Overview

Alexander Forbes, Bishop of Brechin from 1847 to 1875, was the first member of the Oxford Movement to become a bishop. A leading example to many Tractarians and Anglo-Catholics in the Episcopal Church, and in the Church of England, he also became well known to various Roman Catholics in Europe for his work for Catholic reunion in the 1860s. As bishop, and also incumbent of the Scottish Episcopalian congregation in the newly industrialized Dundee, Forbes developed a Tractarian slum ministry unique among Anglican bishops in Britain. It was the influence of the Oxford Movement during the early 1840s that shaped Forbes' social commitment towards the labouring poor, coupled with his inherited Tory paternalism. The Movement also imparted to Forbes a strong belief in the importance of dogmatic theology, as a remedy for the Church period. In 1857, the Tractarian dogmatics of his teaching initiated the Eucharistic controversy within the Episcopalian Church and seriously divided Episcopalian High Churchmen and the Tractarians led by Forbes. In 1860 he was tried for heresy. Although censured, he continued to work for the defence of Scottish traditions in his Church, and for Anglican-Roman Catholic reunion. By the time of his untimely death in 1875, Forbes' place as a leader and example to many sympathisers of the Oxford Movement in Scotland and England was cemented.

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<br> An account...expressed in love but not without critical appraisal. --Expository Times<br> Strong provides much carefully researched detail on the lifestyle of the mill workers... --The Glastonbury Times<br> Well researched and patiently argued, with interesting allusions to the Scottish High Church background...A useful broadening of the literature on social and intellectual aspects of Victorian religion. --Religious Studies Review<br> Strong's description of the bishop's intense personal struggles and his influence in the Scottish Episcopal Church is superb. --American Historical Review<br> Strong has written an even-handed book which steers a careful course through theological and ecclesiastical controversies while maintaining a favorable assessment of Forbes. It is a corner of church history which has not been overworked, and he gives it a good telling. His book has the virtue of bringing forth the major issues of Forbes's life with sharp clarity. --The Historian<br>

An account...expressed in love but not without critical appraisal. --Expository Times<br> Strong provides much carefully researched detail on the lifestyle of the mill workers... --The Glastonbury Times<br> Well researched and patiently argued, with interesting allusions to the Scottish High Church background...A useful broadening of the literature on social and intellectual aspects of Victorian religion. --Religious Studies Review<br> Strong's description of the bishop's intense personal struggles and his influence in the Scottish Episcopal Church is superb. --American Historical Review<br> Strong has written an even-handed book which steers a careful course through theological and ecclesiastical controversies while maintaining a favorable assessment of Forbes. It is a corner of church history which has not been overworked, and he gives it a good telling. His book has the virtue of bringing forth the major issues of Forbes's life with sharp clarity. --The Historian<br>

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