Joseph Angus

Joseph Angus (January 1816 – August 1902) was an English Baptist minister, college head, and biblical scholar.

Life The only son of John Angus, a farmer and later a leather merchant, by his wife Elizabeth Wanless, he was born at Bolam, Northumberland. His first schooling was at Newcastle, under George Ferris Whidborne Mortimer, who wanted to send him to Cambridge. As a nonconformist and a member of the Baptist church under Thomas Pengilly at Newcastle, he preferred the University of Edinburgh, where he entered in 1834, after passing a year at King's College, London. In 1835, he studied for the Baptist ministry at Stepney College under William Harris Murch. Returning to Edinburgh with a scholarship under Dr. Ward's trust, he graduated M.A. 27 April 1837.

In 1838, Angus accepted a call to New Park Street chapel, Southwark. In 1840, he was appointed colleague to John Dyer in the secretaryship of the Baptist Missionary Society, and became sole secretary in 1841; there he was a fundraiser, in particular for the mission house in Moorgate Street. In 1849, he became head of Stepney College, which under his presidency moved to Regent's Park College in 1856: he held the post till 1893.

As a theologian Angus was conservative; in a debate of 1870 he upheld the doctrine of eternal torment. He died at Hampstead on 28 August 1902, and was buried in Norwood cemetery.

Works Photographs showing the revisers of the New Testament 1881. Angus is shown far right, second row Angus's major works were:

The Voluntary System (prize essay), 1839. Four Lectures on the Advantages of a Classical Education as an auxiliary to a Commercial Education, 1846. "The Bible Handbook - An Introduction to The Study of Sacred Scripture" 1854 Christian Churches (bicentenary prize essay), 1862; 1864. Egypt and the Bible, 1863. Apostolic Missions, 1871; 2nd edit. 1892. Man, a Witness for Christianity, 1872. Popular Commentary on the New Testament (Hebrews to Jude), 1883. Six Lectures on Regeneration (the Angus Lectureship), 1897.

Angus worked on the bibliography of Baptist authors. Baptist Authors and History, 1527–1800, was printed in the Baptist Handbook in 1894, and issued separately in 1896.

As a textbook writer, Angus produced: handbooks to the Bible (1853; 2nd imp. 1907), to the English language (1864; 1868), and to English literature (1866); and editions of Joseph Butler's Analogy and Sermons (1855; 2nd edit. 1881) and Francis Wayland's Elements of Moral Science (1858). All these were published by the Religious Tract Society.

Family Angus married on 3 March 1841 Amelia (died 1893), fourth daughter of William Brodie Gurney. Of their family of four sons and six daughters, the second son John Mortimer Angus became registrar of the University of Wales.