Congregational church in Ohio where he met his wife. Torrey then attended graduate school in Germany. He studied under Franz Delitzsch, the leading authority on Old Testament criticism and Hebrew in Germany and co-author ofthe famous Keil & Delitzsch Comrnen•tary on the Old Testament. Theodore Zahn, one of the foremost authorities on the New Testament and author ofthe monumental Introduction to the New Testament, was also one ofhis professors. During his studies abroad, Torrey settled the question ofwhether the Bible was the inspired and inerrant vVord ofGod. He knew he could trust it, and he never wavered again. For financial reasons Torrey was unable to finish his graduate work in Germany. Years later Wheaton College awarded him the Doctor of Divinity degree Gune 20, 1907). From Europe he went to Minneapolis where he pastored the Open Door Church and organized the People's Church (Congregational). At the same time he became superintendent ofthe city mission. This work gave him further seasoning in the ministry and showed him the power of the gospel to transform lives. Such a background produced a man who could handle himself and the Bible well, whether on skid row or among theological scholars. Said one biographer, "He could kneel beside a drunk in a mission or explain the gospel at an elegant dinner table." When tfoody was searching for a superintendent for his proposed Bible Institute in Chicago, he was advised to secure Torrey, which he did. Torrey designed the curriculum for the new Bible Institute which became the pattern for many all over
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker