THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
In 1584 an armed foray from Milan was planned for the destruction of the Valtellina Protestants and their school, but it was betrayed and failed. In 1621, however, the Spaniards invaded the region, killed 600 Protestants (the so-called ‘‘ Valtellina massacre’), and with one blow ended the school and the domination’ of the Swiss Grisons. For nineteen years the latter strove in vain to recover their subjects,’ but in 1639 Valtellina passed under the control of the chapter of Milan, which forbade all exercise of the Reformed religion. Every effort, even with the help of England and Prussia, to secure mitigation was in vain. Temporary relief was given by the edict of toleration of Joseph II., but in 1796 Napoleon entered Milan, and in the following year made Valtellina part of the Cisalpine republic, since which time its fortunes have been those of upper Italy. (C. CAMENISCH.) BIBLIOGRAPHY: Sources are: Hidgendssische Abschiede, vols. iv.-v., ed. J. Strickler, Brugg, 1873 sqq.; the Relazione of Giacomo and Girolamo Soranzo, included in N. Barozzi and G. Berchet, Relazioni degli stati europet, Venice, 1856 sqq.; E. Roth, Mery de Vic et Padavino, in Quellen zur Schweizergeschichte, vol. v., Basel, 1881; the Historia Retica, in the same, vol. ix., ib. 1890; Wirz, Akten der rémischen Curie, in the same, vol. xvi., ib. 1895; as well as Bullinger’s correspondence in vols. xvili._xxv. of the same; Nuntiaturberichte aus der Schweiz, ed. F. Steffens and H. Reinhardt, vol. i., Solothurn, 1906; G. Alberti, Antichita di Bormio, and F. F. Ninguarda, Atti della visita pastorale diocesana, in ‘‘ Publications of the Como Historical Society,’? Como, 1890 sqq.; Paolo Sarpi, Breve Relatione di Valtellina, in Appendix, vol. ii. of his Opere, Verona, 1758, and in U. Martinelli, La Campagna del marchese di Ceuvres, Citta di Castello; also Sarpi’s Hist. of the Council of Trent, London, 1676. Consult also: the literature under Borromso, Caro (biographies of him contain much from the sources); KoMANDER, JOHANN; and the works on the REFORMATION in Switzerland; C. Camenisch, Carlo Borromeo und die Gegenreformation im Veltlin, Chur, 1901; P. A. Lavizari, Memorie della Valtellina, Coira, 1716; C. Cantu, Rivoluzione della Valtellina, Como, 1831; idem, II sacro macello di Valtellina, Milan, 1885; G. Romegialli, Storia della Valtellina, Sondrio, 1834; B. Anhorn, Wiedergeburt der evangelischen Kirche in den 3 Biinden, Chur, 1860; E. Haffter and Georg Tenatsch, Beitrige zur Geschichte der Biindner Wirren, Davos, 1894; J. G. Mayer, Das Konzil von Trient und die Gegenreformation in der Schweiz, Stans, 1901-03; J. Dierauer, Geschichte der schweizerischen Hidgenossenschaft, vol. iii, Gotha,1907; Schaff, Christian Church, vii. 146, 157, 160.
VAMVAS, vam’vis, NEOPHYTOS: Greek Orthodox; b. in Chios in the latter part of the eighteenth century; d. at Athens 1855. He was first a monk, apparently in Patmos, and later returned to Chios for further study, completing his education at Paris. In 1813 he was appointed teacher at the gymnasium of his native island, and during the Greek war for independence was secretary to Prince Demetrius Ypsilanti. He was then a teacher at the Ionic Academy in Corfu (1828-33) and at Syra (1833-37), and from 1837 until his death was professor at the University of Athens. A representative of liberalism in Church and State, Vamvas became known to the West by being involved in the struggle of the British and Foreign Bible Society in Greece. This society determined, in the second decade of the nineteenth century, to translate the Old Testament without the Apocrypha from Hebrew into Romaic, and Vamvas was engaged to assist in the work as a Greek scholar. In 1833 the Greek Church became independent, and the eleventh para-
RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Valtellina Van Horne
graph of its statutes required the synod to protect pure doctrine and guard against proselytizing. Under these circumstances, a storm of protest arose against a translation which not only undermined the authority of the Septuagint, but also lacked the Apocrypha, especially as there was an earnest desire to educate the people to use the Old Testament in the Septuagint and the New Testament in the original Greek instead of a Romaic version. So sharp became the controversy that in Apr., 1835, the government forbade the use of the new translations in schools and churches, thus restoring the authority of the Septuagint. The orthodox party was not satisfied, however, and Vamvas was denounced as the chief translator for the English. He replied in a “ Brief Answer’ (Athens, 1836), defending the translation and his work on it on both religious and scientific grounds, and referring pointedly to abuses existing in the Greek Church, particularly in the ignorance of the clergy. He was now obliged to defend his alleged attacks on the Septuagint before the synod, which condemned both his ‘“‘ Brief Answer ”’ and his pamphlet ‘‘ On the Modern Greek Church” (Athens, 1839), and sought in vain to have the government proceed against him. Though the entire affair ended disastrously for the Bible Society, Vamvas was instrumental in arousing a more active study of the Bible among his countrymen.
Vamvas was likewise active in other departments of theology. Besides a work on the inspiration of the Scriptures, he wrote a ‘‘ Handbook of the Rhetoric of the Sacred Pulpit ”’ (Athens, 1851), but became most famous for his ‘‘ Elements of Ethics ”’ (1818), a rationalistic philosophy of religion and system of ethics. The great ethical principles he held to be God and the human conscience, and he divided duties into those toward God, toward self, and toward man. The proof of the existence of God forms the introduction to the duties toward the Deity, and the demonstration of the immortality of the soul that of the duties toward self; while the theory of human society forms the preface to the duties toward man. (Puitipp Myer.) BipitiocRaAPpHy: J. Wenger, Beitrige zur Kenntnis des ge-
genwirtigen Geistes . . . der griechischen Kirche, Berlin,
1839; R. Nicolai, Geschichte der neugriechischen Littera-
tur, p. 128, Leipsic, 1876; A. D. Kyriakos, Geschichte der
orientalischen Kirche, 1463-1898, ib. 1902.
VAN BUREN, JAMES HEARTT: Protestant Episcopal missionary bishop of Porto Rico; b. at Watertown, N. Y., July 7, 1850. He was educated at Yale (A.B., 1873) and at Berkeley Divinity School, Middletown, Conn. (graduated 1876). He was ordained to the priesthood in 1876, and was rector of St. Peter’s, Milford, Conn. (1876-78), Trinity, Seymour, Conn. (1878-80), St. Paul’s, Englewood, N. J. (1880-84), St. Paul’s, Newburyport, Mass. (1884-90), and St. Stephen’s, Lynn, Mass. (1890-1901). In 1902 he was consecrated bishop of the missionary district of Porto Rico. He has written Latin Hymns in English Verse (Boston, 1904).
VAN DYCK, van daik, CORNELIUS VAN ALEN: Reformed Dutch medical missionary; b. at Kinderhook, N. Y., Aug. 13, 1818; d. at Beirut Aug.
13, 1895. He was educated at Kinderhook Academy, and in medicine at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia (1839); appointed missionary of the A. B. C. F. M. for Syria, 1839; sailed from Boston for Beirut Jan., 1840; was ordained by Syrian Mission in council, Jan. 14, 1846; principal of Missionary Seminary, 1848-52; then missionary in the Sidon field till 1857; translator of the Bible into Arabic from 1857, and manager of the Mission Press, 1857-80; physician to St. John’s Hospital, and professor of pathology in the Syrian Protestant College, Beirut, till 1882; after that, physician to St. George’s Hospital. He was “‘ broad Calvinistic ” in his theology. He taught Hebrew in Union Theological Seminary, New York City, while superintending the printing of his translation of the Arabic Bible at the American Bible Society, 1866-67. He translated into Arabic the Westminster Assembly’s Shorter Catechism (Beirut, 1843); Schénberg-Cotta Family (1885); and was the author in Arabic of various text-books in mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. He was noted for his mastery of the Arabic language and literature.
VAN DYKE, HENRY JACKSON: Presbyterian; b. at Germantown, Pa., Nov. 10, 1852. He was educated at Princeton College (A.B., 1873) and at Princeton Theological Seminary (graduated 1877). In 1878 he studied at the University of Berlin, and upon his return to the United States held pastorates at the United Congregational Church, Newport, R. I. (1879-82), and the Brick Presbyterian Church, New York City (1883-1900); became professor of English literature in Princeton University, 1900. His writings include: The Reality of Religion (New York, 1884); The Story of the Psalms (1887); Sermons to Young Men (1893); The Christ Child in Art (1894); The Other Wise Man (1896); The Gospel for an Age of Doubt (1896); The First Christmas Tree (1897); The Builders, and other Poems (1897); The Lost Word (1898); The Gospel for a World of Sin (1899); The Toiling of Felix, and other Poems (1900); The Poetry of the Psalms (1900); The Friendly Year (1900); The Ruling Passion (1901); The Open Door (Philadelphia, 1903); Music, and other Poems (New York, 1904); The School of Life (1905); Essays in Application (1905); The Spirit of Christmas (1905); Days off, and Other Digressions (1907); The Music-Lover (1907); Counsels by the Way (1908); House of Rimmon (1908); Out of Doors in the Holy Land (1908); White Bees and Other Poems (1909); Spirit of America (1910); and Complete Poems (1911).
VAN HORNE, DAVID: Reformed (German); b. at Glen, Montgomery Co., N. Y., Dec. 11, 1837. He was graduated from Union College, 1864; and at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary, N. J., 1867; was pastor of Reformed Church (Dutch), Greenwich, N. J., 1868; of Reformed Church (German), Dayton, O., 1868-75; of First Reformed Church (German), Philadelphia, 1875-88; professor of systematic theology in and president of the Heidelberg Theological Seminary, Tiffin, O., 1888- 1907; since 1907 he holds the same position in the New Central Theological Seminary, Dayton, O. His theological position is conservative. His publica-
Van Kirk Vandals
tions embrace an edition of the Heidelberg Catechism (Philadelphia, 1881, 9th ed., Cleveland, 1908) ; History of the Reformed Church in Philadelphia (Philadelphia, 1876); Tent and Saddle Life in the Holy Land (1885); The Church and the Future Life (Cleveland, 1904).
VAN KIRK, HIRAM: Disciple of Christ; b. at Washington Court House, O., Feb. 13, 1868. He was educated at Hiram College, Hiram, O. (A.B., 1892), Yale Divinity School (B.D., 1895), and the University of Chicago (Ph.D., 1900), where he was fellow (1898-1900). He was pastor of the Jefferson Street Church of Christ, Buffalo (1890-91), Central Christian Church, Nevada, Mo. (1896-97), and Christian Church, Jefferson City, Mo. (1897— 1898); instructor in the Disciples’ Divinity House, Chicago (1898-1900), and since 1900 dean and professor of Biblical theology in Berkeley Bible Seminary, Berkeley, Cal. He has also lectured on oriental history in the University of California since 1902, and was secretary of the Board of Education of the American Christian Missionary Society in 1898— 1900. In theology he is “‘ a moderate in his doctrinal positions and active in the practical administration of his denomination.” He has written The Rise of the Current Reformation; or, a Study in the History of Theology of the Disciples of Christ (St. Louis, 1906).
VAN MANEN, van-m@’nen, WILLEM CHRIS- TIAN: Dutch theologian; b. at Noordeloos, near Gorkum (22 m. e.s.e. of Rotterdam), Holland, Aug. 8, 1842; d. at Leyden July 12, 1905. He received his early education in the schools at Benschop and at Ijselen; entered the University of Utrecht in 1859, studying especially under Opzoomer and Doedes (D.D., 1865, for his dissertation: Onderzoek haar de echtheid van Paulus’ eersten brief aan de Thessalonicensen); was pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church at Abbenbroek (1865-70), at Winkel (1870-75), and at Zierksee (1875-84), showing himself a good preacher and taking a prominent part in the ecclesiastical and theological controversies of the time. In Oct., 1884, he became professor of theology in connection with the Dutch Reformed Church at the University of Groningen, and entered upon his office by delivering an inaugural address on Dec. 11, 1884, his subject being Het persoonlijk karakter der leerstellige godgeleerdheit (‘The personal character of a professorship of theology ”’); the next year he became professor of old (not early) Christian literature and New-Testament exegesis at Leyden, and inaugurated his work in this his last earthly home by an address on De leerstoel der Oud-christelijke letter-kunde (‘‘ The Chair of Old Christian Literature’’). The very title of the chair indicates the point of view to which Van Manen had brought himself. He had now for some time argued against the prevalent habit of distinguishing between the canonical writings of the New Testament and early Christian literature. He embraced the whole down to about 180 a.p. under one category, “‘ Old Christian Literature,’ preferring “old” to “ early’ owing to the previous use of the latter in a different sense.