Founding Fathers’ Cultural Initiatives in Syria
The founding of the Syrian Protestant College (SPC) was not the unique achievement of the American Missionaries, during the second half of the 19th century, but it was part of a series of cultural activities that the SPC’s founding fathers were major partners in. These ventures started as early as 1834 with the transfer of the American Press, American Mission Press, from Malta to Beirut , to the founding of the Abeih Boy’s Seminary (1843), the establishment of the Syrian Society of Arts and Sciences (1847-1852), the translation of the Bible (1847-1865), the establishment of the Lee Observatory (1874-1979) and founding of the Syrian Protestant College (SPC) (1866) which changed to the American University of Beirut in 1920. These activities highlight the endeavors, interaction, and cooperation between the AUB founding fathers with other missionaries, their students, natives, and local scholars. This academic, cultural, and social collaborations are portrayed through major milestones in AUB Founding Fathers’ work in Syria. All the above projects or initiatives closed or vanished except for the American University of Beirut which developed and flourished through the years.
American Press, 1834-1965
The American Press, established by American missionaries in Malta in 1822 and moved to Beirut in 1834, was a significant early printing press in the region. It published books in seven languages, initially focusing on theology but later expanding to various academic subjects for newly founded schools in Syria. The Press introduced Arabic letters with diacritical marks, known as the American font. Managed by prominent missionaries such as Eli Smith and Cornelius Van Dyck, the Press employed local citizens in various roles, including printing and translating. Notable local scholars associated with the Press included Faris al-Shidyaq and Butrus al-Bustani. Over its 142 years of operation, it published approximately 2,960 books. In the 1950s, it came under the National Evangelical Synod in Syria and Lebanon, rebranding as the National Evangelical Press, managed by Rizkallah Halabi, until its closure in 1965.
Abeih Boys’ Seminary, 1843
In 1843, Dr. Cornelius Van Dyck founded and administered a free of charge Abeih Boys’ Seminary in Mount Lebanon. In 1849 Reverend Simeon Calhoun took over the administration after Van Dyck moved to Sidon. Local teachers and American missionaries formed the instruction team at this seminary like Nassif al Yaziji, Butros al Bustani, and Reverend Daniel Bliss, among others. The mission of the school was to train teachers, prepare boys for higher education, and teach English to theological candidates. Until 1858 instruction language was Arabic to train men in Arabic, the Bible, and sciences later these graduates became preachers in the Syrian villages. The seminary closed during the 1860s Mount Lebanon massacres to reopen after clashes were over and later close during the Lebanese civil war.
Syrian Society of Arts & Sciences, 1847-1851
The Syrian Society of Arts and Sciences was established in 1847 under the guidance of the American Mission of Beirut and the supervision of Cornelius Van Dyck, Eli Smith, and William Thomson. The society included local Syrian scholars and men of the pen like Nassif al-Yaziji, John Wortabet, and Butros al-Bustani, among others. The Society aimed to promote knowledge and expose Arab intellectuals to Western culture. Society members met twice per month and discussed their research and listened to and gave lectures on different contemporary topics. Bustani was the Society's Secretary, and Yazeji was its Librarian of the society’s library which had its own by-laws that detailed the rights of members to borrow, borrowing privileges, penalties for overdue and damaged books all recorded in adequate ledgers.
Translation of the Bible, 1847-1865
In 1847, Reverend Eli Smith, aided by two of the best intellectuals in the Levant at the time, Boutros al Bustani, and Sheik Nasif al Yaziji, started translating the Bible to Arabic to replace an old inaccurate translation. While still on this mission Smith died in 1857 before finishing his task. The American Board of commissioners for foreign mission (ABCFM) chose Dr. Cornelius Van Dyck, an outstanding linguist, as the successor to Smith. He completed the translation in 1865 the result was version of the Arabic Bible highly regarded for its linguistic accuracy and cultural sensitivity. Van Dyck traveled to the United States to print his Arabic Bible. This Bible is still used by Arabic-speaking Christian communities and scholars and will remain an important reference for those interested in the history of Arabic Bible translation.
Lee Observatory, 1874-1979
After founding the Syrian Protestant College in 1866, the original Lee Astro-Physical Observatory, first and oldest astronomical observatory in the modern Middle East, was built in 1874 by Dr. Cornelius Van Dyck, first professor of internal medicine and astronomy. An enthusiastic astronomer, Van Dyck received a donation of 150 English gold pounds from a British merchant, Henry Lee for this project. Professor Robert West reconstructed the entire building in the 1890s. The Observatory had a twin role, sky gazing and meteorological forecasting for the region. Its reputation reached Japan, Australia, Turkey, and Europe. In 1978, the observatory was closed, and the building was used by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as a conference center. Briefly the home of the Art Center in 2000-2001, it later housed the Facilities Planning and Design Unit, currently it houses Farouk Jabre Center for Arabic and Islamic Science and Philosophy.