20 Facts About Philip Schaff

Philip Schaff was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and ecclesiastical historian, who spent most of his adult life living and teaching in the United States.

Philip Schaff's father died when he was young and he was sent to an orphanage.

Philip Schaff then traveled through Italy and Sicily as tutor to Baron Krischer.

On his journey Philip Schaff stayed in England and met Edward Pusey and other Tractarians.

Philip Schaff's inaugural address on The Principle of Protestantism, delivered in German at Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1844, and published in German with an English translation by John Williamson Nevin was a pioneer work in English in the field of symbolics.

In 1854, Philip Schaff visited Europe, representing the American German churches at the ecclesiastical diet at Frankfurt am Main and at the Swiss pastoral conference at Basel.

Philip Schaff lectured in Germany on America, and received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Berlin.

In consequence of the ravages of the American Civil War the theological seminary at Mercersburg was closed for a while and so in 1863 Philip Schaff became secretary of the Sabbath Committee in New York City, and held the position till 1870.

Philip Schaff was a member of the Leipzig Historical Society, the Netherland Historical Society, and other historical and literary societies in Europe and America.

Philip Schaff was one of the founders, and honorary secretary, of the American branch of the Evangelical Alliance, and was sent to Europe in 1869,1872, and 1873 to arrange for the general conference of the Alliance, which, after two postponements on account of the Franco-Prussian War, was held in New York in October 1873.

Philip Schaff was, in 1871, one of the Alliance delegates to the emperor of Russia to plead for the religious liberty of his subjects in the Baltic provinces.

Philip Schaff became a professor at Union Theological Seminary, New York City in 1870 holding first the chair of theological encyclopedia and Christian symbolism till 1873, of Hebrew and the cognate languages till 1874, of sacred literature till 1887, and finally of church history, until his death.

Philip Schaff is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.

Philip Schaff served as president of the committee that translated the American Standard Version of the Bible, though he died before it was published in 1901.

Philip Schaff wrote biographies, catechisms and hymnals for children, manuals of religious verse, lectures and essays on Dante, etc.

Philip Schaff translated Johann Jakob Herzog's Real-Encyklopadie fur protestantische Theologie und Kirche into English.

Philip Schaff was commissioned to supervise the first series of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers.

Philip Schaff's son, David Schley Philip Schaff, was a Presbyterian clergyman and professor of church history.

Philip Schaff was married to Mary Schley and they had seven children.

The Philip Schaff Prize is an award given by the American Society of Church History, which he founded in 1888, for works presenting original research on the history of Christianity.