‘SOLVED BY SACRIFICE’ : AUSTIN FARRER, FIDEISM, AND THE EVIDENCE OF FAITH Robert Carroll MacSwain A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St. Andrews 2010 Full metadata for this item is available in the St Andrews Digital Research Repository at: https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/920 This item is protected by original copyright ‘SOLVED BY SACRIFICE’: Austin Farrer, Fideism, and the Evidence of Faith Robert Carroll MacSwain A thesis submitted to the School of Divinity of the University of St Andrews in candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The saints confute the logicians, but they do not confute them by logic but by sanctity. They do not prove the real connection between the religious symbols and the everyday realities by logical demonstration, but by life. Solvitur ambulando, said someone about Zeno’s paradox, which proves the impossibility of physical motion. It is solved by walking. Solvitur immolando, says the saint, about the paradox of the logicians. It is solved by sacrifice. —Austin Farrer v ABSTRACT 1. A perennial (if controversial) concern in both theology and philosophy of religion is whether religious belief is ‘reasonable’. Austin Farrer (1904-1968) is widely thought to affirm a positive answer to this concern. Chapter One surveys three interpretations of Farrer on ‘the believer’s reasons’ and thus sets the stage for our investigation into the development of his religious epistemology. 2. The disputed question of whether Farrer became ‘a sort of fideist’ is complicated by the many definitions of fideism. Chapter Two thus sorts through these issues so that when ‘fideism’ appears in subsequent chapters a precise range of meanings can be given to it, and the ‘sort of fideist’ Farrer may have become can be determined more accurately. 3. Although Farrer’s constant goal was to develop ‘a viable and sophisticated natural theology,’ an early moment of philosophical illumination involved recognising the limits of reason. Chapter Three begins with a sketch of Farrer’s life, looks at his undergraduate correspondence where some ‘fideistic’ themes are first articulated, and then focuses on his classic text of ‘rational theology,’ Finite and Infinite (1943). 4. In subsequent years, Farrer became increasingly open to placing a greater emphasis on faith. And yet, he continued to press the question: ‘Can reasonable minds still think theologically?’ Chapter Four argues that, stimulated by Diogenes Allen’s doctoral dissertation and citing it explicitly, Farrer’s Faith and Speculation (1967) attempts to blend Allen’s more fideistic position with a continuing concern for legitimate philosophical critique. 5. The fifth chapter evaluates the significance of Farrer’s final position in the context of contemporary religious epistemology and the current wide-spread interest in spirituality. In conclusion, Farrer finally seems to locate theistic evidence not primarily in nature or reason, but in holy lives and our own attempts to live by faith: ‘It is solved by sacrifice.’ vi DECLARATIONS I, Robert Carroll MacSwain, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 100,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me, and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student and candidate for the degree of Ph.D. in October 2004; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out beginning at the University of Durham and completed at the University of St Andrews between October 2004 and December 2009. Date Signature of Candidate I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions for the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date Signature of Supervisor vii In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews we understand that we are giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. We also understand that the title and abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. We have obtained any third-party copyright permissions that may be required in order to allow such access and migration, or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the electronic publication of this thesis: Access to printed copy and electronic publication of thesis through the University of St Andrews. Date Signature of Candidate Date Signature of Supervisor viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This doctoral dissertation was begun with the Revd Professor David Brown at the University of Durham in 2004 and completed with him at the University of St Andrews in 2009. David has been an ideal supervisor: patient, astute, generous, and knowledgeable, asking searching questions and a having keen eye for both the overall shape of the argument (as it gradually emerged) and its relation to broader contexts in theology, philosophy, and Anglican studies. His questing faith, rational rigour, intellectual breadth, and commitment to revitalising Christian theology are constant inspirations, and I would not have reached this point without him. Although Professor Brown conveniently shares my interest in Austin Farrer, this was originally kindled by the Revd Professor Diogenes Allen at Princeton Theological Seminary; encouraged by the Revd Professor Fergus Kerr OP at New College, Edinburgh; and further nurtured by Professor Timothy Sedgwick at Virginia Theological Seminary. I am thus indebted to all four of these scholars, and hope the final shape of this dissertation bears witness to at least some of what I have learned from each of them. I am also deeply grateful for the tutorial friendships of Professor Stanley Hauerwas, Professor Ann Loades, the late Revd Professor Victor Preller OGS, and Professor Eleonore Stump. They have each enriched my life in many ways beyond formal instruction. The circle of Farrer scholars is rather small, but—in addition to Professors Allen, Brown, and Loades—for published work and conversations on Farrer’s life and thought I am most indebted to the Revd David Attfield, the Revd Dr Jeffrey Eaton, Professor David Hein, and Professor Edward Henderson. Professor Henderson’s interpretation of Farrer’s epistemology has obviously influenced my own, and he also ix offered very helpful comments on an earlier draft of the dissertation, as did Dr Eaton. Professor Allen kindly engaged in some extensive and detailed correspondence regarding his doctoral studies at Yale and his time studying with Farrer in Oxford during 1963-64, as well as an official interview on these topics in Princeton on 10 April 2005. Perhaps most importantly of all, he also provided photocopies of Farrer’s unpublished letters to him, transcribed in the Appendix (the originals are now in the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford), and gave me permission to cite and transcribe them. Mr Nick Newton of the Farrer Estate and Mr Colin Harris of the Bodleian allowed me access to the Farrer papers (which provided essential and sometimes surprising information for charting the development of Farrer’s thought), and also gave me permission to publish extracts from these documents. And Professor Basil Mitchell generously responded to a letter seeking clarification on a point of interpretation and historical accuracy. Dr Paul Murray at Durham supervised me for two terms in 2005 while Professor Brown was on research leave; and Dr Sian Lewis and Professor James Davila at St Andrews were most helpful as I negotiated the unexpected transition from the Palatinate of Durham north to the Kingdom of Fife. The divinity postgraduate community of the Roundel in St Andrews was an unexpected blessing, in particular the Revd Bruce Baker, the Revd Paul Blair, and my fellow inhabitants of the Duncan Room. Friends whom I must thank for reading the manuscript in draft form are Mr James Leigh, Ms Sarah Nohavicka, and Mr Jonathan Shillland. And my new colleagues at the School of Theology, University of the South, have been exceptionally gracious and welcoming, especially as I put the finishing touches on the dissertation in my first semester! x For financial assistance over the course of my PhD, I am grateful to the Episcopal Church Foundation for making me one of their Doctoral Fellows, the UK Department of Education and Skills for an Overseas Research Student Grant, Durham University’s Department of Theology and Religion for a Barry Scholarship, Virginia Theological Seminary for a Bell-Woolfall Scholarship, St Chad’s College for a Junior Postgraduate Fellowship and Ramsey Fellowship, the Oratory of the Good Shepherd, the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, St Luke’s College Foundation, the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church, and the University of St Andrews. For various travel bursaries, I need to thank the Society for the Study of Theology, Durham University, and St Chad’s College. I am also indebted to St Deiniol’s Library, Princeton Theological Seminary, Duke University, and New College, University of Edinburgh for hospitality and / or library access during my studies. And, of course, it goes without saying, but still must be said, that I am most of all enormously grateful to my wonderful extended family (MacSwains, Gainos, Joneses, and others) who patiently endured and encouraged and supported me— always emotionally, and sometimes financially!—during the more than twenty years between the start of my undergraduate degree (August 1988) and the eventual submission of my doctoral dissertation (December 2009).