author
George Vance Smith
d. 1902
A thoughtful Unitarian minister and biblical scholar, he became known for clear, questioning religious writing and for taking part in the revision of the New Testament that led to the English Revised Version of 1881.
1 Audiobook
Christianity and Modern Thought
by Henry W. (Henry Whitney) Bellows, James Freeman Clarke, Athanase Coquerel, Orville Dewey, Charles Carroll Everett, Frederic Henry Hedge, James Martineau, Andrew P. (Andrew Preston) Peabody, George Vance Smith, Oliver Stearns
About the author
Born in Portarlington in October 1816, George Vance Smith went on to become a prominent Unitarian minister and scholar. He served at St Saviourgate Chapel in York, first as assistant to Charles Wellbeloved and then as his successor, building a reputation as a careful reader of scripture and an independent-minded religious thinker.
He is especially remembered for his work on biblical scholarship. In 1870 he accepted an invitation to join the New Testament revision company, contributing to the work that produced the Revised Version in 1881. His published books include The Bible and Popular Theology and Texts and Margins of the Revised New Testament, both of which reflect his interest in how biblical wording shapes religious belief.
Later in life he moved to Sheffield and then became principal of the Presbyterian College at Carmarthen, remaining there until his retirement in 1888. He died in 1902, leaving behind a body of writing that still interests readers drawn to nineteenth-century theology, Bible revision, and the history of religious debate.