Bush, George, 1796-1859

George Bush was a prominent mid-century biblical scholar, preacher and controversialist. After graduation from Dartmouth in 1818 and study at Princeton Theological Seminary, Bush was ordained at the Salem (Indiana) Presbytery in 1825, and was appointed pastor in Indianapolis. His religious views, described as 'liberal' or 'progressive,' rapidly came into conflict with those of his more conservative parishioners and in 1828, this conflict resulted in his termination.

From 1831 to 1847, Bush was a professor of Hebrew and Oriental languages at New York University and pursued a prolific publishing career that established a strong scholarly reputation. His publications show the earmarks of an encyclopedic knowledge and a highly rational approach to theological and scriptural questions. His fame as a preacher and educator blossomed at N.Y.U., and during this time, too, he became a committed advocate for the immediate abolition of slavery.

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