A matter of life and death : an analysis of the theological doctrine of F.D. Maurice

dc.contributor.authorStott, Rosalie Maryen_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-15T18:26:00Z
dc.date.available2024-08-15T18:26:00Z
dc.date.copyright1976en_US
dc.date.issued1976
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of History
dc.degree.levelMaster of Arts M.A.en
dc.description.abstractFrederick Denison Maurice was an Anglican clergy­man who lived in England during the nineteenth century. (1805-1871). He was part of a generation which was experiencing acute religious uncertainty. During that generation many abandoned Christianity entirely, some retreated to more traditional religious beliefs while others attempted to reformulate Christian doctrine. Maurice was among the latter, but although in many ways his reform was along the general lines of liberal and rational reinterpretation, the theology he even­tually formulated was not typical of nineteenth century liberal theologians. This thesis attempts to explain the forces which contributed to his religious doctrine. In studying his intellectual development I have tried to avoid the kind of narrow concentration upon his opinions which has been common to previous studies of the man. These studies have consisted of a purely intellectual analysis of his opinions; no previous work has attempted to explain why he came to hold the opinions he did. His Unitarian background has been noted but not explored. In studying this question I came to the conclusion that, while Unitarianism undoubtedly did have a strong bearing upon his ideas, equally important was the intense evangelical religion held by other members of his family. The theology which Maurice eventually formulated for himself was essentially a radical protest against out­dated aristocratic assumptions about society. In his early years he had been a part of that society and he rebelled against it. He was a classic representative of the narrow, puritanical, work-oriented outlook which characterized the "middle classes" in Victorian England, and his theology was an expression of this background. It was the expression of a "middle class" Protestant mind protesting against privilege and irresponsibility. More importantly, it was a mind convinced that through education men could reach moral perfection on earth, and while he did not formulate a clear theory of his doctrine he paved the way, partly through the publicity associated with his dismissal , for the acceptance of more liberal opinions within the Church of England.en_US
dc.format.extent179 pages
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/19806
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.titleA matter of life and death : an analysis of the theological doctrine of F.D. Mauriceen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
STOTT_Rosalie_Mary_MA_1976_1207649.pdf
Size:
48.4 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format