Marrow Controversy
Preserved but no longer current.
A memorable struggle in Scotland about 1719 to 1722, between Puritanism and Presbyterianism; so called from Edward Fisher's Marrow of Modern Divinity, a book of ultra-evangelical tendency (pubd. 1644), which was condemned by the General Assembly in 1720.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Marrow Controversy” mean?
A memorable struggle in Scotland about 1719 to 1722, between Puritanism and Presbyterianism; so called from Edward Fisher's Marrow of Modern Divinity, a book of ultra-evangelical tendency (pubd. 1644), which was condemned by the General Assembly in 1720.
Is “Marrow Controversy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.