Professor John Harden Hicks was born in Stephenville, Texas, on February 10, 1887. He studied at Southwestern University (A.B., 1911), Vanderbilt University (B.D., 1913), and the University of Chicago (Ph.D., 1933). A prominent Old Testament scholar, Dr. Hicks published numerous articles, one booklet:
John Harden Hicks joined the Northwest Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1915. He was ordained a Deacon in 1917 and an Elder in 1919. Between 1915 and 1922 he served Methodist churches in Ochiltree, Amarillo (Buchanan Street Church), Hedley, Snyder, and Canyon, Texas.
Rev. Hicks joined the SMU School of Theology (now Perkins School of Theology) faculty in 1922 and retired thirty-five years later in 1957. He was the only Old Testament professor on the School of Theology faculty from 1922 to 1950. Beginning in 1928, he also served as Director of the School of Theology’s A. V. Lane Museum - an eclectic collection of archaeological and cultural artifacts from around the world. John Harden Hicks’ approach to teaching is summarized in the School of Theology catalog of 1925-1926, which states:
It is the purpose of the department of Old Testament to acquaint the student not only with the Hebrew language as a basis for accurate study of the Old Testament literature, but also with the life, customs, manners, and thought of the Old Testament period. An attempt will be made to have the Hebrews live again in the thinking of the student and through this vital contact with a living people to furnish the inspiration for meeting the problems in his own life. It will never be forgotten that in the Old Testament are the roots of our own ideals of Christian living.
After retiring from Southern Methodist University, Dr. Hicks served on the religion faculty of McMurry College, Abilene, Texas, 1957-1963. In addition to his classroom teaching, John H. Hicks was a popular Bible conference speaker.
John Harden and Elizabeth Clark Hicks were the parents of one son: John Harden Hicks, Jr. In 2000, Hicks’ grandsons, Tom Hicks of Dallas and Steve Hicks of Austin, established the Dr. John H. Hicks Memorial Scholarship Fund to provide financial support for a Perkins School of Theology graduate student conducting research in archaeology or the Old Testament.
Sources:
"Dr. Hicks, Professor of Bible, Dies."
Grimes, Lewis Howard, and Roger Loyd. 1993.
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. 1964.
The John Harden Hicks papers comprise two linear feet of research files, course notes, office papers, and photographs. Most of these documents were generated or collected by Dr. Hicks during his teaching career at Southern Methodist University (1922-1957) and McMurry College (1957-1963). Materials of special note include copies of Dr. Hicks’s class-opening prayers, information about his trip to Palestine in 1936, correspondence with other scholars, and data about speaking engagements.
When Wanda Smith inventoried the John Harden Hicks papers in 2000, she remarked: "The contents of the folders in these boxes are hopelessly mixed and scrambled, turned upside down, backward, forward." No original order was evident in 2010 when the collection was arranged into two general series by Timothy Binkley. The folders in each series are arranged alphabetically by title.
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[Identification of item], John Harden Hicks papers, Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.
Acquired prior to 1980.
This collection was arranged and described in 2010 by Timothy S. G. Binkley.
Lara Corazalla, 2010.
The first series consists of fifty-nine folders of teaching papers. Some files contain background information used by Dr. Hicks in preparing his courses, lectures, and articles. Two folders contain academic papers written by Dr. Hicks. The remaining folders bear the names of actual course titles or topics. Though content varies, these files often contain lecture outlines and course examinations. The earliest item in this series is a pamphlet about Easter that was published in 1905. Undated coursework materials may date any time between 1922 and 1963.
The second series of John Harden Hicks papers consists of twenty-six folders of documents related to activities outside of the classroom including office administration, book publishing, public speaking, and membership in professional organizations. Series two materials date between 1911 and 1963.
Some items may be more personal than business-related. For instance, the photograph in box 501B, file 6, is of an unnamed woman holding an infant. The style of dress and photo suggest that this may be an image of Elizabeth Clark Hicks and their son, John Harden Hicks, Jr., who was born in 1917. All other photographs in the collection are located in box 501A, file 14: "International Travel."