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James Strong (theologian)
Encyclopedia
James Strong was an America
n Methodist
biblical scholar and educator, and the creator of Strong's Concordance
.
and graduated, in 1844, as valedictorian from Wesleyan University
. Subsequently, he was mayor of his home town on Long Island. Later, having settled in Flushing, New York, he pursued biblical studies, held various local offices, and organized, built, and was the president of the Flushing railroad. In 1856 Wesleyan University granted him the degree of Doctor of Divinity (D.D.). From 1858 until 1861, Strong was both Acting President and Professor of Biblical Literature at Troy University (New York)
. In 1868 he became Professor of Exegetical Theology at Drew Theological Seminary, where he remained for twenty-seven years. In 1881 Wesleyan honored Strong with the degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D.). He died at Round Lake
, New York
in 1894.
His best known work is Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, first published in 1890, of which new editions are still in print . Adaptations (e.g. Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: 21st Century Edition) are also now available.
For the concordance, Strong numbered every Hebrew or Greek root word which was found, for ease of reference. This numbering system (8674 Hebrew roots and 5523 Greek roots) is now used in works by many other writers and is widely available on the web where it is used in conjunction with Wigram's Englishman's Concordances and Thayer's Lexicon.
A clarification to parts of the above paragraph would be better described as "8674 Hebrew and Aramaic lexical entries; and 5523 Greek lexical entries, but note that there are closer to about 5415 actual entries, since about 100+ numbers were jumped over, for currently unknown reasons." At the end of the Greek Dictionary of the New Testament section of this book is the following Note: "Owing to changes in the enumeration while in progress, there were no words left for Nos. 2717 and 3203–3302, which were therefore silently dropped out of the vocabulary and references as redundant. This will occasion no practical mistake or inconvenience." Further, note that modern lexical Old Testament
systems currently separate out the Aramaic entries from the Hebrew entries, a practice done since at least the time of the early 20th century, as for example in the Hebrew lexicon commonly known as "Brown-Driver-Briggs."
Another major contribution was to the magisterial "Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature" (10 vols., 1867–81; supplement, 2 vols., 1885–7). Work on this project, having begun in 1853, Strong played second fiddle to Dr. John McClintock and did so for the preparation of the first few volumes. However, with Dr. McClintock's death in 1870, Strong took sole charge of the project to see it to its completion.
Mr. Strong was invited by Dr. Phillip Schaff to join the Old Testament Company of the American committee of the Revised Version of the Bible, and worked within that company in preparing both the English/American, and the eventual American revision of the Bible that became known as The American Standard Revised Version of 1901. The American Revision Committee began work in 1871 and continued to work until 1901. Notable scholars of the day who worked on these two translations with Mr. Strong include W.L. Alexander, A.B. Davidson, S.R. Driver, Joseph Lightfoot, F.J.H.Hort, F.H.A. Schrivener, B.F. Westcott, Samuel Wilberforce, Henry Alford, S.P. Tregelles, J. Henry Thayer, Ezra Abbot, Charles Hodge, and of course Phillip Schaff. In all, one hundred and one scholars on both sides of the Atlantic worked upon this historic revision. The sources for this paragraph are from Revised New Testament and History of Revision, Authorized Version 1881. Hubbard Brothers, Publishers; and The Ancestry of our English Bible, by Ira Maurice Price, Harper and Brothers, Third Revised Edition, 1956. The first of these books asserts that Mr. Strong graduated from Wesleyan University
in 1844, in its brief biography of him.
Amongst others, some of his lesser works are "A New Harmony and Exposition of the Gospels" (1852); "Scripture History delineated from the Biblical Records and all other Accessible Sources" (1878) and "The Tabernacle of Israel in the Desert" (1888).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
biblical scholar and educator, and the creator of Strong's Concordance
Strong's Concordance
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, generally known as Strong's Concordance, is a concordance of the King James Bible that was constructed under the direction of Dr. James Strong and first published in 1890. Dr. Strong was Professor of exegetical theology at Drew Theological Seminary at...
.
Biography
Strong was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and graduated, in 1844, as valedictorian from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
. Subsequently, he was mayor of his home town on Long Island. Later, having settled in Flushing, New York, he pursued biblical studies, held various local offices, and organized, built, and was the president of the Flushing railroad. In 1856 Wesleyan University granted him the degree of Doctor of Divinity (D.D.). From 1858 until 1861, Strong was both Acting President and Professor of Biblical Literature at Troy University (New York)
Troy University (New York)
Troy University was a short-lived university established at Troy, New York in 1858 under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The school closed in 1861. The building that housed the university remained a prominent Troy landmark until 1969...
. In 1868 he became Professor of Exegetical Theology at Drew Theological Seminary, where he remained for twenty-seven years. In 1881 Wesleyan honored Strong with the degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D.). He died at Round Lake
Round Lake, New York
Round Lake is a lake and a village in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 604 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from a circular lake adjacent to the village...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1894.
His best known work is Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, first published in 1890, of which new editions are still in print . Adaptations (e.g. Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: 21st Century Edition) are also now available.
For the concordance, Strong numbered every Hebrew or Greek root word which was found, for ease of reference. This numbering system (8674 Hebrew roots and 5523 Greek roots) is now used in works by many other writers and is widely available on the web where it is used in conjunction with Wigram's Englishman's Concordances and Thayer's Lexicon.
A clarification to parts of the above paragraph would be better described as "8674 Hebrew and Aramaic lexical entries; and 5523 Greek lexical entries, but note that there are closer to about 5415 actual entries, since about 100+ numbers were jumped over, for currently unknown reasons." At the end of the Greek Dictionary of the New Testament section of this book is the following Note: "Owing to changes in the enumeration while in progress, there were no words left for Nos. 2717 and 3203–3302, which were therefore silently dropped out of the vocabulary and references as redundant. This will occasion no practical mistake or inconvenience." Further, note that modern lexical 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...
systems currently separate out the Aramaic entries from the Hebrew entries, a practice done since at least the time of the early 20th century, as for example in the Hebrew lexicon commonly known as "Brown-Driver-Briggs."
Another major contribution was to the magisterial "Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature" (10 vols., 1867–81; supplement, 2 vols., 1885–7). Work on this project, having begun in 1853, Strong played second fiddle to Dr. John McClintock and did so for the preparation of the first few volumes. However, with Dr. McClintock's death in 1870, Strong took sole charge of the project to see it to its completion.
Mr. Strong was invited by Dr. Phillip Schaff to join the Old Testament Company of the American committee of the Revised Version of the Bible, and worked within that company in preparing both the English/American, and the eventual American revision of the Bible that became known as The American Standard Revised Version of 1901. The American Revision Committee began work in 1871 and continued to work until 1901. Notable scholars of the day who worked on these two translations with Mr. Strong include W.L. Alexander, A.B. Davidson, S.R. Driver, Joseph Lightfoot, F.J.H.Hort, F.H.A. Schrivener, B.F. Westcott, Samuel Wilberforce, Henry Alford, S.P. Tregelles, J. Henry Thayer, Ezra Abbot, Charles Hodge, and of course Phillip Schaff. In all, one hundred and one scholars on both sides of the Atlantic worked upon this historic revision. The sources for this paragraph are from Revised New Testament and History of Revision, Authorized Version 1881. Hubbard Brothers, Publishers; and The Ancestry of our English Bible, by Ira Maurice Price, Harper and Brothers, Third Revised Edition, 1956. The first of these books asserts that Mr. Strong graduated from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in 1844, in its brief biography of him.
Amongst others, some of his lesser works are "A New Harmony and Exposition of the Gospels" (1852); "Scripture History delineated from the Biblical Records and all other Accessible Sources" (1878) and "The Tabernacle of Israel in the Desert" (1888).