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Authors Religious figure William Ralph Inge

William Ralph Inge

Anglican dean and theologian · 1860–1954

Anglican dean, theologian and writer known for Christian Platonism, mysticism and cultural commentary.

Lifetime
Jun 6, 1860 – Feb 26, 1954 (age 93)
Primary field
Religious figure
Secondary fields
Writer Philosopher Academic Journalist
Tags
Dean of St Paul’sChristian PlatonismChristian mysticismPlotinusEvening Standard columnistUniversity of Cambridge

William Ralph Inge was born in Crayke, Yorkshire, and educated at Eton and King’s College, Cambridge. After teaching classics and holding academic fellowships, he was ordained in the Church of England. He served as vicar of All Saints, Knightsbridge, before becoming Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in 1907. In 1911 he was appointed Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, a post he held until his retirement in 1934.

Inge was a prominent theologian and Christian Platonist whose work drew particularly on Plotinus and the tradition of Christian mysticism. His books included Christian Mysticism and The Philosophy of Plotinus, while his essays addressed religion, ethics, culture and the idea of progress. From 1921 to 1946 he also wrote regularly for the Evening Standard, earning the nickname “the Gloomy Dean” for his scepticism about prevailing optimism. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1921 and appointed KCVO in 1930. He died in 1954, aged 93.

Quotations

“On the whole, in imperialism nothing fails like success.”

William Ralph Inge · Outspoken Essays, 1919+1922 · Primary source

“Now it is a law which hardly admits of exceptions, that aristocracies do not maintain their numbers. The ruling race rules itself out; nothing fails like success.”

William Ralph Inge · Outspoken Essays, 1919+1922 · Primary source

Selected works

Essay collection · 1919+1922
Outspoken Essays

A collection examining Christianity, patriotism, democracy, population and social change in Britain before and after the First World War.

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