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This study examines how the two strands which made up Presbyterianism in Scotland in the years between 1830 and 1914 coped with the challenges presented to them by the urban crisis which arose in the 1830s and 1840s. The huge increase in the urban population which experienced the effects of cyclical trade depressions and consequent unemployment posed an unprecedented problem to a system of poor relief unable to cope. That system of poor relief was initially provided through voluntary contributions made by the Kirk Session and Heritors of the Church of Scotland. Even after poor relief became the responsibility of Parochial Boards, these Boards were largely composed of office-bearers in the Church. The study covers the years from around 1830 to the outbreak of the First World War. 1830 was chosen because by then the effect of industrial change was beginning to be felt and from then onwards accelerated considerably, most especially in Paisley where traditional weaving soon began to decline. The immigrant population, drawn to Glasgow by the prospect of work, had settled into the subdivided tenements and partitioned town houses which were to cause social problems for the rest of the century. The population of Glasgow grew from around 274,000 in 1830 to 761,000 by the turn of the century, and the Churches found themselves having to address the social problems which grew along with the size of the city. This study ends with the outbreak of the First World War, by which time the beginnings of the welfare state had been established and the energies of the Church of Scotland and the United free Church of Scotland began to be focussed on the process which was to lead to their union in 1929. 2 The study concentrates largely on the west of Scotland because most of the larger studies of the ecclesiastical history of the period have concentrated on Edinburgh and made use of Edinburgh sources. This study is an attempt to redress the balance, but also to recognise that it was in the west of Scotland, first in Paisley with the collapse of the weaving industry and then in Glasgow with the housing crisis which the increase in population through immigration brought about. This study follows two methods. Because its central argument is that Robert Flint’s book Christ’s Kingdom upon Earth, published in 1865, was of crucial importance in the development of a social theology in the Presbyterian Churches of the 19th century, this is an example of historical theology within the history of ideas, and so the research which reflects this aspect of the study has been based on the examination and critical assessment of theological publications, pamphlets, sermons and speeches of the period, all of which provide a rich vein of material on which the conclusions can be based. Because the effect of Robert Flint’s understanding of the Kingdom of God was found initially in the work of those most closely influenced by him, and then later on the context which the theological matrix of the Kingdom of God provided for debates within particularly the United Free Church, this study examines the narrative of the Church’s engagement with society over the period under review, and has involved the study of original church and municipal sources.

This dissertation examines some of the stories in 1 Sam. 16—25 with the particular focus placed on Saul, Doeg, Nabal and the “son of Jesse.” It seeks to discover new meaning in the structure as well as in the characters’ functions in the narratives by studying the stories synchronically and diachronically. One of the mysterious characters in 1 Samuel that has puzzled many a scholar is Nabal the Calebite. This study offers a new scrutiny of his person by paying closer attention to the elements of Nabal’s characterization in 1 Sam. 25 and by considering the role of the geographic setting in providing a contextual backdrop against which the actions of all of the characters of the narrative in general and Nabal in particular can be better understood. Additionally, in order to perceive who Nabal really was and to penetrate deeper into the nature of his abuses of the “son of Jesse,” an attempt is made to read the story against the background of the political environment during the latter period of Saul’s reign. Much in the same way this work studies the function of the character of Doeg the Edomite in 1 Sam. 21 and 22. A few elements of Doeg’s characterization contribute to the mystery of his person. This work aims to offer a solution to the puzzle of Doeg’s identity and explain the nature of his relationship with King Saul as well as his role in 1 Sam. 21—22 by focusing on three areas of his characterization: his Edomite origin, his particular business in Nob and his official status in Saul’s court. The phrase the “son of Jesse” is quite important in 1 Samuel and serves a particular purpose in the thematic development in the second half of the book. Viewed against the background of the Saul/David relationship, it underscores the superiority of the Davidic person in advancing the divine plan for the nation of Israel. Saul’s negative use of the phrase is a sign of his rebellion against Yahweh. Equally, Doeg and Nabal, who join the king in persecuting David, infuse the phrase with additional negative elements. The determination of the historical context for the making of the book(s) of Samuel is the key to understanding the multilayered messages embedded in the stories. All of the main characters in 1 Sam. 16—25 appear to be typical, as the events themselves are carriers of the deep meaning. This study makes an attempt to determine the purposes of the writer(s) of the book(s) of Samuel by paying closer attention to the various patterns in the structure of 1 Sam. 16—25. The roles of history and ideology in making these stories are also considered with the proposal that the making of the book(s) of Samuel after the Exile (5th c. B.C.) might have been instigated by the writer’s desire to create the context needed for further development of the messianic ideas.