Sylvester Judd
Sylvester Judd was an American novelist and Unitarian minister born in Westhampton, Massachusetts, in 1813. He graduated from Yale University in 1836 and later attended Harvard Divinity School, where he became involved with the Transcendental Club, a group that sought to address the perceived deficiencies in American literature, religion, and philosophy. After his ordination in 1840, Judd served as a pastor in Augusta, Maine, and became known for his public speaking on social issues such as slavery, temperance, and war. He emphasized the concept of birthright membership in the church, advocating for the inclusion of children from birth and promoting the idea that church and community should be intertwined. Judd is best known for his 1845 novel, "Margaret," which reflects his anti-Calvinist beliefs and incorporates the vernacular of everyday people. In addition to this, he published several other works, including a series of papers on his conversion from Calvinism and a poem defending his Unitarian views. Judd's contributions remain significant in discussions of 19th-century American religious and literary thought.
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Sylvester Judd
Writer
- Born: July 23, 1813
- Birthplace: Westhampton, Massachusetts
- Died: January 26, 1853
Biography
Sylvester Judd was born in Westhampton, Massachusetts in 1813. He graduated from Yale University in 1836. While Judd was teaching at a school in Templeton, Massachusetts, in 1836, he attended a religious revival and converted to Unitarianism because he believed he had found the answers to his theological questions. He declined an offer for a professorship at Miami College, and instead he entered the theological seminary at Harvard University. While attending Harvard, Judd joined a group of students who formed an organization called the Transcendental Club. The purpose of the group was to protest the vacuous intellectual climate at both Harvard and Cambridge Universities. Transcendental Club members were generally dissatisfied with the state of American literature, religion, and philosophy.
Judd graduated from Harvard in 1840. On October 1, 1840, he was ordained as a minister in the Unitarian Church. He was assigned as pastor to a church in Augusta, Maine. Judd remained connected to this church until his death in 1853.
In addition to his work as a pastor, Judd was also a popular public speaker. He lectured mostly on social questions, including slavery, temperance, and war. Later in his ministry, Judd devoted himself to the idea of birthright in the church, believing that children should be considered as church members from the moment of their birth. Further, Judd stated, there should be no distinction between church and community, and all citizens should share in the value of receiving the sacraments.
Judd published his first work, a series of papers titled A Young Man’s Account of his Conversion from Calvinism, while in his second year of divinity school. However, Judd is best known for his novel, Margaret, published in 1845. The novel is notable because it presents Judd’s anti-Calvinist views, and it depicts the common language used by ordinary citizens of the time. Judd produced two other works of fiction, a novel and a poem in which he defended his Unitarian beliefs.