George Bush (biblical scholar) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Bush
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | June 12, 1796 Norwich, Vermont, U.S.
|
| Died | September 19, 1859 (aged 63) Rochester, New York, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College Princeton University |
| Occupation | Biblical scholar, pastor, abolitionist |
| Signature | |
 |
|
George Bush (born June 12, 1796 – died September 19, 1859) was an American expert on the Bible. He was also a pastor (a religious leader) and an abolitionist. This means he worked to end slavery. George Bush was also a teacher and writer. He was a distant relative of two U.S. Presidents, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.
George Bush's Life Story
George Bush was born in Norwich, Vermont. He went to Dartmouth College and finished his studies there in 1818. After that, he studied theology, which is the study of religious beliefs, at Princeton Theological Seminary. He even worked there as a tutor for a short time.
He became a minister in the Presbyterian church. For four years, he worked as a Christian missionary in Indiana. In 1831, he became a professor at New York University. There, he taught about the Hebrew language and other languages from the Middle East.
Early Books and Ideas
George Bush wrote his first book called The Life of Mohammed. This was the first time an American had written a biography about Muhammad, the founder of Islam. In the book, Bush called Muhammad "remarkable" and "irresistibly attractive." However, he mostly wrote about Muhammad in a negative way, saying he was a fraud. The book also said that Christianity was not in a good state during Muhammad's time. This book is no longer printed, but it caused a small stir in Egypt in 2004.
In 1844, Bush published another book called The Valley of Vision; or, The Dry Bones of Israel Revived. In this book, he spoke out against the "slavery and unfair treatment" that Jewish people had faced for a long time. He wanted to help Jewish people gain "an honorable place among the nations of the earth." He believed this could happen if they returned to the land of Israel. He also thought that most of them would then become Christians. Bush believed this would help not only Jewish people but all of humanity. He felt it would create a special connection between people and God. He wrote that this event "will blaze in notoriety" and "flash a splendid demonstration upon all kindreds and tongues of the truth."
In the same year, 1844, he started a monthly magazine called Hierophant. This magazine focused on explaining prophecies from the Bible. He also published a book in New York called Anastasis. In this book, he disagreed with the idea that people's bodies would literally rise from the dead. Many people talked about this book. He wrote another book, The Resurrection of Christ, to answer the criticisms he received.
New Beliefs
In 1845, George Bush began to follow Swedenborgianism. This is a Christian movement based on the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Bush then wrote many books defending his new faith. He translated and published Swedenborg's diary in 1845. He also became the editor of a magazine called New Church Repository.
Books and Writings
George Bush wrote many books and articles during his life. Here are some of his published works:
- Treatise on the Millennium (1833)
- A Grammar of the Hebrew Language (1835)
- The Valley of Vision; or, The Dry Bones of Israel Revived (1844)
- The Resurrection of Christ; in Answer to the Question, Whether He Rose in a Spiritual and Celestial, or in a Material and Earthly Body (1845)
- Illustrations of the Holy Scriptures (1845)
- The Soul; or an Inquiry into Scriptural Psychology, as developed by the use of the terms, Soul, Spirit, Life, etc., viewed in its bearings on The Doctrine of the Resurrection (1845)
- Mesmer and Swedenborg (1847) – In this book, he argued that Swedenborg's ideas were supported by the developments of mesmerism, an early form of hypnosis.
- New Church Miscellanies (1855)
- Priesthood and Clergy Unknown to Christianity (1857)
- Hebrew Grammar
See also
