Eric J. Sharpe
Encyclopedia
Eric John Sharpe was the founding Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney
, Australia
. He was a major scholar in the phenomenology of religion, the history of modern Christian mission, and inter-religious dialogue.
, England
, and from a young age suffered with health difficulties. His family were practicing Methodists and he participated in the local Methodist church as a lay-preacher. He served in the British Education Corps Korean War
. He was a graduate of the University of Manchester
in religious studies
, and studied under the biblical studies scholar S. G. F. Brandon
. He received his Ph.D. in theology
and religious studies from the University of Uppsala, Sweden
. He married Birgitta Johannesson in 1962. He taught at the University of Minnesota
, the University of Lancaster, and then the University of Manchester. He collaborated with Ninian Smart
in promoting religious studies as a subject in England's schools. He also spent time in field and archival research in India, and in 1977 became the inaugural Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney (1977-1996).
as an academic discipline, assessing the contributions of Nineteenth century philologists, folklorists, anthropologists, and psychologists of religion, and charted the emergence of religious studies
and the history of religions
in Twentieth century scholarship.
He was also a strong contributor to discussions concerning methodology in the study of religion, and on issues of dialogue and faith.
He was a specialist in the history of modern day Christian missions to India
and wrote biographical studies on influential missionary-scholars such as A.G. Hogg and John Nicol Farquhar. He chronicled the historical encounter between Hinduism
and Christianity
from the Nineteenth century onwards. He also analysed the life and career of Karl Ludvig Reichelt, the founder of the Tao Fong Shan Christian Center in Hong Kong
and a prominent missionary figure with Chinese Buddhists. He composed a major study of the life and intellectual thought of the Swedish Lutheran Bishop
, ecumenical theologian and scholar of comparative religion Nathan Soderblom
. In all of these studies Sharpe brought to bear an incisive sense of history, and also sought to illuminate the critical issues of inter-religious dialogue.
In 1985 he had published a bicentennial survey of all major English-language translations of the Indian sacred text the Bhagavad-Gita. In this work he demonstrated how romantic interpretations of the Gita developed in the western world, and charted how Christian missionaries to India often misunderstood the text.
Sharpe was also an expert on new religious movements and wrote a number of periodical essays pertaining to the controversies surrounding these groups. He was also an accomplished linguist and translated into the English language books by Swedish scholars such as Bertil Gärtner
and Birger Gerhardsson
.
According to John Roxborogh, Sharpe was a model scholar whose work was marked by " clarity and precision in writing, a joyous curiosity, an ability to be fair, a religious sensibility and a capacity for surprise." http://roxborogh.com/biosharpe.htm
His final book, which was released posthumously, was a biographical study of a famous Indian Christian, Sadhu Sundar Singh
. Sharpe's study highlighted how Western intellectuals and clergy constructed romanticized portraits of Singh as an ideal figure. Many of the previous biographies of Singh have presented him as a zealous evangelical
Christian who died in mysterious circumstances in Tibet. Those in the Liberal Christian churches have described Singh as an ideal Christian mystic. Sharpe's analysis exposed the symbols and myths surrounding Singh's life and ministry constructed by certain evangelical and liberal writers. Among the chronological and contradictory elements Sharpe investigated was the curious relationship Singh had with the followers of Emanuel Swedenborg
.
Sharpe was for many years an influential figure in the International Association for the History of Religions. He guest lectured at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, and at MacGill University in Canada. He was honoured with two separate volumes of essays by his peers.
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...
, 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...
. He was a major scholar in the phenomenology of religion, the history of modern Christian mission, and inter-religious dialogue.
Early life and education
Sharpe was born in impoverished circumstances in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
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...
, and from a young age suffered with health difficulties. His family were practicing Methodists and he participated in the local Methodist church as a lay-preacher. He served in the British Education Corps Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. He was a graduate of the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
in religious studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
, and studied under the biblical studies scholar S. G. F. Brandon
S. G. F. Brandon
Samuel George Frederick Brandon was a British priest and scholar of comparative religion. He became professor of comparative religion at the University of Manchester in 1951.-Biography:Brandon was a graduate of the University of Leeds...
. He received his Ph.D. in theology
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...
and religious studies from the University of Uppsala, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He married Birgitta Johannesson in 1962. He taught at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, the University of Lancaster, and then the University of Manchester. He collaborated with Ninian Smart
Ninian Smart
Professor Roderick Ninian Smart was a Scottish writer and university educator. He was a pioneer in the field of secular religious studies...
in promoting religious studies as a subject in England's schools. He also spent time in field and archival research in India, and in 1977 became the inaugural Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney (1977-1996).
Career
Sharpe wrote one of the first historical surveys of the rise of comparative religionComparative religion
Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
as an academic discipline, assessing the contributions of Nineteenth century philologists, folklorists, anthropologists, and psychologists of religion, and charted the emergence of religious studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
and the history of religions
History of religions
The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious experiences and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,000 years ago in the Near East. The prehistory of religion relates to a study of religious beliefs that existed prior to the...
in Twentieth century scholarship.
He was also a strong contributor to discussions concerning methodology in the study of religion, and on issues of dialogue and faith.
He was a specialist in the history of modern day Christian missions to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and wrote biographical studies on influential missionary-scholars such as A.G. Hogg and John Nicol Farquhar. He chronicled the historical encounter between Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
from the Nineteenth century onwards. He also analysed the life and career of Karl Ludvig Reichelt, the founder of the Tao Fong Shan Christian Center in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and a prominent missionary figure with Chinese Buddhists. He composed a major study of the life and intellectual thought of the Swedish Lutheran Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, ecumenical theologian and scholar of comparative religion Nathan Soderblom
Nathan Söderblom
Lars Olof Jonathan Söderblom was a Swedish clergyman, Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden, and recipient of the 1930 Nobel Peace Prize...
. In all of these studies Sharpe brought to bear an incisive sense of history, and also sought to illuminate the critical issues of inter-religious dialogue.
In 1985 he had published a bicentennial survey of all major English-language translations of the Indian sacred text the Bhagavad-Gita. In this work he demonstrated how romantic interpretations of the Gita developed in the western world, and charted how Christian missionaries to India often misunderstood the text.
Sharpe was also an expert on new religious movements and wrote a number of periodical essays pertaining to the controversies surrounding these groups. He was also an accomplished linguist and translated into the English language books by Swedish scholars such as Bertil Gärtner
Bertil Gärtner
Bertil Edgar Gärtner was a Swedish Lutheran bishop of Gothenburg , and professor of New Testament's exegesis at Princeton Theological Seminary, United States....
and Birger Gerhardsson
Birger Gerhardsson
Birger Gerhardsson, born 1926, is a Swedish Biblical scholar and professor emeritus in the Faculty of Theology at Lund University, Sweden. His primary academic focus has been on the transmission and development of the oral traditions of the New Testament gospels.-Selected bibliography:* "Memory and...
.
According to John Roxborogh, Sharpe was a model scholar whose work was marked by " clarity and precision in writing, a joyous curiosity, an ability to be fair, a religious sensibility and a capacity for surprise." http://roxborogh.com/biosharpe.htm
His final book, which was released posthumously, was a biographical study of a famous Indian Christian, Sadhu Sundar Singh
Sadhu Sundar Singh
Sadhu Sundar Singh was an Indian Christian missionary. He is believed to have died in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929.-Early years:...
. Sharpe's study highlighted how Western intellectuals and clergy constructed romanticized portraits of Singh as an ideal figure. Many of the previous biographies of Singh have presented him as a zealous evangelical
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
Christian who died in mysterious circumstances in Tibet. Those in the Liberal Christian churches have described Singh as an ideal Christian mystic. Sharpe's analysis exposed the symbols and myths surrounding Singh's life and ministry constructed by certain evangelical and liberal writers. Among the chronological and contradictory elements Sharpe investigated was the curious relationship Singh had with the followers of Emanuel Swedenborg
Emanuel Swedenborg
was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
.
Sharpe was for many years an influential figure in the International Association for the History of Religions. He guest lectured at the University of Uppsala, Sweden, and at MacGill University in Canada. He was honoured with two separate volumes of essays by his peers.
Biographical Sources
- Arvind Sharma, ed., The Sum of Our Choices: essays in Honour of Eric John Sharpe (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1996). ISBN 0-7885-0313-8
- Carole M. Cusack and Peter Oldmeadow, eds., This Immense Panorama: Studies in Honour of Eric John Sharpe (Sydney: School of Studies in Religion University of Sydney, 1999). ISBN 1-86487-061-3
- John Roxborogh, "Obituary: Eric John Sharpe", http://roxborogh.com/biosharpe.htm
- Garry Trompf, "Eulogy: Eric John Sharpe," Australian Religion Studies Review, 14/1 (2001), pp. 128-131.