Theistic Evolution.
New Jersey: NP, c.1898. Original Offprint. Author's Presentation Copy. Octavo, 22 pages. Original offprint from The Presbyterian and Reformed Review, Vol. IX, No. 33 (1898), pages 1–22. Retaining the original front printed wrapper. An uncommon offprint of an essay by George Macloskie (1834–1920), Scottish-born American naturalist, theologian, and professor of biology at Princeton University. In Theistic Evolution, Macloskie addresses the relationship between evolutionary theory and Christian theology, examining the possibility of reconciling Darwinian principles of biological development with belief in divine creation and providence. Written during a period of considerable intellectual and theological debate surrounding Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, the essay reflects efforts by religiously committed scientists to demonstrate that evolutionary processes need not contradict the existence of a divine creator. Macloskie's discussion represents an interesting contribution to late nineteenth-century debates concerning natural selection, divine design, and the relationship between scientific inquiry and religious belief. An especially interesting association copy, presented by the author in June 1903 to the Reverend Professor E. H. Johnson, very likely Elias Henry Johnson (1841–1907), the American Baptist theologian and longtime professor of systematic theology at Crozer Theological Seminary in Upland, Pennsylvania. Johnson was the author of several theological works, including An Outline of Systematic Theology (1895), and was an influential figure in nineteenth-century American Baptist theological education. The presentation inscription is particularly appropriate given the intellectual interests of both men, linking a Princeton scientist concerned with the theological implications of evolutionary biology to a prominent contemporary theologian. An attractive association for collectors of the history of evolutionary science, Darwinism, natural theology, nineteenth-century American religious thought, and the intellectual history of Princeton University. Lacks rear wrap, some creases, else in good condition. Item #721
Price: $200.00