William Ralph Inge

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William Ralph Inge (June 6, 1860 - February 26, 1954) was an English author, Anglican prelate, and professor of divinity at Cambridge.

Contents

[edit] Background

He was born at Crayke, Yorkshire, England. His father was William Inge (a provost at Worcester College, Oxford) and his mother Susanna (Churton) Inge. His mother's father was the archdeacon of Cleveland.

W. R. Inge was educated at Eton College and at King's College, Cambridge. He spent his later life in Wallingford, where he died.

[edit] Professional Life

He was a tutor at Hertford College, Oxford starting in 1888.

In 1907 he became a professor of divinity at Jesus College, Cambridge, holding the Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity chair.

He was president of the Aristotelian Society from 1920 to 1921.

He was a columnist for 25 years (1921 - 1946) for the Evening Standard.

He was a trustee of London's National Portrait Gallery from 1921 until 1951.

[edit] Clergy

In 1888 he was ordained as a deacon.

In 1911 he was chosen by Prime Minister Asquith to be the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. He retired in 1934.

[edit] Works

Dean Inge is best known for his works on Plotinus and neo-platonic philosophy, and on Christian mysticism. He was a strong proponent of a spiritual type of religion--"that autonomous faith which rests upon experience and individual inspiration"--as opposed to one of coersive authority; so he was outspoken in his criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church. His thought, on the whole, represents a fine blending of orthodox Christian theology with elements of Platonic philosophy. He shares this much in common with one of his favorite writers, Benjamin Whichcote, the first of the Cambridge Platonists. Much of what he wrote was an attempt to communicate eternal values to the modern world.

He was a prolific author. In addition to scores of articles, lectures and sermons, he also wrote or contributed to over a hundred books in his lifetime.

The following bibliography is a selection taken from Adam Fox's biography Dean Inge.

[edit] Bibliography

Primary Works


Books on Dean Inge

  • Dean Inge, Adam Fox
  • The Gloomy Dean, Robert Helm

[edit] Personal

His wife was Mary Catharine Inge (née Spooner), daughter of Henry Maxwell Spooner. She died in 1949. See Portraits of Mary Catharine Inge.

He was nicknamed The Gloomy Dean because of his pessimistic views in his Evening Standard articles.

He was a supporter of animal rights.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Quotes

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