Date of Award
Spring 1994
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Theology
First Advisor
Corey, Patrick W.
Second Advisor
Hinze, Bradford E.
Third Advisor
Kelly, William J.
Abstract
Mercersburg Theology was a German Reformed systein of thought which flourished in the 1840's and 1850's in south-central Pennsylvania. With links to both German and English thought, Mercersburg was characterized by its high-church, incarnational, historical, and philosophical approach to theology. Dominant characters included philosopher Frederick A. Rauch (1806-1841), philosophical theologian John Williamson Nevin (1803-1886), church historian Philip Schaff (1819-1893), and philosophical theologian Emanuel V. Gerhart (1817-1904). Historians of American religion have always recognized the critical role which philosophy played in the development of Mercersburg theology. Nevertheless, Mercersburg's philosophical center has remained generally elusive owing to its diversity and complexity. This dissertation attempts to resolve this problem by identifying a "new" philosophical model and then demonstrating its relevance to Mercersburg's primary theological beliefs ( e,g., creation, incarnation, church, history, eucharist, and Scripture...