices of English-Arabic lists and language exercises, travel itineraries, a guide to Arabic pronunciation and supplementary materials relating to travel. Included are all bound sections of Biblical Researches in Palestine and the Countries in the South; most of the text is in English, while annotations, notes, and the Arabic index and related notebooks include text in English, German, Hebrew, and Arabic. Pagination is contiguous with sections titled by place-name or subject. Folder titles delineate sections and breaks, which correspond to the following themes: Section I – Introduction. Greece and Egypt, pp.1-78 Section II – Cairo to Suez, pp.79-123 Section III – Suez to Mount Sinai pp.124-271 Section IV – Mount Sinai to 'Akabah pp.279-320 Section V – 'Akabah to Jerusalem, pp.321-406 Section VI – Jerusalem – Incidents and first impressions, pp.407-460 Section VII.I – Jerusalem topography and antiquities, pp.461-550 VII.II – Tower of Hippicus [sic] and other towers, pp.551-649 Section VIII – Jerusalem – History, statistics, etc., pp.650-764 Section IX – Excursion from Jerusalem to Bethel, etc., pp.765-820 Section X.I – Excursion to 'Ain Jidy, the Dead Sea, Jordan, etc., pp.821-924 X.II – [Untitled], pp.925-1021 Section XI – From Jerusalem to Gaza and Hebron, pp.1022-1190 Section XII.I – From Hebron to Wady Mûsa and back, pp.1191-1329 XII.II – [Untitled], pp.1330-1396 Section XIII – From Hebron to Ramleh and Jerusalem, pp.1397-1470 Section XIV – From Jerusalem to Nazareth and Mount Tabor, pp.1471-1650 Section XV – From Mount Tabor by the Lake of Tiberias to Safed, pp.1651-1790 Section XVI – From Safed by Tyre and Sidon to Beirut, pp.1791-1884 Section XVII – Religious Sects in Syria and Palestine, pp.1885-1904

  The notebooks accompanying the manuscript include bound notebooks divided into a Lists section, a travel itinerary with paste-down and folded-in notes and correspondence, notes on Arabic pronunciation and place-names, and an index of notes that likely correspond to the Palestine manuscript. Dates of these manuscript materials were supplied from original publication date of the text as well as the dates Robinson is known to have travelled in these regions.

• Series 2: Gesenius lexicon galley proofs, undated

  This series contains galley proofs of the Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius lexicon with handwritten annotations by Robinson and possibly others. The Latinate proofs are bound in eleven parts and paginated contiguously.

• Series 3: Correspondence, 1826 -- 1830

  This series contains two plastic-bound transcripts, indexed, of letters exchanged between Edward Robinson and Moses Stuart between 1826 and 1830. Moses Stuart (1780-1852) was a contemporary of Robinson's and professor of Sacred Literature and Languages at Andover Seminary. The letters were transcribed and edited in 2003 by Hermine Wiegel Williams, a lecturer in Religion and the Arts at Hamilton College.

Burke Library record group:

Union Theological Seminary Archives: UTS 1, papers of faculty and students

Using the Collection

Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Conditions Governing Access

This collection contains some restricted material. Restrictions related to specific material are listed in the detailed contents list.

Onsite storage.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.

Preferred Citation

Item description, UTS1: Edward Robinson papers, 1826-1838, series #, box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Related Materials

The Internet Archive holds a freely accessibly digital copy (original held at the University of Michigan) of the second edition of Robinson and Smith's publication, published in 1856 in two volumes and re-titled Biblical Researches in Palestine, and in the Adjacent Regions: Journal of Travels in the Year 1838: https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearc02smitgoog

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Material was previously bound in library boards and inscribed as being a gift to Union Theological Seminary on behalf of Edward Robinson, date unknown.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Processing Information

Some material was cataloged by Lynn A. Grove on 1988-07-13. Metal clips and staples were removed from materials and folded items were flattened. Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Acidic items were separated from one another by interleaving with acid-free paper as needed. The Kiepel manuscript was enclosed in an acid-free folder and a preservation photocopy made for reference. The finding aid was created by Rebecca Nieto in 2016 with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, and edited by Leah Edelman in 2022.

Revision Description

2022-02-22 PDF converted to EAD and description updated by Leah Edelman.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

Edward Robinson was born in Southington, Connecticut on April 10, 1794, a town where his father preached as a Congregational minister for 40 years. Robinson was educated at Hamilton College between 1816 and 1818 where he studied law and worked as a tutor in mathematics and Greek. He pursued his religious education at Andover Theological Seminary between 1822 and 1825 and was ordained with the Third Presbytery of New York on November 15, 1841. Robinson taught briefly as a Hebrew instructor at Andover from 1823-26 before pursuing further ancient language studies at the Universities of Berlin and Halle between 1826 and 1830. Upon his return to the States, he was Professor of Greek and Oriental Languages and Literature at the University of the City of New York (1832-1833) before moving to Union Theological Seminary, where he taught in the department of Sacred Literature from 1837-1863. Aside from teaching, Robinson was a career translator, beginning translations of religious and classical texts as early as 1821, and publishing a number of them, including a translation of Friedrich Gesenius' Hebrew Lexicon, a Greek New Testament, and edited a Greek translation of The Iliad. Robinson would remain at Union in several capacities over the years, including as librarian from 1841 to 1850. Robinson's career was significantly marked by his international travels, in Europe during his studies and later conducting extensive research trips to describe landscapes and identified religious sites in the Holy Land and surrounding regions between 1837-1838 accompanied by Reverend Eli Smith, and again from 1851-1852. During these travels, Robinson fastidiously documented his experience of the topographic, sociocultural, linguistic and intellectual elements that distinguished the Middle East at that time. Robinson's extensive fieldwork in the then-Ottoman ruled Palestinian region has earned him the title "father of Biblical geography" in some circles. While the original manuscript of "Biblical Researches" is present in this collection, subsequent editions and copies are in existence, distributed by Boston-based publisher Crocker and Brewster. Robinson's knowledge of several languages and complementary interests in the religious and cultural landscape of Palestine are well-documented through "Biblical Researches", as well as supplementary notebooks and journals Robinson kept throughout his travels, and religious works written by others but that Robinson translated or otherwise engaged with in his scholarship. Edward Robinson eventually also received a Doctorate of Divinity from Dartmouth College, and would be involved with Union Theological Seminary until his death in New York City on January 27, 1863.