Henderson, Ebenezer, Dd

Henderson, Ebenezer, D.D.

an eminent Scotch divine, was born at Dunfermline Nov. 17, 1784. At an early age he determined to devote his life to foreign missions, and went to Denmark, in order to sail thence for India. But he found work in the north of Europe in the circulation of the Bible, which occupied him for twenty years. After several years spent in this way in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, he was deputed by the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1814 to proceed to Iceland on a similar mission; and in 1819 he was sent through Russia on the same errand. In 1826 he was appointed president of the Missionary College at Hoxton; and in 1830 he was made professor of theology and Biblical literature at the Highbury College. His studies in the language and literature of the Bible had been carried on vigorously during his previous long career-in the service of the Bible Society, and he distinguished himself, both as professor and as author, by thorough and scholarly work. In 1850 he was compelled by decline of health to relinquish his literary labors, and after a short service as pastor at East Sheer he gave up all public work. He died at Mortlake, Surrey, and May 16, 1858. Dr. Henderson's reputation as a Biblical critic was equal to that of any man of his time in England, and he was widely known and respected in other countries. He received the degree of D.D. from Amherst College, Mass., and from the University of Copenhagen at the same time. His knowledge of the languages of the Bible was accurate, and he used freely most of the important living languages. He was orthodox in his theology, and never handled the text of the Bible in the reckless and arbitrary manner which was common in Germany in his time. He was not an elegant writer, and his translations of Scripture are not always in good taste; but most persons competent to judge will agree to Dr. W. L. Alexander's judgment that "his contributions to Biblical literature are among the most valuable the age has produced, especially his lectures on Inspiration, and his commentaries on Isaiah and the Minor Prophets." His writings include Iceland, Journal of a Residence in that Island (Edinb. 1818, 2 vols. 8vo): — Biblical Researches and Travels in Russia, with Observations on the Rabbinical and Caraib Jews (Lond. 1826, 8vo): — translation of M. F. Roos, Exposition of Daniel (1811, 8vo): — The Mystery of Godliness, on 1Ti 3:16 (Lond. 1830): — Divine Inspiration (Lond. 1836, often reprinted, 8vo): — Commentary on Isaiah, with a new translation (London, 1840, 8vo): — Comm. on the Minor Prophets, with a new translation (London, 1845, 8vo): Comm. on Jeremiah, with translation (Lond. 1851, 8vo): — Comm. on Ezekiel (Lond. 1855, 8vo). He edited, with additions, Stuart's translation of Ernesti, Elements of Interpretations (1827, 12mo), Egid. Gutbirii Lexicon Syriacunz (1836, 24mo), and a new edition of Buck, Theological Dictionary (Lend. 1833, and often). A Life of Dr. Henderson has recently been issued (1869).