John William Burgon
Encyclopedia
John William Burgon was an English
Anglican divine who became the Dean of Chichester Cathedral in 1876. He is remembered for his passionate defence of the historicity and Mosaic authorship of Genesis and of Biblical inerrancy
in general.
, the son of an English merchant trading in Turkey who was also a skilled numismatist
and afterwards became an assistant in the antiquities department of the British Museum
. His mother is often said to have been Greek
but was in fact the daughter of the Austrian consul at Smyrna and his English wife.
During his first year the family moved to London, where he was sent to school. After a few years of business life, working in his father's counting-house, Burgon went to Worcester College, Oxford
, in 1841, and took his degree in 1845. The same year he won the Newdigate Prize
for his poem Petra, referring to Petra
, the then-inaccessible city in the present Jordan
, which he had heard described but had never seen. An excerpt describing the buildings has often been reprinted:
The poem is now chiefly remembered for the famous final line above, which quotes the phrase "half as old as time" from Samuel Rogers
. (This fourteen-line excerpt is often referred to as a "sonnet," but the poem is 370 lines long, in rhymed couplets. Burgon published it, apparently in a small pamphlet, around 1845. A "Second Edition" "To Which a Few Short Poems Are Now Added," was published in 1846; the text above follows it. It contained some revisions: "sanctifies" had been "consecrates"; "call'd" had been "deemed"; "But rosy-red,—as if the blush of dawn" had been "But rose-red as if the blush of dawn", and so on. There was also an 1885 book containing the poem.)
Burgon was elected to an Oriel fellowship in 1846. He was much influenced by his brother-in-law, the scholar and theologian
Henry John Rose
(1800–1873), a conservative Anglican churchman with whom he used to spend his long vacations. Burgon made Oxford his headquarters, while holding a living at some distance. In 1863 he was made vicar of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin
, having attracted attention by his vehement sermons against Essays and Reviews
, a series of messages on biblical inspiration in which he defended against the findings of textual criticism
and higher criticism the historicity and Mosaic authorship of Genesis, and Biblical inerrancy
in general: "Either, with the best and wisest of all ages, you must believe the whole of Holy Scripture; or, with the narrow-minded infidel, you must disbelieve the whole. There is no middle course open to you."
In 1867 he was appointed Gresham Professor of Divinity
. In 1871 he published a defence of the genuineness of the twelve last verses of the Gospel of Mark
. He then began an attack on the proposal for a new lectionary for the Church of England
, based largely upon his objections to the principles for determining the authority of manuscript readings in the Greek New Testament adopted by Brooke Foss Westcott
and Fenton John Anthony Hort
. Westcott and Hort led the team producing the Revised Version
of the Bible. Burgon assailed Westcott & Hort in a memorable 1881 article in the Quarterly Review
, and collected his Quarterly Review articles and pamphlets into books, such as "The Revision Revised", in which he denounced Westcott and Hort for elevating "one particular manuscript,—(namely the Vatican Codex (B), which, for some unexplained reason, it is just now the fashion to regard with superstitious deference". He found their primary manuscript to be "the reverse of trustworthy."
Burgon criticised all five oldest Greek manuscripts
on which the Revisers relied. Burgon writes that they:
The two most weighty of these codices, Aleph and B, he likens to the "two false witnesses" of Matthew 26:60.
His biographical essays on Henry Longueville Mansel
and others were also collected, and published under the title of Twelve Good Men (1888). Protests against the inclusion of Dr Vance Smith among the revisers, against the nomination of Dean Stanley to be select preacher in the University of Oxford, and against the address in favour of toleration in the matter of ritual, followed in succession. In 1876 Burgon was made the Dean
of Chichester
.
His life was written by Edward Meyrick Goulburn
(1892).
Vehement and almost passionate in his convictions, Burgon nevertheless possessed a warm and kindly heart. He may be described as a high churchman of the type prevalent before the rise of the Tractarian school. His extensive collection of transcripts from the Greek Fathers, illustrating the text of the New Testament
, was bequeathed to the British Museum
.
and the King-James-Only Movement
. However, while Burgon was outspoken about the Revised Version
and maintained the position that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, his positions were not exactly the same as today's King James-Only movement.
Another society which takes the Burgon name is the Burgon Society
, which was founded to promote the use and study of academical dress, named so because Burgon is the only person to have a hood shape named after him.
of the Bible (1881), The Last Twelve Verses of Mark, The Traditional Text, and Causes of Corruption of the Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Anglican divine who became the Dean of Chichester Cathedral in 1876. He is remembered for his passionate defence of the historicity and Mosaic authorship of Genesis and of Biblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy is the doctrinal position that the Bible is accurate and totally free of error, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact." Some equate inerrancy with infallibility; others do not.Conservative Christians generally believe that...
in general.
Biography
Burgon was born at SmyrnaIzmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, the son of an English merchant trading in Turkey who was also a skilled numismatist
Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...
and afterwards became an assistant in the antiquities department of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. His mother is often said to have been Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
but was in fact the daughter of the Austrian consul at Smyrna and his English wife.
During his first year the family moved to London, where he was sent to school. After a few years of business life, working in his father's counting-house, Burgon went to Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
, in 1841, and took his degree in 1845. The same year he won the Newdigate Prize
Newdigate prize
Sir Roger Newdigate's Prize is awarded to students of the University of Oxford for Best Composition in English verse by an undergraduate who has been admitted to Oxford within the previous four years. It was founded by Sir Roger Newdigate, Bt in the 18th century...
for his poem Petra, referring to Petra
Petra
Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
, the then-inaccessible city in the present Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, which he had heard described but had never seen. An excerpt describing the buildings has often been reprinted:
- They seem no work of Man's creative hand,
- Where Labour wrought as wayward Fancy planned;
- But from the rock as if by magic grown,
- Eternal—silent—beautiful—alone!
- Not virgin-white—like that old Doric shrine
- Where once Athena held her rites divine;
- Not saintly grey—like many a minster fane
- That crowns the hill, or sanctifies the plain:
- But rosy-red,—as if the blush of dawn,
- Which first beheld them were not yet withdrawn:
- The hues of youth upon a brow of woe,
- Which Man call'd old two thousand years ago!
- Match me such marvel, save in Eastern clime,—
- A rose-red city—'half as old as time!'
The poem is now chiefly remembered for the famous final line above, which quotes the phrase "half as old as time" from Samuel Rogers
Samuel Rogers
Samuel Rogers was an English poet, during his lifetime one of the most celebrated, although his fame has long since been eclipsed by his Romantic colleagues and friends Wordsworth, Coleridge and Byron...
. (This fourteen-line excerpt is often referred to as a "sonnet," but the poem is 370 lines long, in rhymed couplets. Burgon published it, apparently in a small pamphlet, around 1845. A "Second Edition" "To Which a Few Short Poems Are Now Added," was published in 1846; the text above follows it. It contained some revisions: "sanctifies" had been "consecrates"; "call'd" had been "deemed"; "But rosy-red,—as if the blush of dawn" had been "But rose-red as if the blush of dawn", and so on. There was also an 1885 book containing the poem.)
Burgon was elected to an Oriel fellowship in 1846. He was much influenced by his brother-in-law, the scholar and theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
Henry John Rose
Henry John Rose
Henry John Rose was an English churchman, theologian of High Church views, and scholar, who became archdeacon of Bedford.-Life:Born at Uckfield, Sussex, on 3 January 1800, he was younger son of William Rose , then curate and schoolmaster in the parish, and afterwards vicar of Glynde, Sussex; Hugh...
(1800–1873), a conservative Anglican churchman with whom he used to spend his long vacations. Burgon made Oxford his headquarters, while holding a living at some distance. In 1863 he was made vicar of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin
University Church of St Mary the Virgin
The University Church of St Mary the Virgin is the largest of Oxford's parish churches and the centre from which the University of Oxford grew...
, having attracted attention by his vehement sermons against Essays and Reviews
Essays and Reviews
Essays and Reviews, published in March 1860, is a broad-church volume of seven essays on Christianity. The topics covered the biblical research of the German critics, the evidence for Christianity, religious thought in England, and the cosmology of Genesis....
, a series of messages on biblical inspiration in which he defended against the findings of textual criticism
Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
and higher criticism the historicity and Mosaic authorship of Genesis, and Biblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy is the doctrinal position that the Bible is accurate and totally free of error, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact." Some equate inerrancy with infallibility; others do not.Conservative Christians generally believe that...
in general: "Either, with the best and wisest of all ages, you must believe the whole of Holy Scripture; or, with the narrow-minded infidel, you must disbelieve the whole. There is no middle course open to you."
In 1867 he was appointed Gresham Professor of Divinity
Gresham Professor of Divinity
The Professor of Divinity at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1596/7, when it appointed seven professors; this has since increased to eight and in addition the college now has visiting professors.The...
. In 1871 he published a defence of the genuineness of the twelve last verses of the Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel According to Mark , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Mark or simply Mark, is the second book of the New Testament. This canonical account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the three synoptic gospels. It was thought to be an epitome, which accounts for its place as the second...
. He then began an attack on the proposal for a new lectionary for the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, based largely upon his objections to the principles for determining the authority of manuscript readings in the Greek New Testament adopted by Brooke Foss Westcott
Brooke Foss Westcott
Brooke Foss Westcott was a British bishop, Biblical scholar and theologian, serving as Bishop of Durham from 1890 until his death.-Early life and education:...
and Fenton John Anthony Hort
Fenton John Anthony Hort
Fenton John Anthony Hort was an Irish theologian and editor, with Brooke Westcott of a critical edition of The New Testament in the Original Greek.-Life:...
. Westcott and Hort led the team producing the Revised Version
Revised Version
The Revised Version of the Bible is a late 19th-century British revision of the King James Version of 1611. It was the first and remains the only officially authorized and recognized revision of the King James Bible. The work was entrusted to over 50 scholars from various denominations in Britain...
of the Bible. Burgon assailed Westcott & Hort in a memorable 1881 article in the Quarterly Review
Quarterly Review
The Quarterly Review was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by the well known London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967.-Early years:...
, and collected his Quarterly Review articles and pamphlets into books, such as "The Revision Revised", in which he denounced Westcott and Hort for elevating "one particular manuscript,—(namely the Vatican Codex (B), which, for some unexplained reason, it is just now the fashion to regard with superstitious deference". He found their primary manuscript to be "the reverse of trustworthy."
Burgon criticised all five oldest Greek manuscripts
Great uncial codices
The great uncial codices or four great uncials are the only remaining uncial codices that contain the entire text of the Greek Bible ....
on which the Revisers relied. Burgon writes that they:
are among the most corrupt documents extant. Each of these codices (AlephCodex SinaiticusCodex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
B DCodex BezaeThe Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis, designated by siglum Dea or 05 , δ 5 , is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century written in an uncial hand on vellum. It contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the 3 John...
) clearly exhibits a fabricated text - is the result of arbitrary and reckless recension."
The two most weighty of these codices, Aleph and B, he likens to the "two false witnesses" of Matthew 26:60.
His biographical essays on Henry Longueville Mansel
Henry Longueville Mansel
The Very Reverend Henry Longueville Mansel, D.D. was an English philosopher and ecclesiastic.He was born at Cosgrove, Northamptonshire .He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, London and St John's College, Oxford...
and others were also collected, and published under the title of Twelve Good Men (1888). Protests against the inclusion of Dr Vance Smith among the revisers, against the nomination of Dean Stanley to be select preacher in the University of Oxford, and against the address in favour of toleration in the matter of ritual, followed in succession. In 1876 Burgon was made the Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of Chichester
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
.
His life was written by Edward Meyrick Goulburn
Edward Meyrick Goulburn
Edward Meyrick Goulburn , English churchman, son of Mr Serjeant Goulburn, M.P., recorder of Leicester, and nephew of the Right Hon...
(1892).
Vehement and almost passionate in his convictions, Burgon nevertheless possessed a warm and kindly heart. He may be described as a high churchman of the type prevalent before the rise of the Tractarian school. His extensive collection of transcripts from the Greek Fathers, illustrating the text of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, was bequeathed to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
Burgon in modern times
Today, the name of Burgon is known almost exclusively in connection with the Dean Burgon SocietyDean Burgon Society
The Dean Burgon Society is an organization that promotes and defends the King James Bible and the underlying Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. It should not be confused with the academic Burgon Society. They are separate organizations....
and the King-James-Only Movement
King-James-Only Movement
The "King James Only movement" advocates the superiority of the Authorized King James Version of the Protestant Bible. The topic increased in newsworthiness in 2011, the 400th anniversary of the translation's 1611 initial publication....
. However, while Burgon was outspoken about the Revised Version
Revised Version
The Revised Version of the Bible is a late 19th-century British revision of the King James Version of 1611. It was the first and remains the only officially authorized and recognized revision of the King James Bible. The work was entrusted to over 50 scholars from various denominations in Britain...
and maintained the position that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, his positions were not exactly the same as today's King James-Only movement.
Another society which takes the Burgon name is the Burgon Society
Burgon Society
The Burgon Society was founded in 2000 for the study and promotion of academical dress, to preserve its history, and to advise film and television companies and interested others in its correct usage. The President of the society is James P.S. Thomson, MS , DM , FRCS, FBS, Master of London...
, which was founded to promote the use and study of academical dress, named so because Burgon is the only person to have a hood shape named after him.
Publications
Apart from the poem Petra, Burgon's most notable works for which he is remembered today are The Revision Revised which was a critique of the then-new Revised VersionRevised Version
The Revised Version of the Bible is a late 19th-century British revision of the King James Version of 1611. It was the first and remains the only officially authorized and recognized revision of the King James Bible. The work was entrusted to over 50 scholars from various denominations in Britain...
of the Bible (1881), The Last Twelve Verses of Mark, The Traditional Text, and Causes of Corruption of the Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels.
External links
- "John William Burgon, late dean of Chichester : a biography with extracts from his letters and early journals, Vol. 1" by Edward Meyrick Goulburn, 1892
- "John William Burgon, late dean of Chichester : a biography with extracts from his letters and early journals, Vol. 2" by Edward Meyrick Goulburn, 1892
- "What did John William Burgon really believe about the Textus Receptus and the King James Version?" Researcher Doug Kutilek reconstructs Burgon's original views.
- The Causes of the Corruption of the Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels at CCEL.
- The Revision Revised (London 1883).