NOTED THEOLOGICAL SCHOLAR

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 52, 24 November 1928, Page 8

NOTED THEOLOGICAL SCHOLAR

POST IN NEW ZEALAND Dominion Special Service, Auckland, November 23. The Rev.. Dr. Samuel F. Hunter, MA B.D. (Gias.), D.D. (Melb.), minister’ of St. John’s Church, Essendon. Melbourne, was recommended to the Chair of Old Testament Studies in the Theological College by the Presbyterian General Assembly to-day. There were two other applications for the position, one from Rev. D. C. Herron, M.C., M.A., of St. David’s Church, Auckland, and another from the Rev. Alex. Moffatt, M.D., 8.D., of Anderson Parish Church, Glasgow, Scotland. The chair was made vacant by the retirement of the Rev. Professor Cumming, who had held the professorship for nine years. Dr. Hunter took his M.A. with second class honours on Semetic languages, and his B.D. at Glasgow University. At the Melbourne College of Divinity he took his B.D. with first class honours in Biblical and historical theology, and his D.D. by thesis. He won the James A. Paterson Scholarship in Hebrew and Greek in 1910, the John Clark Mile End Scholarship for post-graduate study of Semetics, and the Glasgow University Oriental Society's prize for distinction in Arabic. At the conclusion of his course he was the first man in the Glasgow Theological College, and he was offered the assistant professorship of Semetic languages at Glasgow. Dr. Hunter was minister of St. Paul’s Church, Oamaru, from August, 1915, to July, 1923, and is at present minister of one of the largest churches in Victoria. Both Dr. Hunter and Mr. Herron were proposed to the Assembly, and a ballot resulted in Dr Hunter receiving 147 votes and Mr. Herron 110. The Assembly then decided to accept Dr. Hunter by unanimous vote. The election has practically been made by the Assembly’s decision, but the nomination goes to the Synod of Otago and Southland for actual appointment.