Nathaniel Schmidt facts for kids
Nathaniel Schmidt (born May 22, 1862 – died June 29, 1939) was an important Swedish-American minister, scholar, and professor. He was known for his work in studying ancient languages and cultures, especially from the Middle East. He was also a progressive thinker and believed in peace.
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Early Life and Education
Nathaniel Schmidt was born in Hudiksvall, Sweden. His parents were Lars Peter Anderson and Fredericka Wilhelmina Schmidt. He later took his mother's last name. In 1887, he married Ellen Alfvén from Stockholm. Their daughter, Dagmar A. Schmidt, was born in 1896. Nathaniel loved outdoor activities like rowing, swimming, and hiking.
He went to school in Hudiksvall and finished in 1882. He then studied science and languages at the University of Stockholm from 1882 to 1884. In 1884, he moved to the United States. He earned his Master of Arts degree from Colgate University in 1887. He also studied ancient languages like Ethiopic and Arabic, history, and religion at the University of Berlin in 1896. In 1931, he received a special doctorate in Hebrew letters.
His Ideas on Religion
Nathaniel Schmidt had unique ideas about religion. He believed that studying religion should be more like a science, looking closely at how people experience faith. He thought that some old religious practices needed to change to stay important.
He didn't believe in some traditional religious stories, like the miraculous birth of Christ, because he found no clear evidence in ancient texts. He also didn't think that the old songs of David were prophecies about the Messiah.
In 1930, famous scientist Albert Einstein shared his thoughts on religion. Schmidt's book, "The Coming Religion," was mentioned as a key work that helped explain how science and religion could both answer big questions about the world and how we should live in it. Schmidt believed that after World War I, people's religious beliefs were changing. He saw that traditional ways of expressing faith were declining, but the true meaning of religion was becoming clearer and deeper.
His Career and Teaching
For two years (1887–1888), Schmidt was a pastor at the First Swedish Baptist Church in New York City. After that, he became a professor of Semitic languages and literature at Colgate University (1888–1896). Semitic languages are a group of languages from the Middle East, like Hebrew and Arabic. He even started a program there to study ancient Assyria.
Later, he moved to Cornell University in 1896 and taught there for 36 years until 1932. He was very respected for his honesty and knowledge.
Studying the Middle East at Cornell
Nathaniel Schmidt's work at Cornell was part of a bigger plan to focus on studies about the Near East (the Middle East). Cornell University started collecting many books on this topic very early on. For example, they bought a large collection of books from a famous scholar named Franz Bopp, which was full of resources on Near Eastern studies.
When Schmidt arrived in 1896, Cornell had already been teaching Hebrew for many years. Early professors like William D. Wilson and Felix Adler taught Hebrew. Adler, who was popular with students, faced challenges because of his modern views on religion.
Another professor, Frederick Louis Otto Roehrig, also taught many different languages from Asia, like Persian, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, and Arabic. He helped Cornell become known for its wide range of language studies. However, not many students were interested in these subjects at first.
Schmidt's Time at Cornell
When Schmidt came to Cornell, the university's president, Jacob Gould Schurman, wanted to improve the study of Hebrew. Schmidt was a great choice because he was very knowledgeable, even though his religious views were sometimes seen as unusual.
Schmidt taught many subjects. He taught basic Hebrew every year. Advanced Hebrew classes covered important ancient texts. He also taught Arabic, Aramaic, Egyptian, and Assyrian. He gave lectures on the history of different regions like Babylonia, Assyria, Persia, and Egypt.
Schmidt was amazing at languages. He taught courses where students would read and understand texts in many different ancient languages. He also taught about the history of Asia and Africa, covering ancient civilizations and how European influence grew in Africa.
His work helped Cornell become a recognized center for Middle Eastern studies. In 1900, he helped Cornell become one of the first members of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem. In 1904–1905, Schmidt even directed archaeological surveys in the Negev Desert and Dead Sea regions. His knowledge helped the team explore remote areas.
Cornell also acquired a very important collection of Egyptian and Assyrian books and artifacts, including ancient papyri. One famous papyrus, a funerary scroll from ancient Egypt, was given to Cornell by former President Andrew Dickson White.
Schmidt also worked with archaeologist J. R. S. Sterrett, who led an expedition to Asia Minor. One of Schmidt's students, Albert T. Olmstead, was part of this team and helped discover new ancient writings. Schmidt himself continued his archaeological interests, helping Cornell acquire ancient cuneiform tablets.
During summer breaks, Schmidt taught and lectured across the country, including at the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University. He was also involved in efforts to protect Egyptian antiquities from flooding caused by the Aswan Dam. He served as president of important academic societies like the American Oriental Society.
Later Years and Legacy
After Schmidt retired in 1932, the study of Semitic languages at Cornell declined for a while. However, in the mid-1950s, Professor Milton R. Konvitz helped bring these studies back. Later, in 1965, a new Department of Semitic Languages and Literature was created.
In the 1970s, the department grew even more. Benzion Netanyahu became a professor of Judaic Studies and chairman of the department. He taught Jewish history and modern Hebrew literature. Like Schmidt, Netanyahu believed that understanding a people's history was key to understanding their literature. The department offered courses in Hebrew, Aramaic, the Bible, and Jewish thought.
His Political Views
Nathaniel Schmidt was a progressive Democrat. This meant he believed in social and political reforms to improve society. He was known for being against imperialism (when one country controls another) and for being a pacifist (someone who believes war is wrong).
He strongly believed that the League of Nations (an organization created after World War I to promote peace) should be more democratic. He also thought that European countries should be forgiven for the debts they built up during World War I.
In the 1924 presidential election, he supported Robert M. La Follette, who tried to create a new political party. Schmidt believed this party would help farmers and city workers. He also thought it would reduce the risk of war by dealing with its economic causes and working for international peace agreements.
Schmidt often spoke about his views. In 1900, he said that war was an old-fashioned way to solve problems and caused a lot of harm. He believed that humanity would eventually see war as wrong, just as people learned that slavery was wrong. He hoped for a "Parliament of mankind" that would settle conflicts peacefully and share wealth more fairly.
During World War I, when the United States joined the fight, Schmidt's pacifist views were not popular. He criticized Britain's policy of drafting people from different races, saying it was unfair. He even denied that "race" truly existed.
He also spoke out against Theodore Roosevelt's actions in Egypt, where Roosevelt suggested limiting the free speech of Egyptian nationalists. Schmidt believed that allowing freedom of speech was the best way to achieve peace between nations.
Before World War I, Schmidt supported the idea of an independent, secular (non-religious) Syrian republic. He thought that a democratic country in Syria, like the new Chinese model of 1912, could succeed if it had a secular education system for everyone.
In the 1920s, he supported the new Republic of Turkey, believing that education could help fix human rights issues there. In 1935, he spoke out against Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, saying it would lead to moral decline. Three years later, he connected Japan's aggression against China to a disconnect between the government and its people.
Some Publications
- The Coming Religion (1930)
- Ibn Khaldun, Historian, Sociologist, Philosopher (1930)
- The Messages of the Poets (1911)
- The Prophet of Nazareth (1905)
- Ecclesiastes (1903)
- Outlines of a History of India (1902)
- Outlines of a History of Syria (1902)
- Outlines of a History of Egypt (1901)
- The Republic of Man (1899)
- Syllabus of Oriental History (1897)
- Biblical Criticism and Theological Belief (1897)
- Introduction to the Hexateuch (1896)
- Contributing author to over 1,500 articles in the New American Encyclopedia, 2nd edition.
Memberships
Nathaniel Schmidt was a member of many important academic and social groups, including:
- Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft
- Vorderasiatische Gesellschaft
- Deutsche Palaestina Verein
- American Oriental Society (President, 1931–32)
- American Council of Learned Societies
- American Institute of Archeology
- American Institute of Sacred Literature (director)
- American Philological Society
- American Social Science Association
- American Historical Association
- International Society for the Apocrypha (councilor)
- Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis (President, 1914)
- Fellow, American Geographical Society
- New York Historical Society
- Geneva Political Equality Club
- New York State Women's Suffrage Association
- Phi Kappa Psi fraternity (at Cornell University)
- The Irving Literary Society (Cornell University)
- Town and Gown Club of Ithaca, New York
- Cosmopolitan Club of Ithaca, New York
