Charles Hodge

Born in 1797 and educated at Princeton, Charles Hodge became one of the most influential American theologians of the 1800s. He joined Princeton Theological Seminary as a young professor and remained closely tied to the school for the rest of his life, eventually serving as its principal.

Hodge was a Presbyterian minister and a major defender of historic Calvinist theology. He wrote widely on doctrine, church life, and biblical interpretation, but he is especially remembered for Systematic Theology, a large three-volume work that gathered and explained his theological teaching in a clear, orderly way.

He died in 1878, but his influence continued through Princeton Seminary, his published works, and the generations of ministers and readers shaped by his writing. For listeners interested in classic Protestant thought, he remains one of the key American authors of the century.