Title:
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Two apologists for Catholic Christology : Henry Parry Liddon and Charles Gore
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On going up to Oxford in 1846, Liddon came under the
influence of Pusey and formed a lifelong devotion to him.
Liddon gained an early reputation as a preacher and an analysis
of his sermons suggests the particularly determined character
of his apology for Catholic Cbristolgy. Alarmed by current
theological developments, he used his Bampton Lectures to
refute the new Socinianism, and his appointment as Canon of
St. Paul's in 1870 provided occasions for a more popular
influence. His work constitutes, therefore, the exemplar of
later Tractarian orthodox and of what was thought useful to
reassure believers amidst growing scepticism. That the
theologian whom Liddon had proposed to continue his work of
opposing 'rationalism' shou1d have seemed to Liddon to have so
signally departed from that orthodox is thus a matter of some
interest.
Gore certainly seemed to Liddon and others to belong
within the same High Church tradition. Liddon secured his
appointment as first Principal Librarian of Pusey House. Only
by a careful reading of Gore's larger theological work can
we come to assess how far Liddon was justified in seeing a betrayal
of Puseyism in Gore's contribution to Lux Mundi. Gore used the
Bampton Lectureship to clarify his position and to develop
an imaginative restatement of it and any subsequent assessment
of his concept of orthodoxy must take these and later writings
into account.
Prom the examination of the Christo1ogica1 apologetics
of Liddon and Gore, it is possible to open upon the large
questions of the relation of scientific, historicist culture to
the doctrinal structures of Catho1io Christianity. The
elucidation of the differences between Liddon and Gore, Which
have been both exaggerated and underestimated, may, therefore,
be expected to exhibit not only the pecularities of their
theologies, but also the difficulties inherent in any attempt
at Catho1ic apologetics.
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