Joseph Addison Alexander, often compared to Napoleon Bonaparte for his commanding presence, was a distinguished scholar and professor. Known for his sharp intellect and occasional use of biting sarcasm, he contributed significantly to theological literature. Despite his reclusive nature, his deep friendships and impact on students were profound.

They said he looked like Napoleon Bonaparte.  Students entered the lecture hall in fear and trembling as they anticipated what the lesson would be like. He read sermons with his head bowed motionless over the pulpit but his preaching was admired. He absorbed languages like a sponge; it is believed he knew over thirty. However, there was a softer side to Addison, as he was called, a side that was rarely seen even by his closest friends. The resemblance to Napoleon is not so clear in these portraits, so maybe the students’ interpretation of the two was influenced by their experiences with Addison and his Napoleon like command.

Joseph Addison was born April 24, 1809 the third son of Archibald Alexander. At the time, Alexander was the minister of Pine Street Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. His mother, Janetta Waddel Alexander, was the daughter of a minister in Virginia named James Waddel who was known as “The Blind Preacher of Virginia.” Archibald Alexander continued his pastorate in Philadelphia until the general assembly called him to be the first professor of its Presbyterian Seminary at Princeton in 1812.

By the age of ten Addison had learned the fundamentals of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. By the age of twelve he acquired Arabic and had used it to read the Koran. He entered Princeton College with the junior class at the age of fifteen then graduated in 1826 with highest honors of his class of twenty-nine. His fellow students commented that his intellect and speaking ability surpassed that of some of the college faculty. He was elected a tutor at Princeton College, but instead, at the age of nineteen, he became the teacher of Latin, Modern and Ancient History, Ancient Geography, and Composition in the Edgehill School at Princeton.

Addison studied theology on his own with guidance from his father and others at the seminary including Charles Hodge. He began teaching as Adjunct Professor of Ancient Languages and Literature at Princeton College, 1830-1833, during which time he was licensed and ordained by New Brunswick Presbytery. Following studies in Germany at the universities at Halle and Berlin, Addison began teaching at Princeton Seminary as Instructor of Oriental and Biblical Literature, then in 1835 he was promoted to Associate Professor of the same field before achieving full professorship in 1840. He was transferred to the Chair of Biblical and Ecclesiastical History in 1851, with his final position in the department of Hellenistic and New Testament Literature in 1859.

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