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Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie

February 14, 2023

Kenneth Sylvan Launfal Guthrie (1871-1940), philosopher and writer, was a grandson of feminist Frances Wright and brother of William Norman Guthrie, a Scottish-born Episcopalian priest who issued a series of translations of ancient philosophical writers, "making available to the public the neglected treasures of Neo-platonism".

Among his works was a translation of the complete works of Plotinus (1918). He was also an active prohibitionist. In addition he composed music and wrote poetry. He has been described as a "brilliant but eccentric scholar" by Manly Palmer Hall.[1]

Life

Kenneth S. Guthrie was born in Dundee, Scotland, July 22, 1871. He attended school in a range of cities, including Florence, Lausaune, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Brussels, Hadleigh, Edinburgh, New York, St. Stephen's College, Annandale, N. Y.[2]

He graduated with a B.A., M.A., and G.D., from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, 1890 and 1893; a Ph.D. from Tulane in 1893; A.M., Harvard, 1894. In addition he qualified as an M.D., with three gold medals at Medico Chiurgical College, Philadelphia, 1903. A second Ph.D. was obtained at Columbia, 1915.

However he was never able to gain a foothold in academic life, and was forced to support himself by teaching children, freelance writing and lecturing. A number of his books were therefore written on subjects of popular interest, such as Rosicrucianism, for money.[citation needed]

He was ordained in the Protestant Episcopal Church as a deacon in 1890, and as a priest in 1897. He was then placed in charge of All Saints Church, New York. He held the post of Professor in Extension at the University of the South, Sewanee.

He taught French for five years. He also taught German and French for one term at South Brooklyn Evening High School in 1909-10.[3]

Among his publications before 1931 were The Philosophy of Plotinos; Complete Translation of Plotinos; Message of Philo Judaeus; Of Communion with God; Spiritual Message of Literature; Stories for Young Folks; Why You Really Want to Become a Churchman; Life of Zoroaster, in the Words of his Hymns; the Gathas of Zoroaster, Text, Translation, Criticism; The Mother-Tongue Method of Teaching Modern Languages; Limits and Mission of History of Education; Teachers' Problems, and How to Solve Them; and The Spiritual Message of Literature: A Manual of Comparative Literature with Topical Outlines and Lists of Useful Books for School, College, and Private Use.

An English translation of the Popol Vuh by Kenneth S. Guthrie, Ph.D., A.M., M.D., appears in The Word Magazine beginning in October, 1905 (Vol. 11, No. 1), and contained a valuable commentary.

The translations

The works that he chose to translate are often very obscure. Few of them had ever been translated into English before; in many cases they have not been translated since. In a number of cases French translations existed. He was accused in print of translating from the French, rather than the Greek, a charge he denied. However his translations are better where there was a preceding translation.

During his lifetime he was obliged to self-publish these books, and sell them by post in mimeographed form, often complaining of poverty and lack of recognition and support. Almost all of them have remained in print ever since.

The works of Proclus

Guthrie was involved in 'resurrecting' Proclus. This he did by translating those of his writings which were neither too bulky nor already in print.

He was inspired to do this by a strange visit in 1924. A former Californian miner turned seaman named Emil Verch came to see him in his study at All Saints Church, N.Y. Verch told Guthrie that he had had a vision of a sage by the name of Proclus, giving lectures in a language unknown to Verch. When Guthrie told Verch about Proclus and his works, Mr. Verch begged him to spread the word about this writer by means of an English translation.

Verch had no money to finance the task he had set. Guthrie, in his own words, "tightened an already tight belt by one notch" and set to work. In the process he came to esteem Proclus as one of the greatest ornaments of humanity, approaching as near as possible to the ideal of the 'universal man', in whom every aspect of human nature is exercised and developed in mutual harmony.[4]

The slave-galleries

Before the abolition of slavery, there were facilities in New York for negro slaves. An early mentions of the term "slave gallery" to describe the strange spaces in All Saints' Church dates from a 1916 article in the New York Sun entitled, "Last Remaining Slave Gallery in New York." The article remembered the days of slavery in New York state, painting a somewhat nostalgic portrait of "pickininnies" crowding in the galleries while their Episcopalian masters worshipped below.

In 1921, the Living Church published an investigation of the "Slave Gallery" in what was by then a "venerable but little known Church," remembering the days when Episcopalians brought their slaves to church because it was their obligation to convert them or maintain their faith in God. The articles cited no sources for their stories of the slave gallery, both of which assumed that slavery was in full effect in the 1830s in New York though it was abolished in 1827, and implied that all African American New Yorkers were slaves, though even when slavery was legal, free blacks far outnumbered slaves.

These articles were based on interviews with Dr. Kenneth S. Guthrie, who became Rector of All Saints' in 1915 and was committed to bringing the stories of the slave galleries to light.

In the 1920s, under the leadership of the Rev. Guthrie, the congregation tried to come to terms with the memory of slavery and segregation in its church. In 1924, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the congregation's founding, All Saints' Church put on a pageant in which it remembered the slave gallery and the slaves who sat there. The Church's oral tradition already preserved the memory of a gallery created for and filled by slaves. By the 1930s, guide books reported a "Lincoln Museum" housed in the church, in which an iron shackle and a bill of sale for a slave were exhibited.[5]

Bibliography

  • Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie, Proclus's Biography, Hymns and Works: Master-Key Edition: Putting the Reader in Full Command of the Whole Subject, and Giving the Full Englished Text of All Relevant Inaccessible Minor Works: Editio Princeps. Teocalli, No. Yonkers Platonist Press (ca. 1925).
  • The hymns of Zoroaster usually called the Gathas : for the first time made entirely accessible by transliterated text, translation, dictionary and grammar, introductory tables, analysis, higher and Biblical criticism, complete concordance and subject index, by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie. c1914.
  • Numenius of Apamea, the father of neo-Platonism : works, biography, message, sources, and influence by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie. 1931.
  • Porphyry's Launching-points to the realm of mind : an introduction to the neoplatonic philosophy of Plotinus translated from the Greek by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie ; with an introduction by Michael Hornum. 1988.
  • The Pythagorean sourcebook and library : an anthology of ancient writings which relate to Pythagoras and Pythagorean philosophy / compiled and translated by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie ; with additional translations by Thomas Taylor and Arthur Fairbanks, Jr ; introduced and edited by David R. Fideler ; with a foreword by Joscelyn Godwin. 1987.
  • The Spiritual Message of Literature: A Manual of Comparative Literature with Topical Outlines and Lists of Useful Books for School, College, and Private Use. Brooklyn: Comparative Literature Press, 1913.

References

  1. ^ Manly Palmer Hall, Venerated Teachers of the Jains, Sikhs, and Parsis, ISBN 0-89314-545-9, 1988
  2. ^ All these details from the intro to his Numenius
  3. ^ These details from the back cover of Plotinus Complete Works vols 3 and 4, Kessinger Publishing
  4. ^ "The Life of Proclus, or, Concerning Happiness" by Marinus of Samaria. Translated by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie.... with an introduction by John Michell. Phanes Press, 1986. From the introduction by JM, Pp.9-10. This in turn may be derived from Lucas Siorvanes, Proclus: Neo-Platonic Philosophy and Science, Yale 1996 p.40, which refers to Guthrie's own introduction.
  5. ^ Edgar W. Hopper, The St. Augustine's Restoration And Preservation Project, Activating the Past: An International Symposium on Historic Sites of Conscience. University of Michigan. March 19, 2004

External links

February 14, 2023
kenneth, sylvan, guthrie, kenneth, sylvan, launfal, guthrie, 1871, 1940, philosopher, writer, grandson, feminist, frances, wright, brother, william, norman, guthrie, scottish, born, episcopalian, priest, issued, series, translations, ancient, philosophical, wr. Kenneth Sylvan Launfal Guthrie 1871 1940 philosopher and writer was a grandson of feminist Frances Wright and brother of William Norman Guthrie a Scottish born Episcopalian priest who issued a series of translations of ancient philosophical writers making available to the public the neglected treasures of Neo platonism Among his works was a translation of the complete works of Plotinus 1918 He was also an active prohibitionist In addition he composed music and wrote poetry He has been described as a brilliant but eccentric scholar by Manly Palmer Hall 1 Contents 1 Life 2 The translations 3 The works of Proclus 4 The slave galleries 5 Bibliography 6 References 7 External linksLife EditKenneth S Guthrie was born in Dundee Scotland July 22 1871 He attended school in a range of cities including Florence Lausaune Frankfurt Wiesbaden Brussels Hadleigh Edinburgh New York St Stephen s College Annandale N Y 2 He graduated with a B A M A and G D from the University of the South in Sewanee Tennessee 1890 and 1893 a Ph D from Tulane in 1893 A M Harvard 1894 In addition he qualified as an M D with three gold medals at Medico Chiurgical College Philadelphia 1903 A second Ph D was obtained at Columbia 1915 However he was never able to gain a foothold in academic life and was forced to support himself by teaching children freelance writing and lecturing A number of his books were therefore written on subjects of popular interest such as Rosicrucianism for money citation needed He was ordained in the Protestant Episcopal Church as a deacon in 1890 and as a priest in 1897 He was then placed in charge of All Saints Church New York He held the post of Professor in Extension at the University of the South Sewanee He taught French for five years He also taught German and French for one term at South Brooklyn Evening High School in 1909 10 3 Among his publications before 1931 were The Philosophy of Plotinos Complete Translation of Plotinos Message of Philo Judaeus Of Communion with God Spiritual Message of Literature Stories for Young Folks Why You Really Want to Become a Churchman Life of Zoroaster in the Words of his Hymns the Gathas of Zoroaster Text Translation Criticism The Mother Tongue Method of Teaching Modern Languages Limits and Mission of History of Education Teachers Problems and How to Solve Them and The Spiritual Message of Literature A Manual of Comparative Literature with Topical Outlines and Lists of Useful Books for School College and Private Use An English translation of the Popol Vuh by Kenneth S Guthrie Ph D A M M D appears in The Word Magazine beginning in October 1905 Vol 11 No 1 and contained a valuable commentary The translations EditThe works that he chose to translate are often very obscure Few of them had ever been translated into English before in many cases they have not been translated since In a number of cases French translations existed He was accused in print of translating from the French rather than the Greek a charge he denied However his translations are better where there was a preceding translation During his lifetime he was obliged to self publish these books and sell them by post in mimeographed form often complaining of poverty and lack of recognition and support Almost all of them have remained in print ever since The works of Proclus EditGuthrie was involved in resurrecting Proclus This he did by translating those of his writings which were neither too bulky nor already in print He was inspired to do this by a strange visit in 1924 A former Californian miner turned seaman named Emil Verch came to see him in his study at All Saints Church N Y Verch told Guthrie that he had had a vision of a sage by the name of Proclus giving lectures in a language unknown to Verch When Guthrie told Verch about Proclus and his works Mr Verch begged him to spread the word about this writer by means of an English translation Verch had no money to finance the task he had set Guthrie in his own words tightened an already tight belt by one notch and set to work In the process he came to esteem Proclus as one of the greatest ornaments of humanity approaching as near as possible to the ideal of the universal man in whom every aspect of human nature is exercised and developed in mutual harmony 4 The slave galleries EditBefore the abolition of slavery there were facilities in New York for negro slaves An early mentions of the term slave gallery to describe the strange spaces in All Saints Church dates from a 1916 article in the New York Sun entitled Last Remaining Slave Gallery in New York The article remembered the days of slavery in New York state painting a somewhat nostalgic portrait of pickininnies crowding in the galleries while their Episcopalian masters worshipped below In 1921 the Living Church published an investigation of the Slave Gallery in what was by then a venerable but little known Church remembering the days when Episcopalians brought their slaves to church because it was their obligation to convert them or maintain their faith in God The articles cited no sources for their stories of the slave gallery both of which assumed that slavery was in full effect in the 1830s in New York though it was abolished in 1827 and implied that all African American New Yorkers were slaves though even when slavery was legal free blacks far outnumbered slaves These articles were based on interviews with Dr Kenneth S Guthrie who became Rector of All Saints in 1915 and was committed to bringing the stories of the slave galleries to light In the 1920s under the leadership of the Rev Guthrie the congregation tried to come to terms with the memory of slavery and segregation in its church In 1924 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the congregation s founding All Saints Church put on a pageant in which it remembered the slave gallery and the slaves who sat there The Church s oral tradition already preserved the memory of a gallery created for and filled by slaves By the 1930s guide books reported a Lincoln Museum housed in the church in which an iron shackle and a bill of sale for a slave were exhibited 5 Bibliography EditKenneth Sylvan Guthrie Proclus s Biography Hymns and Works Master Key Edition Putting the Reader in Full Command of the Whole Subject and Giving the Full Englished Text of All Relevant Inaccessible Minor Works Editio Princeps Teocalli No Yonkers Platonist Press ca 1925 The hymns of Zoroaster usually called the Gathas for the first time made entirely accessible by transliterated text translation dictionary and grammar introductory tables analysis higher and Biblical criticism complete concordance and subject index by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie c1914 Numenius of Apamea the father of neo Platonism works biography message sources and influence by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie 1931 Porphyry s Launching points to the realm of mind an introduction to the neoplatonic philosophy of Plotinus translated from the Greek by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie with an introduction by Michael Hornum 1988 The Pythagorean sourcebook and library an anthology of ancient writings which relate to Pythagoras and Pythagorean philosophy compiled and translated by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie with additional translations by Thomas Taylor and Arthur Fairbanks Jr introduced and edited by David R Fideler with a foreword by Joscelyn Godwin 1987 The Spiritual Message of Literature A Manual of Comparative Literature with Topical Outlines and Lists of Useful Books for School College and Private Use Brooklyn Comparative Literature Press 1913 References Edit Manly Palmer Hall Venerated Teachers of the Jains Sikhs and Parsis ISBN 0 89314 545 9 1988 All these details from the intro to his Numenius These details from the back cover of Plotinus Complete Works vols 3 and 4 Kessinger Publishing The Life of Proclus or Concerning Happiness by Marinus of Samaria Translated by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie with an introduction by John Michell Phanes Press 1986 From the introduction by JM Pp 9 10 This in turn may be derived from Lucas Siorvanes Proclus Neo Platonic Philosophy and Science Yale 1996 p 40 which refers to Guthrie s own introduction Edgar W Hopper The St Augustine s Restoration And Preservation Project Activating the Past An International Symposium on Historic Sites of Conscience University of Michigan March 19 2004External links EditWorks by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie at Project Gutenberg Works by Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie at LibriVox public domain audiobooks Works by or about Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie at Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie amp oldid 1098257618, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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