The Gifford Lectures

The prestigious Gifford Lectures were established in 1887 by Adam Lord Gifford (1820–1887), a senator of the College of Justice in Scotland. The purpose of Lord Gifford’s bequest to the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, and Aberdeen was to sponsor lectures to 'promote and diffuse the study of Natural Theology in the widest sense of the term–in other words, the knowledge of God'. After 135 years of lectures, this book presents a reflection and reevaluation. What were the circumstances leading to the foundation of Gifford’s lectures? What were the aims of the lectures, and to what extent have the lectures delivered fulfilled these aims? And what might be the best approaches in the twenty-first century to honour that intent? This book examines the history of the Giffords in an effort to imagine its future trajectories.