This thesis is an intellectual biography of John Caird (1820 – 1898). Caird was a minister in the Church of Scotland in the aftermath of the Disruption and at a time when religion and Christianity in particular came under increasing pressure from atheists both within the sciences and arts. Caird served as minister in four parishes before taking the Chair of Theology at Glasgow University. He went on to serve as principal of the university for twenty-five years. As a theologian, he was a disciple of both Spinoza and Hegel, though he was never concerned with the detail of their philosophical systems. Perhaps, above all, Caird was a significant figure of his day because of his oratorical skills as a preacher. He was a chaplain to the Queen, who described Caird as the greatest preacher she had heard. Caird remains a notable figure in the history of the Church of Scotland.