Palmer's Pilgrimage: The Life of William Palmer of MagdalenThis book charts the eccentric career of William Palmer of Magdalen, the only member of the Oxford Movement to take a serious interest in the Orthodox Church. Ordained an Anglican deacon, Palmer was destined for a conventional life as a classics don at Oxford, but in 1840 and 1842 he travelled to Russia to seek communion from the Russian Orthodox Church, on the basis that the Anglican Church was part of the Catholic and Apostolic Church world-wide. Despite their personal regard for him, the Russians remained unconvinced by his arguments, not least because of the actions of the Anglican hierarchy in forming alliances with other Protestant bodies. Palmer for his part exposed the logical inconsistencies in the claim of the Orthodox to be the one true church. Increasingly disillusioned with the Church of England, and finding himself without support from the Scottish Episcopal Church, Palmer was urged by his Russian friends such as Mouravieff and Khomiakoff to convert to Orthodoxy. However, he baulked at making the cultural leap from West to East, and could not accept the Orthodox inconsistency over rebaptism and chrismation. After some years in ecclesiastical limbo, he followed the example of his Oxford friends such as Newman, and was received into the Roman Catholic Church in Rome in 1855. He lived in Rome as a Catholic layman until his death in 1879. |
Contents
Acknowledgements | 7 |
Chapter Two France and Durham | 35 |
Chapter Three Return to Oxford | 57 |
Chapter Four Russia 18401841 | 93 |
Chapter Five The Cursing Deacon | 155 |
Chapter Six The Galitsin Affair | 183 |
Chapter Seven Return to Russia | 209 |
Chapter Eight Struggle for a Soul | 235 |
Chapter Twelve The Correspondence with Khomiakoff | 289 |
Chapter Thirteen In the Levant | 303 |
Chapter Fourteen Leaving the East | 323 |
Chapter Fifteen In Limbo | 345 |
Chapter Sixteen Rome at Last | 367 |
Chapter Seventeen Life in Rome | 381 |
Chapter Eighteen Death in Rome | 397 |
425 | |
Common terms and phrases
admitted Anglican Church answer appears Archbishop asked authority become believe Bishop called Catholic Christian Church of England clergy College communication Communion confess conversion deacon described desire doctrine doubt East Eastern Church English expressed faith father fear feel follow friends give given Greek hand Holy hope Ibid individual John later Latin leave letter live London look Lord March matter means mind Mixbury never Newman noted opinion Orthodox Oxford Palmer Patriarch perhaps Petersburg position present priest Prince Princess principle Protestant question reason received religion remarked replied Roman Rome Routh Russian Russian Church Scottish seek seemed speak spiritual Synod taken thing thought told true truth University whole wish write written wrote