Biography:Alexander Hislop

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Short description: Free Church of Scotland minister (1807–1865)
Portrait of Alexander Hislop

Alexander Hislop (1807 – 13 March 1865) was a Free Church of Scotland minister known for his criticisms of the Catholic Church. He was the son of Stephen Hislop (died 1837), a mason by occupation and an elder of the Relief Church. Alexander's brother was also named Stephen Hislop and became well known in his time as a missionary to India and a naturalist.[1][2]


He wrote several books, his most famous being The Two Babylons: Papal Worship Proved to be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife.

The Two Babylons

Main article: Social:The Two Babylons

This book, initially published in 1853 as a pamphlet, was greatly revised and expanded and released as a book in 1858[3] with several editions.[4]

In the book, Hislop argued that the Catholic Church was a Babylonian mystery cult and pagan, but Protestants worshipped the true Jesus and the true God. He believed that Catholic religious practices are pagan practices that were grafted onto true Christianity during the reign of Constantine. Then, the merger between the Roman state religion and its adoration of the mother and child was transferred to Christianity, merging Christian characters with pagan mythology. The goddess was renamed Mary, and Jesus was the renamed Jupiter-Puer, or "Jupiter the Boy".



Constantine's endorsement of the tradition was a turning point for Early Christianity. In 313, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan legalizing Christian worship. The emperor became a great patron of the Church,[5][6] and set a precedent for the position of the Christian Emperor within the Church and the notion of orthodoxy, Christendom, and ecumenical councils that would be followed for centuries as the State church of the Roman Empire.

Books by Alexander Hislop

(Sources of information include COPAC)

  • The Light of Prophecy let in on the dark places of the Papacy (exposition of 2 Thess 2: 3–12) (Edinburgh, 1846) [7]
  • The Red Republic; or Scarlet Coloured Beast of the Apocalypse (Edinburgh, 1849)
  • The Rev. E.B. Elliott and the "Red Republic" (Arbroath, circa 1850)#
  • The Two Babylons; or, the Papal Worship proved to be the worship of Nimrod and his wife (Edinburgh, 1853 & 1858) [8]
  • The Moral Identity of Babylon and Rome (London, 1855)
  • Infant Baptism, according to the Word of God and confession of faith. Being a review, in five letters, of the new theory of Professor Lumsden, as advocated in his treatise entitled, "Infant baptism: its nature and objects." (Edinburgh, 1856)
  • The Scriptural Principles of the Solemn League and Covenant: in their bearing on the present state of the Episcopal churches (Glasgow, 1858)
  • Truth and Peace (in reply to a pamphlet, entitled "Charity and mutual forbearance" by "Irenicus") (Arbroath, 1858)
  • Christ's Crown and Covenant: or national covenanting essentially connected with national revival (Arbroath and Edinburgh, 1860)
  • The Trial of Bishop Forbes (A lecture delivered in East Free Church, Arbroath) (Edinburgh, 1860)
  • Unto the Venerable the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland: the petition of the undersigned (relates to James Lumsden on "Infant Baptism": Hislop was head signatory of this petition) (Edinburgh, 1860)
  • The Proverbs of Scotland [9]
  • The Book of Scottish Anecdote [10]

References

  1. ↑ H.W. (1897). "Obituary: The Rev. Robert Hunter, M.A., LL.D., F.G.S.". Geological Magazine 4 (8): 382–384. doi:10.1017/S0016756800184249. 
  2. ↑ Kingsford, Charles Lethbridge. "Hislop, Stephen". Dictionary of National Biography. 27. pp. 12-13. 
  3. ↑ The Two Babylons Third Edition. 1998. ISBN 9780766104471. https://archive.org/stream/twobabylonsorpa00hislgoog#page/n6/mode/2up. 
  4. ↑ "The Two Babylons Seventh Edition (online copy)". 1871. https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029406448#page/n1/mode/2up. 
  5. ↑ The Cambridge History of Christianity. Cambridge University Press. Quote: "Christianity did not become the official religion of the empire under Constantine, as is often mistakenly claimed..."
  6. ↑ Encyclopedia Britannica. "Christianity: The Alliance Between Church and Empire". Quote: "...Emperor Theodosius I (reigned 379–395), who made Catholic Christianity the official religion of the empire..."
  7. ↑ "Alexander Hislop". http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235668.Alexander_Hislop. 
  8. ↑ "The Two Babylons Popular Edition (online copy)". 13 June 2023. https://archive.org/stream/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft#page/n1/mode/2up. 
  9. ↑ "The Proverbs of Scotland". http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18866816-the-proverbs-of-scotland. 
  10. ↑ "The Book of Scottish Anecdote". http://www.electricscotland.com/history/anecdote/index.htm. 
  • Ewing, William: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland 1843–1900 (Edinburgh, 1914)
  • Works by Alexander Hislop at Project Gutenberg
  • Error in Template:Internet Archive author: Alexander Hislop doesn't exist.
  • The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop (online)
  • Ralph Woodrow, The Babylon Connection?, 1997, ISBN 0-916938-17-4 (critique from former advocate).
  • Genealogical page on Jamie Hayter's family history site Note: shows different date of birth for Alexander Hislop - clarification being sought

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