Overview
This is the first full biography of James Rendel Harris (1852-1941), Bible and patristic scholar, manuscript collector, Quaker theologian, devotional writer, traveller, folklorist, and relief worker. Drawing on published and unpublished sources gathered in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, many of which were previously unknown, Alessandro Falcetta tells the story of Harris’s life and works set against the background of the cultural and political life of contemporary Britain. Falcetta traces the development of Harris’s career from Cambridge to Birmingham, the story of his seven journeys to the Middle East, and of his many campaigns, from religious freedom to conscientious objection. The book focuses upon Harris’s innovative contributions in the field of textual and literary criticism, his acquisitions of hundreds of manuscripts from the Middle East, his discoveries of early Christian works – in particular the Odes of Solomon – his Quaker beliefs and his studies in the cult of twins. His enormous output and extensive correspondence reveal an indefatigable genius in close contact with the most famous scholars of his time, from Hort to Harnack, Nestle, the ‘Sisters of Sinai’, and Frazer.
Full Product Details
Author: Alessandro Falcetta (Independent Scholar)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint: T.& T.Clark Ltd
Weight: 1.157kg
ISBN: 9780567674180
ISBN 10: 0567674185
Pages: 704
Publication Date: 31 May 2018
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
This is a monumental work by Alessandro Falcetta, a fitting tribute to the great Quaker academic adventurer Rendel Harris; scholar, teacher, campaigner, minister and humorist. This fine volume is important for those studying renaissance Quakerism, the history of biblical scholarship, holiness revival, and, above all, the art of a full and faithful life. * Benjamin Dandelion, University of Birmingham, UK * James Rendel Harris was an extremely erudite scholar of the ancient literature surrounding the Bible. He successfully sought out manuscripts on persistent travels in the Middle East during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was also an active Quaker, a champion of suffering Armenians and president of the Free Church Council in 1907-8. A man of ceaseless energy, he has been brought to life with comparable erudition by Alessandro Falcetta. * David Bebbington, University of Stirling, UK * Mercurial scholar, discoverer of the mysterious Odes of Solomon, intrepid traveller, collector of manuscripts, supporter of the twin autodidact Scottish `Sisters of Sinai', reporter on the Armenian genocide, and first Principal of Woodbrooke, J. Rendel Harris long needed a good biographer. This role has now been admirably filled by Alessandro Falcetta, whose carefully researched and well-told account of James Rendel Harris's life provides a fascinating read. * Sebastian Brock, University of Oxford, UK *
This is a monumental work by Alessandro Falcetta, a fitting tribute to the great Quaker academic adventurer Rendel Harris; scholar, teacher, campaigner, minister and humorist. This fine volume is important for those studying renaissance Quakerism, the history of biblical scholarship, holiness revival, and, above all, the art of a full and faithful life. * Benjamin Dandelion, University of Birmingham, UK * James Rendel Harris was an extremely erudite scholar of the ancient literature surrounding the Bible. He successfully sought out manuscripts on persistent travels in the Middle East during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was also an active Quaker, a champion of suffering Armenians and president of the Free Church Council in 1907-8. A man of ceaseless energy, he has been brought to life with comparable erudition by Alessandro Falcetta. * David Bebbington, University of Stirling, UK * Mercurial scholar, discoverer of the mysterious Odes of Solomon, intrepid traveller, collector of manuscripts, supporter of the twin autodidact Scottish `Sisters of Sinai', reporter on the Armenian genocide, and first Principal of Woodbrooke, J. Rendel Harris long needed a good biographer. This role has now been admirably filled by Alessandro Falcetta, whose carefully researched and well-told account of James Rendel Harris's life provides a fascinating read. * Sebastian Brock, University of Oxford, UK * Harris' name and publications still figure large in New Tesament study especially for those interested in 19th-20th century textual criticism. For others too the biography is fascinating. Those who enjoyed Janet Soskice, The Sisters of Sinai (the tale about the formidable twins, doctors Lewis and Gibson, whose lives were in many ways intertwined with Harris') will similarly find this biography, albeit more prolix in style, equally important and fascinating. There were indeed giants in those days... * Novum Testamentum *
James Rendel Harris was an extremely erudite scholar of the ancient literature surrounding the Bible. He successfully sought out manuscripts on persistent travels in the Middle East during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was also an active Quaker, a champion of suffering Armenians and president of the Free Church Council in 1907-08. A man of ceaseless energy, he has been brought to life with comparable erudition by Alessandro Falcetta. * David Bebbington, University of Stirling, UK * Mercurial scholar, discoverer of the mysterious Odes of Solomon, intrepid traveller, collector of manuscripts, supporter of the twin autodidact Scottish `Sisters of Sinai', reporter on the Armenian genocide, and first Principal of Woodbrooke, J. Rendel Harris long needed a good biographer. This role has now been admirably filled by Alessandro Falcetta, whose carefully researched and well-told account of James Rendel Harris's life provides a fascinating read. * Sebastian Brock, University of Oxford, UK *
Author Information
Alessandro Falcetta teaches at the University of Stavanger, Norway.
