Alexander Hislop (born Duns, Berwickshire, 1807; died Arbroath, 13 March 1865) was a Free Church of Scotland minister known for his criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the son of Stephen Hislop (died 1837), a mason by occupation and an elder of the Relief Church. Alexander's brother was also named Stephen Hislop (lived 1817-1863) and became well known in his time as a missionary to India and a naturalist.
Alexander was for a time parish schoolmaster of Wick, Caithness. In 1831 he married Jane Pearson. He was for a time editor of the Scottish Guardian newspaper. As a probationer he joined the Free Church of Scotland at the Disruption of 1843. He was ordained in 1844 at the East Free Church, Arbroath, where he became senior minister in 1864. He died of a paralytic stroke the next year after being ill for about two years.
He wrote several books, his most famous being The Two Babylons: Papal worship Proved to be the worship of Nimrod and His wife.
Books by Alexander Hislop (Sources of information include COPAC):
- Christ's Crown and Covenant: or national covenanting essentially connected with national revival (Arbroath and Edinburgh, 1860) - Infant Baptism, according to the Word of God and confession of faith. Being a review, in five letters, of the new theory of Professor Lumsden, as advocated in his treatise entitled, "Infant baptism: its nature and objects." (Edinburgh, 1856) - The Light of Prophecy let in on the dark places of the Papacy (exposition of 2 Thess 2: 3-12) (Edinburgh, 1846) - The Moral Identity of Babylon and Rome (London, 1855) - The Red Republic; or Scarlet Coloured Beast of the Apocalypse (Edinburgh, 1849) - The Rev. E.B. Elliott and the "Red Republic" (Arbroath, circa 1850) - The Scriptural Principles of the Solemn League and Covenant : in their bearing on the present state of the Episcopal churches (Glasgow, 1858) - The Trial of Bishop Forbes (A lecture delivered in East Free Church, Arbroath) (Edinburgh, 1860) - Truth and Peace (in reply to a pamphlet, entitled "Charity and mutual forbearance" by "Irenicus") (Arbroath, 1858) - The Two Babylons; or, the Papal Worship proved to be the worship of Nimrod and his wife (Edinburgh, 1853 & 1858) - Unto the Venerable the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland : the petition of the undersigned (relates to James Lumsden on "Infant Baptism": Hislop was head signatory of this petition) (Edinburgh, 1860)
Alexander Hislop's Bibliography:
- Ewing, William: Annals of the Free Church of Scotland 1843-1900 (Edinburgh, 1914) - The Monthly Record of the Free Church of Scotland, 1 April 1865, Obituary "Hislop, Stephen". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885-1900. - Smith, George: Stephen Hislop, Pioneer Missionary & Naturalist in Central India from 1844 to 1863 (London, 1888)
