Albert Barnes (theologian)

Albert Barnes (December 1, 1798 – December 24, 1870) was an American Presbyterian minister, theologian, and Bible commentator. He was one of the most widely read Protestant biblical expositors of the nineteenth century, particularly through his extensive series of explanatory and practical commentaries on the Old and New Testaments. Barnes was also a leading figure in the New School Presbyterian movement, an outspoken opponent of slavery, and an advocate of temperance.

Early life and ministry

Barnes was born on December 1, 1798, at Rome, New York, the son of Rufus Barnes and Anna Frisbie. He attended Fairfield Academy in Connecticut before entering Hamilton College, where he graduated in 1820. Originally intending to pursue a career in law, Barnes turned towards the ministry following a religious revival at college and his study of Christian apologetics.

He subsequently attended Princeton Theological Seminary, graduating in 1823. His theological education included instruction from Archibald Alexander and Samuel Miller, prominent representatives of the established Presbyterian tradition. Barnes was licensed to preach in 1823 and ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1825.

His first pastoral appointment was at the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, New Jersey, where he served from 1825 to 1830. In 1830 he accepted an invitation to become pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, succeeding James Patriot Wilson. He remained associated with the Philadelphia congregation for the rest of his life, retiring from active pastoral duties in 1867 and subsequently becoming pastor emeritus.

Theological controversy

Barnes became a controversial figure within American Presbyterianism because of his interpretations of certain doctrines associated with traditional Calvinism.

The first significant dispute arose from a sermon entitled The Way of Salvation, originally delivered at Morristown on February 8, 1829, and published in 1830. When Barnes was called to the Philadelphia pastorate, objections were raised by ministers who believed that aspects of his teaching departed from the Westminster Confession of Faith. The controversy was brought before the General Assembly in 1831. Although the Assembly acknowledged that the sermon contained objectionable passages, it considered Barnes's explanations sufficient and directed that further proceedings should cease.

A second and more serious controversy followed the publication of Barnes's commentary on the Epistle to the Romans in 1834. The Reverend George Junkin and other Presbyterian ministers objected particularly to Barnes's treatment of the imputation of Adam's sin, original sin, and the atonement. The dispute resulted in a formal ecclesiastical trial before the Synod of Philadelphia in October 1835. Although Barnes had initially been acquitted by the Presbytery, the Synod reversed that decision and suspended him from the ministry.

Barnes appealed to the General Assembly, which reversed the suspension in 1836 and restored his ministerial standing.

The disputes formed part of the wider theological and institutional conflict between the Old School and New School factions within American Presbyterianism. When the denomination divided in 1837, Barnes identified with the New School party. He nevertheless continued to seek reconciliation between the two branches, a reunion which eventually took place in 1870.

Biblical commentaries and publications

Barnes's lasting reputation rests principally upon his biblical commentaries. His writing was directed particularly towards ordinary Christian readers, Sunday-school teachers, and Bible classes rather than specialist theological scholars.

His early publications included Questions on the Historical Books of the New Testament (1830), followed by his explanatory and practical notes on the Gospels. His commentary on Romans, published in 1834, formed part of an extensive undertaking which eventually produced an eleven-volume series on the New Testament.

Barnes subsequently produced commentaries on several books of the Old Testament, including Job, Psalms, Isaiah, and Daniel. These works became widely circulated in the United States and Britain and were used extensively in Protestant religious education.

In the preface to his commentary on Romans, Barnes explained that his purpose was to make the meaning of Scripture accessible to readers who might otherwise find its doctrinal discussions difficult. He explicitly distinguished his work from a learned critical commentary, although he acknowledged drawing upon the scholarship of earlier writers, including John Calvin, Philip Doddridge, James Macknight, and other biblical commentators.

Among his principal publications were:

• Notes on the New Testament: Explanatory and Practical (eleven volumes, completed in 1860).
• Notes on Job (1851).
• Notes on Isaiah (1840; subsequently revised and expanded).
• Notes on Daniel (1861).
• Notes on Psalms (1864).
• The Atonement in its Relations to Law and Moral Government (1859).
• Lectures on the Evidences of Christianity in the Nineteenth Century (1868).

His commentaries continued to be reprinted and used long after his death, becoming collectively known as Barnes' Notes.

Opposition to slavery and temperance advocacy

Barnes was an outspoken opponent of American slavery and argued that the institution was incompatible with the principles of Christianity. In 1846 he published An Inquiry into the Scriptural Views of Slavery, in which he examined references to slavery in the Old and New Testaments and argued that the proper application of biblical teaching was opposed to the institution.

He believed that American churches bore a particular responsibility for the continuation of slavery because of their willingness to tolerate slaveholding among their members and ministers.

His position was prominently acknowledged by Frederick Douglass in his celebrated July 5, 1852, address, What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?. Douglass quoted Barnes's observation:

"There is no power out of the church that could sustain slavery an hour, if it were not sustained in it."

The quotation expressed Barnes's conviction that the American churches possessed sufficient moral influence to bring about the abolition of slavery, provided they separated themselves from the institution.

Barnes was also an advocate of temperance and published against the traffic in intoxicating liquor. His writings on the subject included Essays on Intemperance (1828) and The Throne of Iniquity, or, Sustaining Evil by Law (1852).

In 1851 he was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the New School Presbyterian Church. During his leadership he contributed to the denomination's strong public positions against slavery and in favour of temperance reform.

Later life and death

Barnes continued his pastoral and literary activities into old age. His extensive writing commitments, often undertaken in the early morning before the day's pastoral work, placed considerable demands upon his eyesight. Eventually, declining vision contributed to his retirement from active pastoral ministry in 1867. He was subsequently given the honorary position of pastor emeritus at First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia.

He remained committed to the reunion of the Old School and New School Presbyterian branches, which was accomplished in 1870. Barnes died in Philadelphia on December 24, 1870, aged 72.

His biblical commentaries remained influential in Protestant churches and Sunday schools throughout the English-speaking world.