Baptists and the Bible in the Nineteenth Century

This article explores how some Baptists interpreted the Bible in the nineteenth century, focusing particularly on Joseph Angus, Charles Spurgeon, Esther Copley and Marianne Farningham. In light of evidence from Stepney (later known as Regent's Park) College it challenges the suggestion that Baptist reactions to higher criticism were late and uniformly conservative. It also highlights that biblical interpretation in Baptist churches was shaped not only through those educated at the Colleges but also through the writings of women 'influencers' such as Copley and Farningham, whose work has been overlooked.