Anglikańska teologia moralna w XVIII i XIX wieku

Abstract

After a very fruitful period of Caroline Moral Theology „the Church of England entered upon the dry and barren period of one hundred and fifty years” (L. Dewar). The 18th century saw the process of naturalization of the Christian morality and its main figure in the Church of England in this aspect was bishop Joseph Butler (d. 1752) with his „Fifteen Sermons”, „Analogy of Religion” and „Dissertation on the Nature of Virtue”. His moral philosophy works were for a long time prescribed readings for ordinands. Serious social changes of this and the following centuries led to revivals of both Evangelical and Catholic traditions of Anglicanism and their moral teaching. Among the Evangelicals it was the group nicknamed „the Clapham Sect” together with William Wilbeforce (d. 1833) that became the most influential. The Catholic revival was above all connected with the Oxford Movement and its leaders like: John Keble (d. 1866), Edward B. Pusey (d. 1882) and the most famous of them all, John Henry Newman (d. 1890), in his last years a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. As far as moral theology is concerned, however, the Tractarians did not produce a distinctive moral theology but re-published the Caroline works or used contemporary Roman Catholic manuals. Mention should be made of the school of Anglican social thinkers including: Frederick D. Maurice (d. 1872) with his „Christian Socialism”; Charles Gore (d. 1932) with his „liberal Catholicism” and famous essays of „Lux Mundi” edited by him; William Temple (d. 1944) with his emphasis on the conquering of this world for the Kingdom of God.