Henry Nutcombe Oxenham
Encyclopedia
Henry Nutcombe Oxenham was an English ecclesiologist and author. He was originally ordained in the Church of England, but later converted to the Roman Catholic Church.
He was born at Harrow School
to William Oxnam and Mary Susanna Carter, where his father William Oxnam was a master, and was baptised at Eton, Buckinghamshire on 8 January 1830, where his uncle was Thomas Thellusson Carter
. The family name changed from Oxnam to Oxenham in 1834. From Harrow, Oxenham went to Balliol College, Oxford
.
He took Anglican orders in 1854, but became a Roman Catholic in 1857. At first his thoughts turned towards the priesthood, and he spent some time at the London Oratory
and at St Edmund's College, Ware. Being unable, however, to surrender his belief in the validity of Anglican orders
, he proceeded no further than minor orders
in the Roman Church.
In 1863 he made a prolonged visit to Germany, where he studied the language and literature, and formed a close friendship with Döllinger
, whose First Age of the Christian Church he translated in 1866. Oxenham was a regular contributor to the Saturday Review. A selection of his essays was published in Short Studies in Ecclesiastical History and Biography (1884), and Short Studies, Ethical and Religious (1885).
He also translated in 1876 the second volume of Bishop Hefele
's History of the Councils of the Church, and published several pamphlets on the reunion of Christendom
. His Catholic Doctrine of the Atonement (1865) and Catholic Eschatology
and Universalism
(1876) are standard works.
He died on 23 March 1888 at Kensington, having never married.
He was born at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
to William Oxnam and Mary Susanna Carter, where his father William Oxnam was a master, and was baptised at Eton, Buckinghamshire on 8 January 1830, where his uncle was Thomas Thellusson Carter
Thomas Thellusson Carter
Thomas Thellusson Carter often known as T. T. Carter, T.T.C. or Canon Carter was a significant figure in the Victorian Church of England, responsible for re-introducing some Anglo-Catholic practices to the Church, being the founder of Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament. He also founded several...
. The family name changed from Oxnam to Oxenham in 1834. From Harrow, Oxenham went to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
.
He took Anglican orders in 1854, but became a Roman Catholic in 1857. At first his thoughts turned towards the priesthood, and he spent some time at the London Oratory
London Oratory
The London Oratory is a Catholic oratory, a community of lay-brothers, and the name given to the London Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri...
and at St Edmund's College, Ware. Being unable, however, to surrender his belief in the validity of Anglican orders
Apostolicae Curae
Apostolicae Curae is the title of a papal bull, issued in 1896 by Pope Leo XIII, declaring all Anglican ordinations to be "absolutely null and utterly void"...
, he proceeded no further than minor orders
Minor orders
The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The most recognized minor orders are porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. In the Latin rite Catholic Church, the minor orders were in most cases replaced by "instituted" ministries of lector and acolyte, though communities that use...
in the Roman Church.
In 1863 he made a prolonged visit to Germany, where he studied the language and literature, and formed a close friendship with Döllinger
Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger
Johann Joseph Ignaz von Döllinger was a German theologian, Catholic priest and church historian who rejected the dogma of papal infallibility...
, whose First Age of the Christian Church he translated in 1866. Oxenham was a regular contributor to the Saturday Review. A selection of his essays was published in Short Studies in Ecclesiastical History and Biography (1884), and Short Studies, Ethical and Religious (1885).
He also translated in 1876 the second volume of Bishop Hefele
Karl Josef von Hefele
Karl Josef von Hefele was a German theologian. He was born at Unterkochen in Württemberg, and was educated at Tübingen where in 1839 he became professor-ordinary of Church history and patristics in the Roman Catholic faculty of theology.From 1842 to 1845 he sat in the National Assembly of...
's History of the Councils of the Church, and published several pamphlets on the reunion of Christendom
Christendom
Christendom, or the Christian world, has several meanings. In a cultural sense it refers to the worldwide community of Christians, adherents of Christianity...
. His Catholic Doctrine of the Atonement (1865) and Catholic Eschatology
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
and Universalism
Universalism
Universalism in its primary meaning refers to religious, theological, and philosophical concepts with universal application or applicability...
(1876) are standard works.
He died on 23 March 1888 at Kensington, having never married.