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Estate sale find, vintage original Early American Imprint Harvard Dudleian Lectures A Discourse on Revealed Religion by the Reverend Reuben Puffer, May 11, 1808.
The Dudleian lectures are a series of prestigious lectures on religion at Harvard University, where they are the oldest endowed lectureship.
They were held annually and without interruption from 1755 to 1857 when they were suspended by the board of trustees "in order that the Fund, now in their judgment insufficient to support the charge of the same, may accumulate."
The lectures were endowed by Paul Dudley in 1750 and specified that the topic of the lectures should rotate among four themes, so that students would hear each one before graduation:
- The principles of natural religion.
- The truths of scriptural revelation.
- "The detecting and convicting and exposing the idolatry of the Romish church, their tyranny, usurpations, damnable heresies, fatal errors, abominable superstitions, and other crying wickedness in their high places."
- "The validity of the presbyterial ordination of ministers" (specifically, in the form practiced at the time in Scotland and Geneva, and among Englishmen who opposed the episcopal ordination of the Church of England).
In accordance with these precepts, the Dudleian lecturers of the 18th century did faithfully promote the doctrines of New England's anti-authoritarian Low-Church Protestantism, and — as L.K. Gilbert argues — wedded them to principles of Enlightenment rationality by associating ecclesiastical with civil tyranny.
The item measures approximately 5.75" X 9", 24 pages, approximate shipping weight 4 ounces.
PLEASE SEE DESCRIPTION AND PHOTOS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS - AS IS - TEARS - CREASES - FOLDS - SOILING - STAINS - The item appears to be in overall Fair to Good Minus used condition, signs of wear, creases, fading, tears, chipping, sunning and age toning, soiling, stains, writing, no odors, please see images.
(C2F5-412)