Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (17 February 1888 – 24 August 1957) was an English Catholic priest,

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

, author, and radio broadcaster. Educated at Eton and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

, where he earned a high reputation as a

classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

, Knox was ordained as a priest of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

in 1912. He was a fellow and chaplain of

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

until he resigned from those positions following his conversion to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in 1917. Knox became a Catholic priest in 1918, continuing in that capacity his scholarly and literary work. Knox served as Catholic chaplain at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

from 1926 to 1939. He completed the " Knox Bible", a new English translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible that was used in Catholic services during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1951, Pope

Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

appointed Knox protonotary apostolic ''ad instar'', which entitled Knox to the honorific "

monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

". Knox published extensively on religious, philosophical, and literary subjects. He also produced several popular works of

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal investigation, investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around ...

. He is remembered for his "Ten Commandments" for detective stories, which sought to codify a form of crime fiction in which the reader may participate by attempting to find a solution to the mystery before the fictional detective reveals it.

Early life and education

Ronald Knox was born into an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

family in

Kibworth Kibworth is an area of the Harborough District, Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, that contains two civil parishes in England, civil parishes: the villages of Kibworth Beauchamp and Kibworth Harcourt . At the 2011 census, Kibwor ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

. His father was the Rev. Edmund Arbuthnott Knox, who later became

Bishop of Manchester The Bishop of Manchester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Manchester, Diocese of Manchester in the Province of York.) The current bishop is David Walker (Bishop of Manchester), David Walker who w ...

in the

and who was related to the 8th Viscount of Arbuthnott. Ronald's maternal grandfather was Valpy French, the first Anglican Bishop of Lahore in what was then part of the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. Both Edmund Knox and Valpy French were prominent Evangelical Anglicans. Ronald was educated at Eaton House School in London and Summer Fields School in Oxford. In 1900 he entered

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

as first

King's Scholar A King's Scholar, abbreviated KS in the United Kingdom, is the recipient of a scholarship from a foundation created by, or under the auspices of, a British monarch. The scholarships are awarded at certain Public school (United Kingdom), public ...

. He enjoyed great academic and social success at Eton, where he was selected for membership in the Eton Society ("Pop") and became captain of the school. He also began to cultivate an interest in

Anglo-Catholicism Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

, which put him increasingly at odds with his own family's Evangelical tradition. At age 17, he privately vowed to remain

celibate Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term ''celibacy'' is applied on ...

for life. In 1904 Ronald proceeded to

as the first classics scholar. He won several other scholarships and prizes during his time there: the Hertford Scholarship in 1907; the Craven and Ireland scholarships, the Gaisford Prize for Greek Verse Composition in 1908, and the Chancellor's Prize for Latin Verse Composition in 1910. At Oxford, Knox joined Maurice Child's fashionable "set", which was strongly identified with Anglo-Catholicism. In 1910, Knox was elected a fellow of

. As he was not expected to begin tutorials until 1911, Knox then accepted the job of private tutor to

Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton (10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986), was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. Nickn ...

, the brother of a friend from Eton, who was at the time preparing to apply for a scholarship to Balliol. However, Macmillan's mother soon dismissed Knox, after Knox refused to follow her instructions not to discuss religion with Harold.

Church of England

Knox was ordained an Anglican priest in 1912 and was appointed

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

of Trinity College. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served in military intelligence for the British Armed Forces. In 1915, Cyril Alington, the headmaster of

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...

, invited Knox to join the teaching staff. Knox was long remembered at Shrewsbury as the highly dedicated and entertaining form master of Vb.

Conversion and ministry

In 1917 Knox converted to

and resigned as Anglican chaplain, prompting his father to cut Knox out of his will. In 1918, Knox was ordained a Catholic priest and in 1919 joined the staff of St Edmund's College in Ware, Hertfordshire, remaining there until 1926. Knox explained his spiritual journey in ''A Spiritual Aeneid'', published by Longmans in 1918. Knox stated that his conversion was influenced in part by G. K. Chesterton, who was a High Church Anglican at the time, but not yet a Catholic. In 1922, Chesterton converted to Catholicism and said that Knox had influenced his decision. Knox wrote and broadcast on Christianity and other subjects. While

at the

(1926–1939) and after his elevation to a

in 1936, he wrote classic detective stories. In 1929 Knox codified the rules for detective stories into a "decalogue" of

ten commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...

. He was one of the founding members of the

Detection Club The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, Hugh Walpole, John Rhode, Jessie Louisa Rickard, Baroness Orczy, ...

and wrote several works of detective fiction, including five novels and a short story featuring Miles Bredon, who is employed as a private investigator by the Indescribable Insurance Company. In 1936, directed by his religious superiors, Knox started retranslating the '' Latin Vulgate Bible'' into English using

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

and

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

sources. His works on religious themes include: ''Some Loose Stones'' (1913), ''Reunion All Round'' (1914), ''A Spiritual Aeneid'' (1918), ''The Belief of Catholics'' (1927), '' Caliban in Grub Street'' (1930), ''Heaven and Charing Cross'' (1935), ''Let Dons Delight'' (1939) and ''Captive Flames'' (1940). When G. K. Chesterton died in 1936, Knox delivered a

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of - ' ...

for his

Requiem Mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

. An essay in Knox's ''Essays in Satire'' (1928), "Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes", was the first of the genre of mock-serious critical writings on

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

and mock-historical studies in which the existence of Holmes, Watson, et al. is assumed. Another of these essays, "The Authorship of ''In Memoriam''", purports to prove that

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's ...

's poem was actually written by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. Another satirical essay, "Reunion All Round", mocked Anglican tolerance by appealing to the Anglican Church in Swiftean literary style to absorb Muslims, atheists, and even Catholics who had murdered Irish children. In 1954 Knox visited Julian Asquith and Anne Asquith in

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

and John and Daphne Acton in Rhodesia. While in Africa, Knox began his translation of '' The Imitation of Christ.'' After returning to Mells in England, he started translating Thérèse of Lisieux's '' Autobiography of a Saint''. He also began a work of

apologetics Apologetics (from Greek ) is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their f ...

intended to reach a wider audience than the student one of his ''The Belief of Catholics'' (1927). In 1957, Knox suffered a serious illness that curtailed all his work. At the invitation of Harold Macmillan, Knox stayed at

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...

while consulting a medical specialist in London. The doctor confirmed that Knox had terminal cancer. Knox died on 24 August 1957, and his body was brought to

. Bishop George L. Craven celebrated the requiem Mass and Fr Martin D'Arcy preached the panegyric. Knox was buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church, Mells.

Radio hoax

In January 1926, on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

, Knox presented ''Broadcasting the Barricades,'' a simulated live report of revolution in London. The broadcast reported the lynching of several people, including a government minister. It also mixed what it called band music from the

Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1 ...

with sounds of the hotel's purported destruction by trench mortars. The broadcast also claimed that the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

and the

Clock Tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

had also been destroyed. Because the broadcast occurred on a snowy weekend, newspaper delivery was unavailable to much of the United Kingdom for several days. The lack of newspapers caused a minor panic, as people believed that the broadcast events in London were to blame. In May 1926, there was considerable public disorder during the

General Strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...

, so people were previously open to the possibility of a revolution. In a 1980s interview for his biography '' This is Orson Welles'' (1992),

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

says that the BBC broadcast gave him the idea for his own 1938 CBS Radio dramatization of "

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...

", which led to a similar panic among some American listeners. A 2005 BBC report also suggested that the Knox broadcast may have influenced Welles. The script of the broadcast is reprinted in ''Essays in Satire'' (1928) as "A Forgotten Interlude".

Knox's Ten Rules for Detective Fiction

The majority of novels of Knox's era, dubbed The Golden Age of Detective Fiction, were "

whodunit A ''whodunit'' (less commonly spelled as ''whodunnit''; a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an criminal ...

s" with codified rules to allow the reader to attempt to solve the mystery before the detective. According to Knox, a detective story

must have as its main interest the unravelling of a mystery; a mystery whose elements are clearly presented to the reader at an early stage in the proceedings, and whose nature is such as to arouse curiosity, a curiosity which is gratified at the end.

He expanded upon this definition by giving ten rules of writing detective fiction: # The criminal must be mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to know. # All

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course. # Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable. # No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end. # No

Chinaman ''Chinaman'' () is an offensive term referring to a Chinese man or person, or widely a person native to geographical East Asia or of perceived East Asian ethnicity. The term is noted as having pejorative overtones by modern dictionaries. Its ...

must figure in the story. (Note: This is a reference to the common use of heavily

stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

d Asian characters in detective fiction of the time). # No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right. # The detective himself must not commit the crime. # The detective is bound to declare any clues which he may discover. # The "

sidekick A sidekick is a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of ...

" of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal from the reader any thoughts which pass through his mind: his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader. # Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.

Publications

Selected works

* Knox Bible, a translation of the

Latin Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Roman Church. Later, of his own initia ...

*''Some Loose Stones: Being a Consideration of Certain Tendencies in Modern Theology Illustrated by Reference to the Book Called "Foundations"'' (1913) *''Absolute and Abitofhell'' (1913). A satire in the manner of Dryden on the latitudinarianism of the authors of ''Foundations'' (including William Temple, later

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

). *''The Church in Bondage'' (1914). Sermons *''Reunion All Round'' (1914). A satire on the readiness of certain Anglicans to sink doctrinal differences with the Nonconformist sects in the interests of Christian good fellowship.The brief description of this book is from Waugh, Evelyn (1959). ''The Life of Ronald Knox''. London: Chapman & Hall. (Paperback: London: Fontana Books, 1962). *''Bread or Stone'' (1915). Four addresses on impetrative or petitionary prayer. *''A Spiritual Aeneid: Being an Account of a Journey to the Catholic Faith'' (1918) *''Meditations on the Psalms'' (1919) *''Patrick Shaw-Stewart'' (1920). Biography of Patrick Shaw-Stewart, who died on active service in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. *''Memories of the Future: Being Memories of the Years 1915–1972, Written in the Year of Grace 1988 by Opal, Lady Porstock'' (1923). Combines a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

of the current autobiographies of women of fashion with a gentle satire on current whims—educational, medical, political and theological. *''Sanctions: A Frivolity'' (1924). A fiction in which the guests at a country-house party find all their conversations turning towards the question, what are the ultimate sanctions, social, intellectual, supernatural, which determine human behaviour and destiny? *''Other Eyes Than Ours'' (1926). A satirical tale about a hoax played on a circle of

spiritualists Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at least ...

. *''An Open-Air Pulpit'' (1926). Essays. *''The Belief of Catholics'' (1927). His survey of Catholic belief, considered a classic of

and a Catholic equivalent to

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

's '' Mere Christianity''. Authorized new edition published in 2022 (Providence, RI: Cluny Media). *''Essays in Satire'' (1928). Contains his Anglican humorous writings, with some subsequent literary essays." *''The Mystery of the Kingdom and Other Sermons'' (1928). *''The Church on Earth'' (1929). *''On Getting There'' (1929). Essays. *''Caliban in Grub Street'' (1930). A satire on the religious opinions of some of the chief popular writers of the day (including

Arnold Bennett Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist, who wrote prolifically. Between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaborati ...

and Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

). *''Broadcast Minds'' (1932). A criticism of the religious opinions of some of the leading scientific publicists of the time (including

Julian Huxley Sir Julian Sorell Huxley (22 June 1887 – 14 February 1975) was an English evolutionary biologist, eugenicist and Internationalism (politics), internationalist. He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentiet ...

and

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, and public intellectual. He had influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, and various areas of analytic ...

). *''Difficulties: Being a Correspondence About the Catholic Religion'', with

Arnold Lunn Sir Arnold Henry Moore Lunn (18 April 1888 – 2 June 1974) was a skier, mountaineer and writer. He was knighted for "services to British Skiing and Anglo-Swiss relations" in 1952. His father was a lay Methodist minister, but Lunn was an a ...

(1932). An exchange of letters with Lunn about the Catholic Church. Lunn later converted. *''Heaven and Charing Cross: Sermons on the Holy Eucharist'' (1935) *'' Barchester Pilgrimage'' (1935). A sequel to the ''

Chronicles of Barsetshire The ''Chronicles of Barsetshire'' is a series of six novels by English author Anthony Trollope, published between 1855 and 1867. They are set in the fictional English county of Barsetshire and its cathedral town of Barchester. The novels concer ...

'' written in the style of Trollope. It follows the fortunes of the children and grandchildren of Trollope's characters up to the time of writing, with some gentle satire on the social, political and religious changes of the 20th century. It was reprinted in 1990 by the Trollope Society. *''Let Dons Delight'' (1939). One of Knox's most famous works, though currently out of print. Taking as its subject the history of Oxford from the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

to shortly before World War II, it traces the disintegration of a common culture through the conversations of the dons of Simon Magus, a fictional college, first in 1588, and then by fifty-year intervals until 1938. *''Captive Flames'' (1940). Twenty-one homilies on some of Knox's favourite saints, including St Cecilia, St Dominic, St

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

and St

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the S ...

. Authorized new edition published in 2022 (Providence, RI: Cluny Media). *''In Soft Garments'' (1942). Addresses to Oxford students on faith in the modern world. *''God and the Atom'' (1945). An ethical and philosophical analysis of the shock of the

atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear expl ...

, its use against Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the moral questions arising therefrom. *''The Mass in Slow Motion'' (1948). A book of talks for schoolgirls which, with its two successors, became the most popular of all Knox's writings. Authorized new edition published in 2022 (Providence, RI: Cluny Media). *''The Creed in Slow Motion'' (1949). The second book of his talks for schoolgirls. Authorized new edition published in 2022 (Providence, RI: Cluny Media). *''On Englishing the Bible'' (1949). Book of 8 essays about re-translating the Bible from the Latin Vulgate, with Hebrew/Greek sources. *''The Gospel in Slow Motion'' (1950). The final book of his talks for schoolgirls. Authorized new edition published in 2022 (Providence, RI: Cluny Media). *''St Paul's Gospel'' (1950). A series of

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

en sermons preached that year by Knox in Westminster Cathedral. *''Enthusiasm: A Chapter in the History of Religion with Special Reference to the XVII and XVIII Centuries'' (1950). Knox's own favourite book, it is a study of the various movements of Christian men and women who have tried to live a less worldly life than other Christians, claiming the direct guidance of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

, and eventually splitting off into separate sects. Quietism and

Jansenism Jansenism was a 17th- and 18th-century Christian theology, theological movement within Roman Catholicism, primarily active in Kingdom of France, France, which arose as an attempt to reconcile the theological concepts of Free will in theology, f ...

seemed to be the primary foci. *''Stimuli'' (1951). A selection of his monthly contributions to ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

''. *''The Hidden Stream: Mysteries of the Christian Faith'' (1952). Addresses to Oxford students in which Knox evaluates fundamental

dogma Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...

s and stumbling blocks of Catholicism. *''Off the Record'' (1953). A selection of fifty-one letters addressed to individual inquirers on religious topics of general interest. *''In Soft Garments: A Collection of Oxford Conferences'' (1953). *''The Window in the Wall and Other Sermons on the Holy Eucharist'' (1956) *''Bridegroom and Bride'' (1957). Wedding addresses. *''Literary Distractions'' (1958). Essays on writers, Trollope's Barsetshire etc. *''Lightning Meditations'' (1959). Short sermons.

Detective fiction

Miles Bredon mysteries

*'' The Three Taps'' (1927, novel) *'' The Footsteps at the Lock'' (1928, novel) – Serialised, Westminster Gazette, 1928 * "Solved by Inspection" (1931, short story) *'' The Body in the Silo'' (1933, novel) *'' Still Dead'' (1934, novel) *'' Double Cross Purposes'' (1937, novel)

Novels

*'' The Viaduct Murder'' (1925)

Short stories

* "The Motive" (1937) * "The Adventure of the First Class Carriage" (1947) – a

pastiche.

Collaborative works by the Detection Club

*'' Behind the Screen'' (1930) (six contributors including Knox) *'' The Floating Admiral'' (1931) (fourteen contributors including Knox) *''Six Against the Yard'' (1936) (six contributors including Knox)

References

Sources

* Corbishley, Thomas; Speaight, Robert. ''Ronald Knox, the priest the writer'' (1965
online free
* Dayras, Solange. "The Knox Version, or the Trials of a Translator: Translation or Transgression?." ''Translating Religious Texts'', edited by David Jasper, 44-59. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 1993. * Duhn, Hugo R. ''A Thematization and Analysis of the Spirituality in the Writings of Ronald A. Knox, 1888-1957'', STD dissertation, Studies in Sacred Theology, 2nd Series, No. 284, Catholic University of America, 1981. * Marshall, George. "Two Autobiographical Narratives of Conversion: Robert Hugh Benson and Ronald Knox." ''British Catholic History'' 24.2 (1998): 237-253. * Rooney, David M. ''The Wine of Certitude: A Literary Biography of Ronald Knox'' (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2009). * Tastard, Terry. ''Ronald Knox and English Catholicism'' (Leominster: Gracewing, 2009). *

External links

;Digital editions * * * * * ;Other links
"Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes"
''Blackfriars'', June 1920 (PDF at University of Minnesota Libraries)
The Ronald Knox Society of North AmericaNational Portrait Gallery: Ronald Arbuthnott Knox
(various portraits)
BibleGateway Knox-Bible
(The Complete Knox Bible with his notes) {{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, Ronald 1888 births 1957 deaths 20th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English Roman Catholic priests 20th-century English theologians 20th-century English translators Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Anglican priest converts to Roman Catholicism Anglo-Catholic clergy Anglo-Catholic writers Anti-crime activists British nationalism British Roman Catholics Roman Catholic biblical scholars Conservatism in the United Kingdom Right-wing politics in the United Kingdom British critics of atheism Critics of Islamism Critics of Marxism Christian apologists English Anglo-Catholics English anti-communists English crime fiction writers English mystery writers English Roman Catholic writers English science fiction writers English satirists English sermon writers Fellows of Trinity College, Oxford Members of the Detection Club Military personnel from Leicestershire British military personnel of World War I People educated at Eton College People educated at St Edmund's College, Ware People educated at Summer Fields School People from Kibworth The Sunday Times people Translators of the Bible into English Presidents of the Oxford Union Burials in Somerset Deaths from cancer in England Writers of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction Writers of Sherlock Holmes pastiches Anti-Marxism Anti-Masonry