THE P
RTAL
Edward King
29 December 1829 - 8 March 1910 by Will Burton
March 2011 Page 8
Anglican Luminary
Son of a Church of England cleric , grandson of a former Bishop of Rochester and the uncle of an international footballing clergyman , Edward King was a gentle , devout man of decidedly catholic views .
After graduation from Oriel College , Oxford he was appointed Assistant Curate at the village of Wheatley in the Oxford diocese , having been ordained as an Anglican priest in1854 . Here his pastoral heart flourished , with frequent visiting of the people by whom he was much loved .
Oxford
After four years he became Chaplain and Lecturer at Cuddesdon Theological College , taking over as Principal from 1863 to 1873 , before being named as Regius Professor of Pastoral Theology at Oxford and therefore becoming a canon of Christchurch Cathedral .
He was the main founder of the leading Anglo-Catholic theological college , St Stephen ’ s House in Oxford . The general public knew him as a close friend of Edward Pusey , and a prominent member of the English Church Union . Among the young men of the University he had great influence , both through his charm and his deep sincerity .
Lincoln
In 1885 he was appointed Bishop of Lincoln . Here , again , he was popular and much loved . A gentle man , and patently a man of prayer , his deep faith shone brightly . From 1888 to 1890 , though , he was involved in a high-profile prosecution . The protestant party in the Church of England did all they could to discredit the Anglo-Catholics and many priests fell foul of the anti-ritualist laws .
Accusations
King , in turn , was accused of the use of lighted candles on the altar ; facing “ eastward ”; mixing water and wine in the chalice ; reciting the Agnus Dei ; making the sign of the Cross in blessing ; and making a ceremony of cleansing the Communion vessels after the service .
Saintly
This saintly Bishop was tried by a Church Court , presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury , and then , on appeal , before the judicial committee of the Privy Council . The decision of the Court forbade some of these liturgical practices , but permitted others , whilst specifying that they had no theological significance . Thus , lighted candles were to be permitted on the altar , but only when needed for purposes of illumination !
Saintliness of character
Dr King , who loyally conformed his practices to the archbishop ’ s judgment , devoted himself unsparingly to the work of his diocese ; and , irrespective of his high church views , won the affection and reverence of all classes and varieties of Christian creed by his real saintliness of character . The bishop , who never married , died in Lincoln on 8 th March 1910 .