Publisher's Synopsis
From the introductory.
A LETTER,
My Lord Archbishop,
In your Grace's charge to the Clergy and Churchwardens of the Diocese of Canterbury, as reported in the Guardian, I have noticed a reference to the work on which the Professors of Divinity at Oxford and Cambridge were requested to advise the Committee of Bishops, who were in consultation this time last year on the subject of the Athanasian Creed. And your Grace is reported as saying that
"if our friends in the University of Cambridge
"or elsewhere are enabled to throw any light on the
"original manuscripts, of course we are very grateful
"for their assistance. But (your Grace proceeds) still
"the plain fact of the question is, Is it desirable
"that this Creed with what are commonly called the
"damnatory clauses should continue to be recited
"tweve times a year in the services of the Church of
"England?"
I venture to think that the two subjects will be found to have an intimate connection with each other.
Before I begin, I would say that I have considered it to be quite within the duty which I owe to the Church of England in my position as Canon of the Cathedral of Chichester to devote a very considerable portion of the year, for many years past, to theological research of such a character as I could not have undertaken if I had been charged, in that capacity, with any heavy duty of a simply Diocesan character: - research which has required me to spend countless hours in public libraries, and, during the last year, has compelled me to travel much on the Continent. Some people, I know, consider such work as unsuited to a Cathedral Canon: for in their opinion he ought to be in as constant residence in his Cathedral city as a parochial clergyman is upon his cure. I hope I may suggest that in any reform that may be introduced affecting our Cathedrals, the literary needs of the Church may not be overlooked. Time was when the incomes of the Archbishops and some of the Bishops were such that they could maintain in their suite men of research; time was when works of the character of Walton's Polyglot could find patrons sufficient to guarantee the cost of the printing. Those incomes, as we all know, have been cut down; and some politicians consider that they are still too large. But I trust that the time is not very near when our Bishops will give general countenance to the notion that the Church of England needs none save what are called working clergy: when the wider office of teacher is to be forgotten, as if it were merged in that of pastor. Whilst I think with satisfaction on the fact that it was a Canon of S. Paul's who defrayed the expense of publishing the collection of Syriac Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles, made by our Cambridge Arabic Professor, and so prevented it from being appropriated by the German Oriental Society - I cannot but express my regret that no public recognition of any kind (so far as I am aware) has been taken of the life-long labours of Dr. Tregelles; labours which in other countries, and at other times in our own country, would have been welcomed not only by general recognition amongst competent men of their great value - this has been unanimously given - but with something more substantial from the Crown, or the Government, or the Church....
