OXFORD MOVEMENT
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INTRODUCTION
Oxford movement is a 19th-century movement, it started at the University of Oxford. At Oxford, a group of Anglican academics and clergymen were increasingly unhappy with the lack of seriousness with which the establishment regarded its religious duties and with the failure to appreciate the catholic heritage of the church. The movement aimed at a renewal of “catholic,” or Roman Catholic, thought and practice within the Church of England. It was against the Protestant tendencies of the church.
It is a revival of Roman Catholic doctrine within the Anglican Church in the first half of the nineteenth century. Calling for a return to he beliefs of early Christianity, the leaders of the Oxford Movement emphasized religious doctrines (principles) and its practice in daily life. The start of the Oxford Movement is officially marked by John Keble’s Oxford Assize Sermon on July 14, 1833. It is also called “National Apostasy.”
The Oxford Movement was basically a religious movement. Directly this movement had nothing to do with literature. W. H. Hutton mentions in this context: “The Oxford movement certainly belongs to the history of English religion more definitely than to the history of English literature; However, it greatly influenced the literary taste of its era, beyond its own specific members.”
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LEADERS OF THE MOVEMENT:
The following were the Leaders of the movement:
1. John Henry Newman(1801-90):
A clergyman: When the Oxford Movement began, Newman was its intellectual leader. Of 90 Tracts for the Times, 24 of tracts Were written by Newman. John Henry Newman was the driving force behind the Movement. He was called the “indicating number,” by Hurrell Froude. He contributed the considerable work to literature. His sincerity and simplicity are his distinguishing marks as both man and as writer. They are. abundantly visible in his best work ‘Apologia pro Vita Sua (1864)’. He wrote this in self-defense, in reply to Charles Kingsley’s charge of dishonesty against both himself and his new Church. Newman came into action and immediately took up the task of writing an apology to explain his conduct.
Newman’s other works, such as the ‘Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine’ (1845), ‘The Idea of a University Defined’ (1873), and religious novels like ‘Loss and Gain’ (1848) and ‘Callista’ (1856), similarly exhibit his distinctive style. He wrote well, but the only memorable poem witten by him is the famous prayer poem “Lead Kindly Light.”
2. Richard Hurrell Froude (1803-36):
A clergyman: At Oxford he became a close friend of John Keble and John Henry Newman, with whom he collaborated on the ‘Lyra Apostolica’, a collection of religious poems. After his death, Newman and other friends edited ‘The Remains’, a collection of Froude’s letters and journals. He served as a connection between Keble and Newman. He was, doubtlessly, a brilliant young man. He is now chiefly known for ‘Remains(1836). He wrote some poems and Two of the Tracts for the Times were written by him. He was, as he himself said, quite “Hot- Headed”, and offended quite a number of people.
3. John Keble (1792-1866):
A Clergyman and poet: Keble was professor of poetry al Oxford from 1831 to 1841. By 1833, he was known as a leader of the Oxford Movement. The Movement was initiated by his sermon “National Apostasy.” given that year on July 14 at the university chapel. Keble is remembered as much for his lyrics as for his Tractarian role. Among his books of Verse included “The Psalter or Psalms of David (1839)” and the poems for childhood, “Lyra Innocentium (1846)”. He also wrote numerous hymn lyrics, like “O God of mercy, God of might.”
4. Edward Pusey (1800-82):
A clergyman and professor at, Oxford: Pusey’s association with the Oxford movement began in 1833. He was a man of extensive learning. He authored a tract on fasting for Tracts for the Times in 1834. His numerous books include “The Doctrine of the Real Presence” (1855) and “The Real Presence” (1857), along with scholarly works such as “The Minor Prophets, with a Commentary” (1860) and “Daniel the Prophet” (1864). He lent his name to the protagonists of the Oxford Movement, who came to be commonly known as “Puseyites.” However, in nearly every aspect, he is inferior to Newman. As Compton Rickett notes, “he is far less attractive as a personality, more questionable in his methods, and immeasurably inferior as a literary craftsman.”
All the above men saw the Anglican Church as undergoing a period of crisis and resolved to take action to rejuvenate (refresh, revive, revitalize) its authority through sermons and religious tracts. A series of printed pamphlets known as “Tracts for the Times” (1833-41) garnered attention from both within and outside Oxford. The writers of these pamphlets came to be known as Tractarians. These works sparked significant controversy within the Church, and the leaders of the Oxford Movement gained increasing influence at the University.
5. William Ward (1812-1882):
He was an extremely talented man. “The Idea of a Christian Church (1844)” is his best known work. His “Essays on the Philosophy of Theism” collected in 1884) were written to controvert (Contradict, challenge) the views of Mill. His style is inelegant but his ideas stirred his times.
6. Richard Church(1815-1890):
He is the second best after Newman among those connected with the Oxford Movement in the literary quality of their work. His clear and vigorous style, his sympathy are apparent in his monographs on writers as Dante, Spenser, and Bacon. Church also wrote a fairly objective history of the Oxford Movement. It was published posthumously in 1891. He avoids mentioning his own name in this history, despite his significant role in the Movement.
The evolution o the Oxford Movement was displayed in literature as well as in religious and political journals of the time Newman played a vital role in influencing others. The movement inspired novelists and poets as Matthew Arnold, Anthony Trollope, and Charles Kingsley.
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CONCLUSION:
To sum up, the Oxford movement holds a prominent position among the agencies that have contributed to the religious directions of modern England. It broke up the dead level of conventional Christianity, which existed in the English Church during the eighteenth and at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and has done much to take the Church of England.