Victorian Reformation: The Fight Over Idolatry in the Church of England, 1840-1860 (Religion, Culture,and History Series)

In early Victorian England there was intense interest in understanding the early Church as an inspiration for contemporary sanctity. This was manifested in a surge in archaeological inquiry and also in the construction of new churches using medieval models. Some Anglicans began to use a much more complicated form of ritual involving vestments, candles, and incense. This "Anglo-Catholic" movement was vehemently opposed by evangelicals and dissenters, who saw this as the vanguard of full-blown "popery." The disputed buildings, objects, and art works were regarded by one side as idolatrous and by the other as sacred and beautiful expressions of devotion. Dominic Janes seeks to understand the fierce passions that were unleashed by the contended practices and artifacts - passions that found expression in litigation, in rowdy demonstrations, and even in physical violence. During this period, Janes observes, the wider culture was preoccupied with the idea of pollution caused by improper sexuality. The Anglo-Catholics had formulated a spiritual ethic that linked goodness and beauty. Their opponents saw this visual worship as dangerously sensual. In effect, this sacred material culture was seen as a sexual fetish. The origins of this understanding, Janes shows, lay in radical circles, often in the context of the production of anti-Catholic pornography which titillated with the contemplation of images of licentious priests, nuns, and monks. Contents......Page 10 List of Illustrations......Page 12 1. Introduction: Victorian Reformation......Page 16 Idolatry and Fetishism......Page 27 2. Art and Sacrament......Page 38 Ritualism......Page 47 3. Riots and Trials in London, 1840–60......Page 64 Bennett, 1843–51......Page 67 Liddell, 1851–57......Page 86 4. Satan Transformed: Comparative Religion......Page 106 ‘Primitive’ Religion from Rome to Home......Page 110 Bodies of Christ......Page 124 The Horror Is All Mine......Page 143 5. Gothic Novelties......Page 148 Facing Corruption......Page 152 Texts and Profits......Page 159 6. Conclusion: The Convenient Despot......Page 176 Notes......Page 198 Bibliography......Page 218 D......Page 248 P......Page 249 W......Page 250 In early Victorian England, the cross was widely thought to be a deadly idol that led worshippers to the devil. Victorian Reformation is a study of the intense anxieties surrounding 'idolatry' which was, in a narrow sense, the worship of idols, but also devotion to anything that intervened between the believer and God. In early Victorian England there was intense interest in understanding the early Church as an inspiration for contemporary sanctity. One aspect of this was a surge in archaeological inquiry and the construction of new churches using medieval models. A number of Anglicans began t