Edgar Ellyson
Encyclopedia
Edgar P. Ellyson was a minister, theologian, and general superintendent
in the Church of the Nazarene
.
Ellyson was born in Damascus, Ohio
, August 4, 1869, of Quaker
parentage. He became a Quaker minister and the headmaster of the Friends' Bible School in Marshalltown, Iowa
. In 1907, he succeeded Aaron Merritt Hills as the president of Peniel College
in Greenville, Texas
.
Due to his sympathies with the Holiness movement
and his living in nearby Greenville, Ellyson was at the Second General Assembly of the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene in Pilot Point, Texas
. He was elected general superintendent in 1908, remaining in that position through 1911. During that time, he traveled between the various congregations of the new church, at the same time evangelizing and organizing the new church, while still remaining president of Peniel College. In later years, he would become president of Pasadena College, Olivet Nazarene College, Trevecca Nazarene, and Bresee College
.
He also served as a vital force in the Church's educational works in general. He was responsible for establishing the Nazarene Board of Education, and also was the chief editor of the church's Sunday school
publications through 1923. In 1924, he was the chairman of the committee that revised the Nazarene Manual.
His major published work, Theological Compound, published in 1908, was the first systematic theology arising out of the American Holiness Movement. It placed emphasis on the basic themes of Holiness theology, and was later used by theologians like A. M. Hills and H. Orton Wiley
as one of the foundations of their own thinking.
General Superintendent (Church of the Nazarene)
General Superintendent is the highest elected office within the Church of the Nazarene. General Superintendents are elected by the General Assembly of the denomination for a four year term to expire at the end of the next General Assembly....
in the Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
.
Ellyson was born in Damascus, Ohio
Damascus, Ohio
Damascus is a census-designated place in southwestern Goshen Township in Mahoning County and northwestern Butler Township in Columbiana County in the U.S. state of Ohio. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44619. Its elevation is 1,211 feet , and it is...
, August 4, 1869, of Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
parentage. He became a Quaker minister and the headmaster of the Friends' Bible School in Marshalltown, Iowa
Marshalltown, Iowa
Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,552 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 26,009 population in the 2000 census. -History:...
. In 1907, he succeeded Aaron Merritt Hills as the president of Peniel College
Peniel College
-History:Texas Holiness University was founded by B. A. Cordell and E. C. DeJernett in 1898. It was then established on a 37-acre campus in 1899 by A. M. Hills and a small holiness community at Holiness, later called Peniel and now part of Greenville, Texas...
in Greenville, Texas
Greenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
.
Due to his sympathies with the Holiness movement
Holiness movement
The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
and his living in nearby Greenville, Ellyson was at the Second General Assembly of the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene in Pilot Point, Texas
Pilot Point, Texas
Pilot Point is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,538 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pilot Point is located at ....
. He was elected general superintendent in 1908, remaining in that position through 1911. During that time, he traveled between the various congregations of the new church, at the same time evangelizing and organizing the new church, while still remaining president of Peniel College. In later years, he would become president of Pasadena College, Olivet Nazarene College, Trevecca Nazarene, and Bresee College
Bresee Theological College
-History:Mattie Hoke founded Kansas Holiness Bible College in Hutchinson, Kansas 1905. It was first supported by a local holiness congregation called Apostolic holiness Church, then later by the Kansas and Nebraska District Churches of the Nazarene under the name of Bresee Theological College. In...
.
He also served as a vital force in the Church's educational works in general. He was responsible for establishing the Nazarene Board of Education, and also was the chief editor of the church's Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
publications through 1923. In 1924, he was the chairman of the committee that revised the Nazarene Manual.
His major published work, Theological Compound, published in 1908, was the first systematic theology arising out of the American Holiness Movement. It placed emphasis on the basic themes of Holiness theology, and was later used by theologians like A. M. Hills and H. Orton Wiley
H. Orton Wiley
Henry Orton Wiley was a Christian theologian primarily associated with the followers of John Wesley who are part of the Holiness movement...
as one of the foundations of their own thinking.