author
Frederick Carl Eiselen
1872–1937
A Methodist biblical scholar and teacher, this early 20th-century writer helped bring Old Testament study to a wide audience through clear, practical books and commentaries. He also served as an academic leader and church educator, linking scholarship with everyday religious life.
1 Audiobook
The Christian View of the Old Testament
by Frederick Carl Eiselen
About the author
Born in 1872 in Mundelsheim, Germany, Frederick Carl Eiselen became an influential Methodist scholar of the Bible in the United States. His work centered especially on the Old Testament, and he wrote books such as Prophecy and the Prophets in Their Historical Relations and Sidon: A Study in Oriental History. He is also remembered as an editor of The Abingdon Bible Commentary, a major reference work for ministers and students.
Eiselen combined scholarship with teaching and leadership. He served at Garrett Biblical Institute, where he became president, and he was known not only as a professor of Old Testament interpretation but also as an educator deeply involved in church life. Later, he worked in Methodist educational leadership, reflecting a career that moved easily between the classroom, the church, and the broader world of religious education.
He died in 1937 after several months of illness. Contemporary tributes remembered him as a professor, theologian, educator, and administrator — a fitting summary of a life spent helping readers and students engage more thoughtfully with Scripture.