American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) and “Nominal Christians”: Elias Riggs (1810-1901) and American Missionary Activities in the Ottoman Empire

Dogan, Mehmet Ali (2013) American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) and “Nominal Christians”: Elias Riggs (1810-1901) and American Missionary Activities in the Ottoman Empire. Doctoral thesis, The University of Utah.

Full text not available from this repository.
Official URL: https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=196003

Abstract

In this dissertation, I investigate the missionary activities of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) in the Ottoman Empire. I am particularly interested in exploring the impact of the activities of one of the most important missionaries, Elias Riggs, on the minorities in the Ottoman Empire throughout the nineteenth century. By analyzing the significance of his missionary work and the fruits of his intellectual and linguistic ability, we can better understand the efforts of the ABCFM missionaries to seek converts to the Protestant faith in the Ottoman Empire. I focus mainly on the period that began with Riggs’ sailing from Boston to Athens in 1832 as a missionary of the ABCFM until his death in Istanbul on January 17, 1901. Elias Riggs was one of the most influential missionaries in the Ottoman Empire throughout the nineteenth century, and his life was associated with a period of significant change in the Ottoman Empire and the modern history of missionaries in the Middle East. He was instrumental in the ABCFM’s decision to develop a Protestant publishing enterprise for the peoples in the region. In addition to his editorship of religious periodicals, he published a variety of books for the mission. He was a member of the translation committee for the Turkish Bible and he worked several years on translating the Bible into Armenian and Bulgarian. He had an exceptionally long career and worked in many parts of the region.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Additional Information: A dissertation submitted to the faculty of The University of Utah in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Middle East Studies/History Department of Languages and Literature The University of Utah
Uncontrolled Keywords: Missionary activities in the Ottoman Empire (19th Century); Elias Riggs (1810-1901); "Nominal Christians"
Subjects: A Church/mission history
C Types of Christian Ministry > Missionaries
G Christian traditions/Denominations > Reformed, Presbyterian
Divisions: Balkan countries
Depositing User: Users 1 not found.
Date Deposited: 22 Nov 2019 13:14
Last Modified: 22 Nov 2019 13:14
URI: https://ceeamsprints.osims.org/id/eprint/1705

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item