Merritt Conrad Hyers (July 31, 1933 – March 23, 2013) was an American historian of religion and ordained Presbyterian minister.[2] He taught for many years at Gustavus Adolphus College, and wrote multiple books on humor in religion and on Zen Buddhism.
Conrad Hyers | |
---|---|
Born | Merritt Conrad Hyers July 31, 1933 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
Died | March 23, 2013 East Fallowfield Township, Pennsylvania, US | (aged 79)
Spouse | Geraldine Hyers[1] |
Ecclesiastical career | |
Religion | Christianity (Presbyterian) |
Church | Presbyterian Church (USA) |
Alma mater | |
Academic career | |
Discipline | Religious studies |
Institutions |
Early life and education
editHyers was born on July 31, 1933, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree at Carson–Newman University in 1954, and a bachelor of divinity from the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1958.[3] He then earned a master of theology from the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1959, and completed his doctor of philosophy degree in theology and the philosophy of religion from the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1965.[4]
Academic career
editHe taught the history of religion at Beloit College and then, beginning in 1977, at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.[4] In 1986 he was the inaugural winner of the Gustavus Scholarly Accomplishment Award of the college, "the highest accolade a Gustavus faculty member can receive for distinguished scholarly achievements".[5] He retired in 1997.[4]
Personal life
editIn 1977 and 1978, after first arriving at Gustavus Adolphus, Hyers and his family rented an 1850-era house in St. Peter. His son, Jon Hyers, later produced a feature-length film, The Haunting of North Third Street (2007), "an independent docu-drama" alleging that the house was haunted.[6]
Hyers died on March 23, 2013, in East Fallowfield Township, Pennsylvania.[1]
Books
edit- Holy Laughter: Essays on Religion in the Comic Perspective (editor, 1969)
- Once-Born, Twice-Born Zen: The Soto and Rinzai Schools of Japanese Zen (1971)[7]
- The Chickadees: A Contemporary Fable (1974)[8]
- Zen and the Comic Spirit (1975)[9]
- The Comic Vision and the Christian Faith: A Celebration of Life and Laughter (1981)[10]
- The Meaning of Creation: Genesis and Modern Science (1984)[11]
- And God Created Laughter: The Bible as Divine Comedy (1987)
- The Laughing Buddha: Zen and the Comic Spirit (1989)
- The Spirituality of Comedy: Comic Heroism in a Tragic World (1996)[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c Zimmerman, Debbie (March 25, 2013). "Merritt Conrad Hyers of East Fallowfield Township, Pennsylvania". St. Peter Herald. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ "Candidates for the degree of doctor of theology in residence 1959–1960". Students in the seminary. The Princeton Seminary Bulletin. 53 (4): 113–115. June 1960.
- ^ a b c "Obituaries". Inside Gustavus. 45 (27). May 9, 2013.
- ^ "The Gustavus Scholarly Accomplishment Award". Gustavus Adolphus College, Office of the Provost. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- ^ Dyslin, Amanda (October 17, 2007). "Nightmare on North 3rd". Mankato Free Press.
- ^ Review of Once-Born, Twice-Born Zen:
- Collcutt, Martin (Summer 1991). The Journal of Japanese Studies. 17 (2): 372–376. doi:10.2307/132750. JSTOR 132750.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
- Collcutt, Martin (Summer 1991). The Journal of Japanese Studies. 17 (2): 372–376. doi:10.2307/132750. JSTOR 132750.
- ^ Review of The Chickadees: A Contemporary Fable:
- ^ Reviews of Zen and the Comic Spirit:
- "Review". Kirkus Reviews.
- Franck, Frederick (October 1975). The Eastern Buddhist. 8 (2): 159–161. JSTOR 44361441.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Kenney, J. Frank (Fall 1975). Horizons. 2 (2): 284. doi:10.1017/s0360966900012639. S2CID 171113140.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Rhode, Robert H. (December 1975). Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 43 (4): 806–807. JSTOR 1460802.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Lee, Karen J. (April 1976). Philosophy East and West. 26 (2): 237–246. doi:10.2307/1398192. JSTOR 1398192.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Craft, Carolyn M. (Spring 1976). CrossCurrents. 26 (1): 116–121. JSTOR 24458153.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
- ^ Reviews of The Comic Vision and the Christian Faith:
- Deedy, John (July 1982). Theology Today. 39 (2): 233–234. doi:10.1177/004057368203900230. S2CID 170175954.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Amore, Roy C. (September 1982). Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses. 11 (3): 347. doi:10.1177/000842988201100326. S2CID 171446684.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Jones, Timothy L. (Fall 1982). American Humor. 9 (2): 9. JSTOR 42591222.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Crain, Maxine E. (Summer 1983). Christianity and Literature. 32 (4): 41–42. doi:10.1177/014833318303200413. JSTOR 44311198.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
- Deedy, John (July 1982). Theology Today. 39 (2): 233–234. doi:10.1177/004057368203900230. S2CID 170175954.
- ^ Reviews of The Meaning of Creation:
- Gammie, John G. (October 1986). The Catholic Biblical Quarterly. 48 (4): 718–719. JSTOR 43717303.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Nebelsick, Harold P. (July 1987). Theology Today. 44 (2): 264–266. doi:10.1177/004057368704400214. S2CID 170597099.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
- Gammie, John G. (October 1986). The Catholic Biblical Quarterly. 48 (4): 718–719. JSTOR 43717303.
- ^ Reviews of The Spirituality of Comedy:
- Garrison, Joseph M. (April 1997). Book Notes. Theology Today. 54 (1): 140. doi:10.1177/004057369705400129. S2CID 220982896.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Houck, Anita (October 1997). The Journal of Religion. 77 (4): 676–677. doi:10.1086/490115. JSTOR 1206797.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Humor: International Journal of Humor Research. 10 (2): 219–220. 1997. doi:10.1515/humr.1997.10.2.219.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
- Garrison, Joseph M. (April 1997). Book Notes. Theology Today. 54 (1): 140. doi:10.1177/004057369705400129. S2CID 220982896.