Ezra Abbot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ezra Abbot
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| Born | April 28, 1819 Jackson, Maine
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| Died | March 21, 1884 (aged 64) Cambridge, Massachusetts
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Bowdoin College |
| Occupation | Bussey Professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation in the Harvard Divinity School |
| Known for | Biblical scholar |
| Parent(s) | Ezra and Phebe Abbot |
| Awards | Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Harvard Divinity School |
Ezra Abbot was an important American scholar who studied the Bible. He was born in Jackson, Maine, on April 28, 1819, and passed away in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on March 21, 1884. He spent his life teaching and helping to improve important religious texts.
Contents
Ezra Abbot's Early Life and Education
Ezra Abbot was born in Jackson, Maine, on April 28, 1819. His parents were Ezra and Phebe Abbot. He went to school at Phillips Exeter Academy. After that, he graduated from Bowdoin College in 1840.
Becoming a Teacher and Librarian
In 1847, a scholar named Andrews Norton asked Ezra Abbot to come to Cambridge, Massachusetts. There, Ezra Abbot worked as a principal (head teacher) at a public school until 1856.
From 1856 to 1872, he became an assistant librarian at Harvard University. He was very good at organizing books. He created a new system for the library's card catalog. This system made it easier to find books by combining different ways of organizing them.
Professor at Harvard Divinity School
In 1872, Ezra Abbot became a professor at the Harvard Divinity School. He taught about the New Testament, which is part of the Christian Bible. He held this important teaching job until he passed away.
Ezra Abbot's Work as a Scholar
Ezra Abbot spent most of his time studying ancient languages from Southwest Asia. He also focused on checking and correcting the text of the New Testament. This is called textual criticism.
Helping with Important Books
Ezra Abbot helped create a huge list of writings about the idea of a future life. This list had 5,300 different works! It was added to a book called History of the Doctrine of a Future Life, as it has prevailed in all Nations and Ages (1862). It was also published on its own in 1864.
He also played a big part in making a larger American version of Dr. William Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. He worked with another scholar named Horatio Balch Hackett. Ezra Abbot wrote more than 400 articles for this dictionary. He also made sure the book had a very complete list of other related writings.
Working on the Revised Bible Version
Ezra Abbot was an important member of the American committee that worked on the Revised Version of the King James Bible. This revised version was published between 1881 and 1885. He also helped prepare notes for a revised Greek New Testament by Constantin von Tischendorf.
In 1880, he was one of the 32 people who started the Society of Biblical Literature. This group helps scholars study the Bible.
Writing About the Fourth Gospel
His most important book was The Authorship of the Fourth Gospel: External Evidences (1880). This book was originally a lecture. In it, he strongly defended the idea that John the Apostle wrote the Fourth Gospel (the Gospel of John) in the Bible. He looked at old evidence to support his ideas.
Honors and Awards
Ezra Abbot received many honors for his work.
- In 1861, he was chosen as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- Even though he was not a minister, Harvard University gave him a special degree called S.T.D. in 1872.
- The University of Edinburgh in Scotland also gave him a D.D. degree in 1884.
Works by Ezra Abbot
Books
- Abbot, Ezra (1872). Memoir of the Controversy Respecting the Three Heavenly Witnesses: I John V. 7
