Peniel College began as Texas Holiness University, founded by B.
[1][2] It was then established on a 37-acre campus[3] in 1899 by A. M. Hills and a small holiness community at Holiness, later called Peniel and now part of Greenville, Texas.
[5] The school then became one of the first three "official" Nazarene educational institutions in 1908,[4] supported by the Dallas District Church of the Nazarene, and the name was changed to Peniel College.
[5] Peniel's presidents included A. M. Hills, Edgar Ellyson[7] (1907-1911), Roy T. Williams[3] (1911-1913), J.
B. Chapman (1913-1918),[8] and A. K. Bracken, who took the presidency at Bethany-Peniel College in 1920.