Manuscript Collection
Files
Download Finding Aid (292 KB)
Identifier
Accession 1782
Inclusive Dates
ca. 1823, 2000
Restrictions
Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections
Collection Size
.25 linear feet, 13 pieces
Language
English;
Scope and Content Note
The Rev. William Cummins Davis Collection consists primarily of a bound 1823 volume titled Lectures on the New Testament: In Which the Four Evangelists Are Harmonized, and the Work Interspersed with Critical Notes and Observations on Several Passages. Published posthumously by Davis’s eldest son, the Rev. Robert M. Davis (1793–1824), this volume is one of eight issued in a projected series originally intended to comprise only two volumes. The work compiles sermons, theological lectures, and critical annotations reflecting Davis’s distinctive interpretations of the New Testament.
William Cummins Davis (1760–1831) was a prominent and controversial Presbyterian minister in the Carolinas during the early nineteenth century. He founded the Independent Presbyterian Church in 1813 and gained widespread attention during the Second Great Awakening for his outspoken opposition to slavery and his teachings concerning the imminence of Armageddon. Davis’s unconventional doctrines challenged prevailing Presbyterian orthodoxy and contributed to significant theological debate and schism within the church.
The collection also includes a scholarly article titled “Heresy, Slavery, and Prophecy: The World of William Cummins Davis” by William B. Bynum, which provides historical and interpretive context for Davis’s life, ministry, and theological influence. Together, the materials in this collection document Davis’s religious thought, his role in early nineteenth-century American Presbyterianism, and the broader cultural and theological tensions of the period.
Provenance
The Rev. William Cummins Davis Collection was donated to the Winthrop University Archives and Special Collections by the York County Library in March of 2022.
Copyright
For information concerning copyright please contact the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University.
Finding Aid Citation
Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Winthrop University, "Rev. William Cummins Davis Collection - Accession 1782". Finding Aid 1569.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/1569