Andrew Harper
Encyclopedia
Rev. Dr Andrew Harper was a Scottish
–Australia
n biblical scholar, teacher, and school Principal.
, Scotland
son of Robert Harper, a merchant, and his wife Elizabeth, née Calderwood. After some preliminary education at The Glasgow Academy
, he came to Australia and enrolled at the Scotch College, Melbourne
.
Harper joined the civil service, and in 1864 passed the matriculation examination of the University of Melbourne
and graduated B.A.
in 1868. Harper then studied at the University of Edinburgh
where he graduated B.D.
in 1872 and gained the Cunningham fellowship.
in 1875, becoming headmaster in 1877, and in 1879, Principal. Harper resigned at the end of 1888, leaving the school with a high reputation among the secondary schools of Victoria
.
Also in 1888, Harper was appointed lecturer of Hebrew
and Old Testament
Exegesis at Ormond College
within the University of Melbourne. He was ordained and appointed Professor in 1893. He was editor of The Messenger of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria in 1895-1902, and carried it on with much ability. In 1902 he took up the appointment as Hunter-Baillie professor of Hebrew and Principal of St Andrew's College
at the University of Sydney
, and was Chairman of the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
Council from 1907 until 1913.
, where Harper had studied for his divinity degree. She survived him with two sons and five daughters.
Harper was a good speaker and debater who exercised much influence in the Presbyterian Church of Australia
, and more especially on the candidates for the ministry who studied under him. He had decided convictions but could realise the difficulties of others. Personally he was modest and thoroughly sincere, loyal to the Christian faith yet believing in scientific inquiry, a wise and understanding mentor at a period of transition and reshaping, when many beliefs once firmly held were being attacked.
s of Harper are held at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne and the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney. His contribution to P.L.C Sydney is also recognised in the schools house system
, with Harper House. St Andrew's College at the University of Sydney features the Harper building named after him.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
–Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n biblical scholar, teacher, and school Principal.
Early life
Harper was born at GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
son of Robert Harper, a merchant, and his wife Elizabeth, née Calderwood. After some preliminary education at The Glasgow Academy
The Glasgow Academy
Founded in 1845, the Glasgow Academy is the oldest fully independent school in Glasgow, Scotland. It is located in the Kelvinbridge area and has approximately 1300 pupils, split between three preparatory school sites and a senior school....
, he came to Australia and enrolled at the Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
.
Harper joined the civil service, and in 1864 passed the matriculation examination of the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
and graduated B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1868. Harper then studied at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
where he graduated B.D.
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
in 1872 and gained the Cunningham fellowship.
Career
On Harper's return to Australia from Edinburgh, he was assistant at Chalmers' Church, East Melbourne from September 1873-1875. He did not pursue the ministry at this point as his doctrinal views were liberal evangelical and were not openly accepted at that time. He was appointed English master at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, MelbournePresbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne , is an independent,private, Presbyterian, day and boarding school predominantly for girls, located in Burwood, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
in 1875, becoming headmaster in 1877, and in 1879, Principal. Harper resigned at the end of 1888, leaving the school with a high reputation among the secondary schools of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
Also in 1888, Harper was appointed lecturer of Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew language
Biblical Hebrew , also called Classical Hebrew , is the archaic form of the Hebrew language, a Canaanite Semitic language spoken in the area known as Canaan between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Biblical Hebrew is attested from about the 10th century BCE, and persisted through...
and Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
Exegesis at Ormond College
Ormond College (University of Melbourne)
Ormond College is the largest of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne. It is home to 332 undergraduates, 30 postgraduates and 27 professorial/academic residents.-Establishment:...
within the University of Melbourne. He was ordained and appointed Professor in 1893. He was editor of The Messenger of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria in 1895-1902, and carried it on with much ability. In 1902 he took up the appointment as Hunter-Baillie professor of Hebrew and Principal of St Andrew's College
St Andrew's College, Sydney
St Andrew's College is a Protestant co-residential college within the University of Sydney, in the suburb of Camperdown.-History:St Andrew's College was incorporated by Act of Parliament and received Royal Assent from Queen Victoria on 12 December 1867. The St Andrew's College Act 1998 replaced the...
at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, and was Chairman of the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls in Croydon, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, Australia...
Council from 1907 until 1913.
Retirement and death
Harper resigned the office of Principal of St Andrew's College in 1921, and the professorship in May 1924, being then in his eightieth year. He retired to Edinburgh where he died on 25 November 1936, a few days after his 92nd birthday. He had married twice: firstly to Agnes Marion Craig (died 1885) on 23 October 1875 and secondly to Barbara Harriet Rainy, daughter of Dr Robert Rainy, Principal of New College, EdinburghNew College, Edinburgh
New College was opened in 1846 as a college of the Free Church of Scotland, later of the United Free Church of Scotland, and from the 1930s has been the home of the School of Divinity of the University of Edinburgh...
, where Harper had studied for his divinity degree. She survived him with two sons and five daughters.
Harper was a good speaker and debater who exercised much influence in the Presbyterian Church of Australia
Presbyterian Church of Australia
The Presbyterian Church of Australia is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. .-Beginnings:...
, and more especially on the candidates for the ministry who studied under him. He had decided convictions but could realise the difficulties of others. Personally he was modest and thoroughly sincere, loyal to the Christian faith yet believing in scientific inquiry, a wise and understanding mentor at a period of transition and reshaping, when many beliefs once firmly held were being attacked.
Publications
Harper was a fine scholar but did not publish a great deal. The Book of Deuteronomy in the Expositer's Bible series, published in 1895, gave him a good reputation, as it was widely recognised as a work of great value. He also contributed a volume, The Song of Solomon to The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges in 1902. His The Hon. James Balfour M.L.C., a Memoir, is an interesting record of a leading Melbourne merchant and politician whom Harper had known for nearly 50 years. A series of lectures to the Sydney University Christian Union was published under the title Christian Essentials; he printed a few pamphlets, and he also contributed the chapter on "The White Australia Policy" to Australia, Economic and Political Studies, edited by Meredith Atkinson and published in 1920.Legacy
PortraitPortrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s of Harper are held at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne and the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney. His contribution to P.L.C Sydney is also recognised in the schools house system
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
, with Harper House. St Andrew's College at the University of Sydney features the Harper building named after him.
See also
- List of Australian Presbyterians
- Notable Aberdonians