Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2024, History (Arts and Sciences)

This paper examines the antislavery stance of Catholic Archbishop of Cincinnati John Baptist Purcell and his brother, Father Edward Purcell, during the American Civil War. Purcell is an anomaly in that he advocated for the immediate end of slavery when most prominent Catholics did not. This study situates Purcell in state, national, Catholic, political, and social contexts, and shows how Purcell's thoughts on slavery developed in the antebellum and Civil War years. Purcell developed a distinctly Catholic antislavery position that drew from Catholic theology and experience. He received much criticism from other prominent Catholic persons and publications for his stance. This study examines the debates between Purcell and his critics and discusses their impact on the ecclesial unity of the Catholic Church in the United States.

Committee: Brian Schoen (Advisor); T. David Curp (Committee Member); Mariana Dantas (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Clergy; Religious History

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Music Performance/Voice

There are few resources available for countertenors to find operatic repertoire. The purpose of the thesis is to provide an operatic repertoire guide for countertenors, and teachers with countertenors as students. Arias were selected based on the premise that the original singer was a castrato, the original singer was a countertenor, or the role is commonly performed by countertenors of today. Information about the composer, information about the opera, and the pedagogical significance of each aria is listed within each section. Study sheets are provided after each aria to list additional resources for countertenors and teachers with countertenors as students. It is the goal that any countertenor or male soprano can find usable repertoire in this guide.

Committee: Christopher Scholl (Advisor); Kevin Bylsma (Committee Member); Eftychia Papanikolaou PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Music; Music Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1968, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2015, Theology

This dissertation is an historical study of the 1837 debate on Roman Catholicism between Bishop John Purcell (1800-1883) and his Protestant challenger Alexander Campbell (1788-1866). Held for one week in Cincinnati, this debate showcased two of the Ohio Valley's leading religious personalities as they argued about Catholicism in historical, theological, and political terms. This dissertation offers an account of the origins and events of the weeklong debate. It also makes two constructive arguments. First, for Purcell and Campbell participating in the debate was an exercise in “pastoral apologetics.” That is to say, each man understood his participation in the debate as an expression of his ministerial calling. Second, the form of the debate itself provided the conditions for a friendship that emerged between the men in the years that followed. The Campbell-Purcell debate has been recognized as an historically significant event. As Margaret DePalma notes, in United States history “it was the only occasion in which an American Catholic bishop held an oral debate with a Protestant minister” (Dialogue on the Frontier, 96). Beyond this important fact, the debate and the events that followed offer readers two noteworthy takeaways. First, they provide a counter-narrative to what would become a common storyline of Protestant Nativism in the antebellum period. Second, they are a reminder for contemporary Christian theologians that theological disagreement can be simultaneously robust and civil, while also serving as the starting point for Christian friendship.

Committee: William Trollinger Jr., Ph.D. (Advisor); Brad Kallenberg Ph.D. (Committee Member); Vincent Miller Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mark Noll Ph.D. (Committee Member); William Portier Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Theology