author
Samuel Davidson
1806–1898
An Irish biblical scholar and minister, he became known for bringing rigorous historical criticism to the study of scripture. His career mixed serious scholarship with public controversy, helping mark a turning point in 19th-century religious thought.
1 Audiobook
The Canon of the Bible
by Samuel Davidson
About the author
Born in County Antrim in September 1806, he studied at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and entered the Presbyterian ministry. Early in his career he was appointed professor of biblical criticism in Belfast, building a reputation as a learned and independent-minded scholar.
He later became a Congregationalist and taught at Lancashire Independent College in Manchester. Davidson wrote widely on biblical criticism and the history of the Bible, and his readiness to apply modern critical methods to scripture made him both influential and controversial in Victorian religious life.
He spent much of his long life writing, teaching, and defending the value of careful scholarship in theology. Davidson died on April 1, 1898, and is still remembered as an important Irish-born voice in 19th-century biblical studies.