Overview
Papers of Unitarian minister James Freeman Clarke, consisting mainly of lectures, as well as material related to the Church of the Disciples. The papers span 1841-1871.
Dates
- Creation: 1841-1871.
Access
There are no restrictions on access to this collection.
Extent
1 boxesThis collection is divided into three series. Series I consists of lectures by Clarke, arranged alphabetically by title. Series II contains material related to the Church of Disciples, including papers and a resolution related to Theodore Parker. Series III is miscellaneous material.
Biographical / Historical
James Freeman Clarke (1810-1888) graduated from Boston Latin School in 1825, Harvard College in 1829, and Harvard Divinity School in 1833. Ordained as a Unitarian minister in 1833, Rev. Clarke was sent to Louisville, Kentucky, as a missionary evangelist. While in Kentucky, he co-founded the Unitarian journal The Western Messenger. He served as chaplain of the Massachusetts State Senate in 1844, and as the secretary of the American Unitarian Association from 1859 to 1861. He was a lifelong advocate of education reform and as such served on the Massachusetts State Board of Education from 1863 to 1869. In 1867, he was appointed to the faculty of Harvard Divinity School as Professor of Natural Theology and Christian Doctrine, where he pioneered the discipline of comparative theology. His published works include Ten Great Religions (2 volumes, 1871 and 1883) and Events and Epochs in Religious History (1881).
Arrangement
Organized into the following series:
- Series I. Lectures
- Series II. Church of the Disciples
- Series III. Miscellaneous
- Title
- Clarke, James Freeman. Papers, 1841-1871: A Finding Aid.
- Author
- Andover-Harvard Theological Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- div00447
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard Divinity School Library, Harvard University Repository
Special Collections at Harvard Divinity School Library preserves and makes accessible primary source materials documenting the history of religion and theology, with particular historical emphasis on American liberal religious traditions. Though the historical strengths of the collections have been in the field of Christianity, other religious traditions are increasingly reflected, in step with Harvard Divinity School's evolving focus on global religious studies. Known as Andover-Harvard Theological Library since 1911, it was renamed the Harvard Divinity School Library in 2021.
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