Cyrus Ingerson Scofield portrayed himself as a decorated Confederate veteran, a successful lawyer, and a Bible scholar who was providentially destined to edit his 1909 dispensational opus, The Scofield Reference Bible. This thesis offers a multilayered image of Dr. Scofield's life by considering political and regional influences, racial and gender attitudes, and religious views he encountered between 1861 and 1921. This study includes an examination of his participation in the American Civil War including his desertion of the South in 1862. After becoming a Union loyalist, Scofield excelled as a lawyer and Republican politician before corruption rumors radically altered his life in 1874. By 1882, he emerged as a minister in Dallas, Texas where he built an image as a Confederate veteran and Bible scholar. Drawing on Scofield's manuscripts and other sources, this study shows the self-aggrandizing Bible editor consistently adapted his life and rhetoric to his regional and social circumstances.
","abstract_html":"<p>Cyrus Ingerson Scofield portrayed himself as a decorated Confederate veteran, a successful lawyer, and a Bible scholar who was providentially destined to edit his 1909 dispensational opus, <em>The Scofield Reference Bible</em>. This thesis offers a multilayered image of Dr. Scofield's life by considering political and regional influences, racial and gender attitudes, and religious views he encountered between 1861 and 1921. This study includes an examination of his participation in the American Civil War including his desertion of the South in 1862. After becoming a Union loyalist, Scofield excelled as a lawyer and Republican politician before corruption rumors radically altered his life in 1874. By 1882, he emerged as a minister in Dallas, Texas where he built an image as a Confederate veteran and Bible scholar. Drawing on Scofield's manuscripts and other sources, this study shows the self-aggrandizing Bible editor consistently adapted his life and rhetoric to his regional and social circumstances.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Rushing, D. Jean"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MA (Master of Arts)","degree_level":"Thesis - unrestricted","degree_discipline":"History","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-12-17T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2011-12-17T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:31Z","subjects":["Texas","Dallas","Lost Cause","The Scofield Reference Bible","fundamentalism","dispensationalism","CI. Scofield.","Arts and Humanities","History","United States History"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1380","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Rushing, D. Jean"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["1990-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2011-12-17T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["History"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - unrestricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MA (Master of Arts)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Texas","Dallas","Lost Cause","The Scofield Reference Bible","fundamentalism","dispensationalism","CI. Scofield.","Arts and Humanities","History","United States History"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2571/viewcontent/RushingJ120511f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1380"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Cyrus Ingerson Scofield portrayed himself as a decorated Confederate veteran, a successful lawyer, and a Bible scholar who was providentially destined to edit his 1909 dispensational opus, The Scofield Reference Bible. This thesis offers a multilayered image of Dr. Scofield's life by considering political and regional influences, racial and gender attitudes, and religious views he encountered between 1861 and 1921. This study includes an examination of his participation in the American Civil War including his desertion of the South in 1862. After becoming a Union loyalist, Scofield excelled as a lawyer and Republican politician before corruption rumors radically altered his life in 1874. By 1882, he emerged as a minister in Dallas, Texas where he built an image as a Confederate veteran and Bible scholar. Drawing on Scofield's manuscripts and other sources, this study shows the self-aggrandizing Bible editor consistently adapted his life and rhetoric to his regional and social circumstances.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["From Confederate Deserter to Decorated Veteran Bible Scholar: Exploring the Enigmatic Life of C.I. Scofield 1861-1921."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Rushing, D. Jean"],"dc:date.available":["1990-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2011-12-17T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Cyrus Ingerson Scofield portrayed himself as a decorated Confederate veteran, a successful lawyer, and a Bible scholar who was providentially destined to edit his 1909 dispensational opus, The Scofield Reference Bible. This thesis offers a multilayered image of Dr. Scofield's life by considering political and regional influences, racial and gender attitudes, and religious views he encountered between 1861 and 1921. This study includes an examination of his participation in the American Civil War including his desertion of the South in 1862. After becoming a Union loyalist, Scofield excelled as a lawyer and Republican politician before corruption rumors radically altered his life in 1874. By 1882, he emerged as a minister in Dallas, Texas where he built an image as a Confederate veteran and Bible scholar. Drawing on Scofield's manuscripts and other sources, this study shows the self-aggrandizing Bible editor consistently adapted his life and rhetoric to his regional and social circumstances.
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