Exhibition talk for: Word and Image: Exhibiting the Holiness Legacy of Adam Clarke
For Communication to Presenters & Mentors
kbrobinson@olivet.edu
Project Type
Faculty Scholarship
Scholarship Domain(s)
Scholarship of Discovery
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Abstract
Word and Image: Exhibiting the Holiness Legacy of Adam Clarke
Adam Clarke (1762-1832) was perhaps the most important preacher and leader within Methodism in the early nineteenth century. Serving as leader of the Methodist Conference three times between 1806 and 1823, he maintained and deepened the theological legacy of John Wesley, cementing the commitment to holiness theology in the new century. Not only was Clarke a prolific preacher, he also produced the most important Biblical commentary of the holiness movement, a massive project of translation and interpretation that consumed over 40 years of his life. Intensive theological and Biblical study made Clarke one of the leading intellectuals of his day, particularly in the fields of Ancient Near Eastern history and languages. So great was the respect accorded to this holiness intellectual that he was even consulted on the early translation efforts of the Rosetta Stone in 1803. As a result, his life personified the intellectual potential of British Methodism and the wider holiness movement.
This exhibition, part of the Material Studies in British Methodism project, brings together depictions of Adam Clarke from Olivet’s extensive collection of nineteenth century British Staffordshire pottery. In so doing, it examines how this preacher, leader, and scholar was memorialized by the Methodist faithful. However, we do not end with the image. Depictions of Clarke are placed alongside early editions of his scholarly texts, intermingling visual and textual representation through word and image. In so doing, this exhibit pursues a dialogue between the legacy of textual scholarship and the visual construction of a Holiness icon. In the interaction between his visual representation on pottery and his scholarly legacy in text, the modern viewer can perceive a life and mind dedicated to holiness.
Permission Type
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Exhibition talk for: Word and Image: Exhibiting the Holiness Legacy of Adam Clarke
Other
Word and Image: Exhibiting the Holiness Legacy of Adam Clarke
Adam Clarke (1762-1832) was perhaps the most important preacher and leader within Methodism in the early nineteenth century. Serving as leader of the Methodist Conference three times between 1806 and 1823, he maintained and deepened the theological legacy of John Wesley, cementing the commitment to holiness theology in the new century. Not only was Clarke a prolific preacher, he also produced the most important Biblical commentary of the holiness movement, a massive project of translation and interpretation that consumed over 40 years of his life. Intensive theological and Biblical study made Clarke one of the leading intellectuals of his day, particularly in the fields of Ancient Near Eastern history and languages. So great was the respect accorded to this holiness intellectual that he was even consulted on the early translation efforts of the Rosetta Stone in 1803. As a result, his life personified the intellectual potential of British Methodism and the wider holiness movement.
This exhibition, part of the Material Studies in British Methodism project, brings together depictions of Adam Clarke from Olivet’s extensive collection of nineteenth century British Staffordshire pottery. In so doing, it examines how this preacher, leader, and scholar was memorialized by the Methodist faithful. However, we do not end with the image. Depictions of Clarke are placed alongside early editions of his scholarly texts, intermingling visual and textual representation through word and image. In so doing, this exhibit pursues a dialogue between the legacy of textual scholarship and the visual construction of a Holiness icon. In the interaction between his visual representation on pottery and his scholarly legacy in text, the modern viewer can perceive a life and mind dedicated to holiness.