author
J. N. (John Nicol) Farquhar
1861–1929
A Scottish missionary-scholar who spent much of his career in Calcutta, he wrote influential studies of Hinduism and modern Indian religious life. His work helped shape how many English-language readers first encountered Indian religions in the early 20th century.
1 Audiobook
Gita and gospel
by J. N. (John Nicol) Farquhar
About the author
Born in Aberdeen on April 6, 1861, John Nicol Farquhar was a Scottish educational missionary and orientalist who became closely associated with Calcutta. After early work as a draper, he returned to his studies, attended Aberdeen and Christ Church, Oxford, and eventually devoted his career to education, religion, and scholarship.
Farquhar is best remembered for writing about Hinduism and related traditions for English-speaking readers. His books include The Crown of Hinduism, An Outline of the Religious Literature of India, and Modern Religious Movements in India. He was also known for promoting a "fulfilment" approach in Christian thought, arguing that Christianity completed rather than simply rejected elements of Hindu religious tradition.
His legacy is mixed but important: he was both a missionary and a serious student of Indian religions, and his writings became widely used by later scholars of religion and South Asian studies. He died on July 17, 1929, leaving behind work that still offers a window into how Indian religious life was interpreted in his time.