Scotland’s Forgotten Theologian: The Life, Theology, and Legacy of Patrick Fairbairn (1805-74)
Patrick Fairbairn (1805-74) was a Free Church of Scotland minister and the founding principal of the Free Church College, Glasgow (now Trinity College). In addition to his academic and pastoral duties, he authored eight books, edited and compiled a theological dictionary, and wrote numerous lectures and pamphlets. In the later years of his life, Fairbairn was widely recognized by his Free Church contemporaries as one of the leading figures in the denomination, particularly within the sphere of education. After his death, Fairbairn exercised a significant influence on Reformed Old Testament interpretation, and his works on typology and prophecy continue to be extensively interacted with, as recently as last year (2024). Despite this influence and significance, however, Fairbairn has been neglected by scholarship, both within his own denomination and in the broader corpus of literature on nineteenth century Scottish Presbyterianism. The last full-length work to exclusively focus on Fairbairn was a 1953 master’s thesis, and no biography or monograph on Fairbairn exists. This thesis will therefore remedy the lack of scholarship on Fairbairn, by providing a contextual biography of his life, a discussion of his published works, an analysis of his views and influences, and an evaluation of his thought, legacy, and relevance for study today. It will argue that Fairbairn was far more significant within the first generation of the Free Church (~1843-75) than has been previously acknowledged. It will also argue that Fairbairn played an influential role in the writing and development of English-language works on biblical typology (especially within Reformed Theology). Finally, it will argue that Fairbairn is worth studying today, and that his life and legacy form an effective summary of the first generation of Free Church theologians.
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