Edwin Hatch was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 theologian

Theology

Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

 born on September 4, 1835 in Derby, England. He is best known as the author of the book Influence of Greek Ideas and Usages Upon the Christian Church, which was based on the lectures he presented during the 1888 Hibbert Lectures

Hibbert Lectures

The Hibbert Lectures are an annual series of non-sectarian lectures on theological issues. They are sponsored by the Hibbert Trust, which was founded in 1847 by the Unitarian Robert Hibbert with a goal to uphold "the unfettered exercise of private judgement in matters of religion."...

 and which were edited and published following his death.

Hatch attended King Edward's School, Birmingham

King Edward's School, Birmingham

King Edward's School is an independent secondary school in Birmingham, England, founded by King Edward VI in 1552. It is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham, and is widely regarded as one of the most academically successful schools in the country, according to...

, where he studied under James Prince Lee

James Prince Lee

James Prince Lee, MA, DD was an English clergyman who became the first Bishop of Manchester.-Early life:...

, who later became the Bishop of Manchester

Bishop of Manchester

The Bishop of Manchester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Manchester in the Province of York.The current bishop is the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch, the 11th Lord Bishop of Manchester, who signs Nigel Manchester. The bishop's official residence is Bishopscourt, Bury New Road,...

; it was during this period of his life that he was first noted for his strong mental independence and extreme study habits. He graduated from Pembroke College

Pembroke College, Oxford

Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...

 at Oxford University in 1857, where he was a dominant figure in the Birmingham Set

Birmingham Set

The Birmingham Set, sometimes called the Pembroke Set or later The Brotherhood, was a group of students at the University of Oxford in England in the 1850s, most of whom were from Birmingham or had studied at King Edward's School, Birmingham...

, after undergraduate studies at Cambridge University

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

. In 1858, Hatch won the Ellerton prize. In 1859, he was ordained as an Anglican priest, and travelled to Toronto, Canada, where he was professor of classics at Trinity College

University of Trinity College

The University of Trinity College, informally referred to as Trin, is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Trinity was intended by Strachan as a college of strong Anglican alignment, after the University of Toronto severed its ties with the Church of...

 until 1862. Between then and his return to Oxford in 1867, he served as rector of the High School of Quebec and professor of Classics at Morrin College

Morrin College

Morrin College, the first anglophone institute of higher education in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada flourished between the years 1862 and 1902. It was founded following an important bequest from Dr. Joseph Morrin, former city mayor and prominent doctor. The College initially occupied rooms rented...

, both in Quebec City

Quebec City

Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...

. He served as vice-principal of Saint Mary Hall until 1885. In 1884 he was appointed university reader in ecclesiastical history.

In 1873, Hatch edited The student's handbook to the University and colleges of Oxford, which appeared in several revised editions during and after his time at the University.

Hatch was a Bampton lecturer

Bampton Lectures

The Bampton Lectures at the University of Oxford, England, were founded by a bequest of John Bampton,. They have taken place since 1780.They were a series of annual lectures; since the turn of the 20th century they have typically been biennial. They continue to concentrate on Christian theological...

 in 1880. He served as a Grinfield lecturer from 1880 to 1884, during which time he presented his concordance on the Septuagint. He is also remembered as the composer of the hymn "Breathe on me, breath of God."

Hatch died on November 10, 1889 in Oxford.

Written works

• The organization of the early Christian churches (1881) – the Bampton lectures of 1880
• The Growth of Church Institutions (1887)
• Influence of Greek Ideas and Usages Upon the Christian Church (1888)
• Essays in Biblical Greek (1889)
• A Concordance to the Septuagint (1889)
• Toward Fields of Light (1889) – sacred poems
• The God of Hope (1890)