The Henson Journals
Tue 29 November 1921
Volume 31, Page 58
[58]
Tuesday, November 29th, 1921.
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I finished before breakfast Edwyn Bevan's "Hellenism & Christianity". It is a remarkably stimulating book. The last Essay "Christianity in the Modern World" has unusual value. One paragraph may be extracted as giving shortly the conclusion to which the controversy raised at Cambridge by the "Liberal Churchmen" may fairly lead.
"The great dividing line (sc. Between Christian and non–Christian) is that which marks off all those who hold that the relation of Jesus to God – however they describe or formulate it – is of such a kind that it could not be repeated in any other individual – that to speak in fact of its being repeated in any other individual is a contradiction in terms, since any individual standing in that relation to God would be Jesus, and that Jesus in virtue of this relation, has the same absolute claim upon all men's worship and loyalty as belongs to God. A persuasion of this sort of uniqueness attaching to Jesus seems to me the essential characteristic of what has actually in the field of human history been Christianity."
Save for a walk in the Park with Clayton I remained in my room all day, writing and reading but to little purpose.
I wrote to Clarence Stock congratulating him on his marriage: and to Lady Oman congratulating her on Carola's engagement, & promising to marry her in April next. So the world goes on! The irrepressible optimism of the Young rebukes the dejected lassitude of older folk. Be the world's outlook never so black, they will not do such violence to themselves as not to love, and not to wed!
I sent Macmillan a list of persons to whom he should send copies of "Anglicanism" with the Author's compliments. Besides a number of the Bishops the list contains the names of a few leading sectaries and a few peers. I fear that the volume will have no greater success than its predecessors, for, like them, it serves the interest of no party, and crosses the preferences & prejudices of all parties. It would appear that I am not destined to success as an Author.