William Ralph Inge () (6 June 1860 – 26 February 1954) was an English author, Anglican

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

, professor of

divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, and

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of St Paul's Cathedral, which provided the appellation by which he was widely known, Dean Inge. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times.

Early life and education

He was born on 6 June 1860 in

Crayke Crayke is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, about east of Easingwold. Etymology The name ''Crayke'' is of Brittonic origin, derived from the neo-Brittonic Cumbric ''crẹ:g'', meaning "a crag" o ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. His father was

William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...

, Provost of Worcester College, Oxford, and his mother Susanna Churton, daughter of

Edward Churton Edward Churton (26 January 1800 – July 1874) was an English churchman and Spanish scholar. Life He was born on 26 January 1800 at Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire, the second son of Ralph Churton, archdeacon of St David's. He was educated a ...

, Archdeacon of Cleveland. Inge was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, where he was a King's Scholar and won the

Newcastle Scholarship The Newcastle Scholarship is an annual prize awarded at Eton College in England for the highest performance in a series of special written examinations taken over the course of a week. It was instituted and first awarded in 1829 and is the college ...

in 1879, and at

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

, where he won a number of prizes, as well as taking firsts in both parts of the

Classical Tripos The Classical Tripos is the taught course in classics at the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge. It is equivalent to Literae Humaniores at Oxford. It is traditionally a three-year degree, but for those who have not previously studied ...

Career

Positions held

He was a tutor at

Hertford College, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The col ...

, starting in 1888, the year he was ordained as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

. His only parochial position was as

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

All Saints, Knightsbridge The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints is the cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Sourozh. It holds the diocese's administrative meetings as well as weekly, seasonal and special services. I ...

, London, from 1905 to 1907. In 1907, he moved to

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

, on being appointed

Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity The Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity is the oldest professorship at the University of Cambridge. It was founded initially as a readership by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII, in 1502. Since its re-endowment at the end o ...

. In 1911, he became dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He served as president of the Aristotelian Society at Cambridge from 1920 to 1921. He had retired from full-time church ministry in 1934. Inge was also a trustee of London's National Portrait Gallery from 1921 until 1951.

Writing

Inge was a prolific author. In addition to scores of articles, lectures and sermons, he also wrote over 35 books. Inge was a columnist for the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' for many years, finishing in 1946. He is best known for his works on

Plotinus Plotinus (; grc-gre, Πλωτῖνος, ''Plōtînos''; – 270 CE) was a philosopher in the Hellenistic tradition, born and raised in Roman Egypt. Plotinus is regarded by modern scholarship as the founder of Neoplatonism. His teacher wa ...

and

neoplatonic Neoplatonism is a strand of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a chain of thinkers. But there are some id ...

philosophy, and on Christian

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

, but also wrote on general topics of life, and current politics. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times.

Views

Inge was a strong proponent of the spiritual type of religion—"that autonomous faith which rests upon experience and individual inspiration"—as opposed to one of coercive authority. He was therefore outspoken in his criticisms of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. His thought, on the whole, represents a blending of traditional Christian theology with elements of Platonic philosophy. He shares this in common with one of his favourite writers, Benjamin Whichcote, the first of the

Cambridge Platonists The Cambridge Platonists were an influential group of Platonist philosophers and Christian theologians at the University of Cambridge that existed during the 17th century. The leading figures were Ralph Cudworth and Henry More. Group and its na ...

. He was nicknamed ''The Gloomy Dean'' because of his pessimistic views in his

Romanes Lecture The Romanes Lecture is a prestigious free public lecture given annually at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, England. The lecture series was founded by, and named after, the biologist George Romanes, and has been running since 1892. Over the year ...

of 1920, "The Idea of Progress" and in his ''Evening Standard'' articles. In his Romanes Lecture he said that although mankind's accumulated experience and wonderful discoveries had great value, they did not constitute real progress in human nature itself. He disapproved of

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

, which he called "an absurdity" and compared it to "the famous occasion when the voice of the people cried, Crucify Him!" He wrote "Human beings are born unequal, and the only persons who have a right to govern their neighbours are those who are competent to do so." He advanced various arguments why women should have fewer voting rights than men, if any. He was also a

eugenicist Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...

and wrote considerably on the subject. In his book ''Outspoken Essays'', he devotes an entire chapter to this subject. His views included that the state should decide which couples be allowed to have children. Inge opposed social welfare "on the grounds that it penalized the successful while subsidizing the weak and feckless". He was also known for his support for nudism. He supported the publishing of

Maurice Parmelee Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor * Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and L ...

's book, ''The New Gymnosophy: Nudity and the Modern Life'', and was critical of town councillors who were insisting that bathers wear full bathing costumes. He was a supporter of

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their Utilitarianism, utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding s ...

Recognition

He was made a Commander of the Victorian Order (CVO) in 1918 and promoted to Knight Commander (KCVO) in 1930. He received Honorary Doctorates of Divinity from both Oxford and Aberdeen Universities, Honorary Doctorates of Literature from both Durham and Sheffield, and Honorary Doctorates of Laws from both Edinburgh and St. Andrews. He was also an honorary fellow of both King's and Jesus Colleges at Cambridge, and of Hertford College at Oxford. In 1921, he was elected as a Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...

Personal life

Inge's wife, Mary Catharine, was the daughter of priest Henry Maxwell Spooner.Se
Portraits of Mary Catharine Inge
They had three children. Their daughter, Paula, developed

type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that originates when cells that make insulin (beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is a hormone required for the cells to use blood sugar ...

before insulin was widely available in the UK and died in 1923, aged 11. In 1941, their youngest son, Richard, also in the ministry, died during an RAF training flight. Inge's wife died in 1949. Inge spent his later life in Brightwell, where he died on 26 February 1954, aged 93, five years after his wife.

Publications

The following bibliography is a selection taken mainly from Adam Fox's biography ''Dean Inge'' and his biographical sketch in '' Crockford's Clerical Directory''.
''Society in Rome under the Caesars''
1888 * ''Eton Latin Grammar'' 1888
''Christian Mysticism''
(

Bampton Lectures The Bampton Lectures at the University of Oxford, England, were founded by a bequest of John Bampton. They have taken place since 1780. They were a series of annual lectures; since the turn of the 20th century they have typically been biennial ...

) 1899
''Faith''
1900
''Contentio Veritatis''
Essays in Constructive Theology by Six Oxford Tutors (two essays) 1902
''Faith and Knowledge: Sermons''
1904
''Light, Life and Love''
(Selections from the

German mystic The Friends of God (German: Gottesfreunde; or gotesvriunde) was a medieval mystical group of both ecclesiastical and lay persons within the Catholic Church (though it nearly became a separate sect) and a center of German mysticism. It was founde ...

s of the Middle Ages) 1904 also online a
Project Gutenberg
an

''Studies of English Mystics''
1905
''Truth and Falsehood in Religion''''Cambridge Lectures''
1906
''Personal Idealism and Mysticism''
(Paddock Lectures) 1906 * ''All Saints' Sermons'' 1907
''Faith and its Psychology''''Jowett Lectures''
1909 * ''Speculum Animae'' 1911
''The Church and the Age''
1912
''The Religious Philosophy of Plotinus and some Modern Philosophies of Religion''
1914
''Types of Christian Saintliness''
1915
''Christian Mysticism, considered in eight lectures delivered before the University of Oxford''
(1918) * ''The Philosophy of Plotinus'' (

Gifford Lectures The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford. Their purpose is to "promote and diffuse the study of natural theology in the widest sense of the term – in o ...

) 1918. Online
''Volume 1''''Volume 2''
Print versions: (softcover), (hardcover)
''Outspoken Essays''''I''
1919
''II''
1922 *
''The_Victorian_Age:_the_Rede_Lecture
_for_1922''.html" ;"title="Rede Lecture">''The Victorian Age: the Rede Lecture
for 1922''">Rede Lecture">''The Victorian Age: the Rede Lecture
for 1922''1922 * ''Assessments and Anticipations'' 1922 (2nd ed. 1929)
''Personal Religion and the Life of Devotion''
1924
''Lay Thoughts of a Dean''
1926 * ''The Platonic Tradition in English Religious Thought'' Hulsean Lectures 1926 * ''The Church in the World'' 1927 * ''Protestantism'' (London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1927)
''Christian Ethics and Modern Problems''
1930 * * ''Things New and Old'' 1933
''God and the Astronomers''
1933 *''The Post Victorians'' 1933 (Introduction only) * Vale 1934 * ''The Gate of Life'' 1935 * ''A Rustic Moralist'' 1937 * ''Our Present Discontents'' 1938 * ''A Pacifist in Trouble'' 1939 * ''The Fall of the Idols'' 1940 * ''Talks in a Free Country'' 1942
''Mysticism in Religion''
1947
''The End of an Age and Other Essays''
1948 * ''Diary of a Dean'' 1949
''The Things That Remain''
edited by W R Matthews 1958

References

Footnotes

Sources

* * * *

External links

*
Bibliographic directory
from Project Canterbury * * *
''William Ralph Inge''
biographical notes and Lectures available from the

website * *
Recording of Inge speaking
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inge, William Ralph 1860 births 1954 deaths 19th-century Christian mystics 20th-century Christian mystics Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Deans of St Paul's English Anglicans Fellows of Hertford College, Oxford Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Lady Margaret's Professors of Divinity People educated at Eton College People from Brightwell-cum-Sotwell People from Hambleton District Presidents of the Aristotelian Society Protestant mystics Social nudity advocates English eugenicists Presidents of the Classical Association