Christopher Henry Dawson (12 October 188925 May 1970) was a British

independent scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

, who wrote many books on

cultural history Cultural history combines the approaches of anthropology and history to examine popular cultural traditions and cultural interpretations of historical experience. It examines the records and narrative descriptions of past matter, encompassing the ...

and

Christendom Christendom historically refers to the Christian states, Christian-majority countries and the countries in which Christianity dominates, prevails,SeMerriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christendom"/ref> or is culturally or historically intertwine ...

. Dawson has been called "the greatest English-speaking Catholic historian of the twentieth century". The 1988–1989 academic year at the

College of Europe The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...

was named in Dawson's honour.

Life

Dawson was the only son of Lt. Colonel H.P. Dawson and Mary Louisa, eldest daughter of Archdeacon Bevan,

Hay Castle Hay Castle ( cy, Castell y Gelli) is a medieval fortification and 17th-century mansion house in the small town of Hay-on-Wye in Powys, Wales. Originally constructed as part of the Norman invasion of Wales, the castle was designed as a ringwork o ...

. He was brought up at Hartlington Hall,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. Dawson was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

and

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

, where he obtained 2nd class honours in Modern History in 1911. After his degree he studied economics. He also read the work of the German theologian

Ernst Troeltsch Ernst Peter Wilhelm Troeltsch (; ; 17 February 1865 – 1 February 1923) was a German liberal Christianity, liberal Protestant theologian, a writer on the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of history, and a classical liberal politician ...

. Dawson's background was

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

, but he converted to

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

ism in 1909. In 1916, Dawson married Valery Mills, daughter of the architect

Walter Edward Mills Walter Edward Mills (7 November 1850 – 17 April 1910) was an English architect. Mills was articled to the architect Henry Edward Cooper of Bloomsbury in 1868. He established his own independent practice in Banbury, Oxfordshire in about 1875,B ...

. They had two daughters and one son.

Writing

Dawson began publishing articles in ''

The Sociological Review ''The Sociological Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all aspects of sociology, including anthropology, criminology, philosophy, education, gender, medicine, and organization. The journal is published by SAGE Publicatio ...

'' in 1920. His starting point was close to that of

Oswald Spengler Oswald Arnold Gottfried Spengler (; 29 May 1880 – 8 May 1936) was a German historian and philosopher of history whose interests included mathematics, science, and art, as well as their relation to his organic theory of history. He is best kno ...

and

Arnold J. Toynbee Arnold Joseph Toynbee (; 14 April 1889 – 22 October 1975) was an English historian, a philosopher of history, an author of numerous books and a research professor of international history at the London School of Economics and King's Colleg ...

, others who were also interested in grand narratives conducted at the level of a

civilisation A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of State (polity), a state, social stratification, urban area, urbanization, and Symbol, symbolic systems of communication beyond natural language, natur ...

. Dawson's first book, ''The Age of the Gods'' (1928), was apparently intended as the first of a set of five to trace European civilisation to the twentieth century. However, he did not follow this plan to a conclusion. Dawson was a proponent of an 'Old West' theory, the later term of David Gress, who cites Dawson in his ''From Plato to Nato'' (1998). Dawson rejected the blanket assumption that the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

in Europe failed to contribute any essential characteristics. He argued that the medieval

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

was an essential factor in the rise of European civilisation, and wrote extensively in support of that thesis.

Career

Dawson was considered a leading Catholic historian. He was a Lecturer in the History of Culture,

University College, Exeter , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...

(1930–6), the Forwood Lecturer in the Philosophy of Religion,

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

(1934), the Gifford Lecturer at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

(1947 and 1948), and the Chauncey Stillman Professor of Roman Catholic Studies at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(1958–62). Dawson was elected as a Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...

in 1943. From 1940 for a period he was editor of the '' Dublin Review''.

Influence

His writings in the 1920s and 1930s made him a significant figure of the time, and an influence in particular on T. S. Eliot, who wrote of his importance. Dawson was on the fringe of ' The Moot', a literary discussion group, and also part of the Sword of the Spirit

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

group. According to Bradley Birzer, Dawson also influenced the theological underpinnings of

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

's writings. The topical approach outlined by Dawson for the study of Christian culture forms the core of the Catholic Studies program at Aquinas College. His work was influential in the founding of

Campion College Campion College Australia is a Roman Catholic tertiary educational liberal arts college located at Austin Woodbury Place, Toongabbie in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Named in honour of Saint Edmund Campion, Campi ...

and the formation in 2012 of The Christopher Dawson Society for Philosophy and Culture Inc. in

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. Dawson's vision also outlines the Humanities and

Catholic Culture Christian culture generally includes all the cultural practices which have developed around the religion of Christianity. There are variations in the application of Christian beliefs in different cultures and traditions. Christian culture has i ...

program at the

Franciscan University of Steubenville Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private Franciscan university in Steubenville, Ohio. The university had 3,040 students as of fall 2019, including 2,317 students on campus, in 40 undergraduate and 8 graduate degree programs. The studen ...

Comparable historians

As a revivalist of the Christian historian, Christopher Dawson has been compared with

Kenneth Scott Latourette Kenneth Scott Latourette (August 6, 1884 – December 26, 1968) was an American historian of China, Japan, and world Christianity.

and Herbert Butterfield. Comparisons have also been made between the work of Dawson and

Max Weber Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas profo ...

. Both employ a metahistorical approach to their subjects, and their subjects themselves bear similarities; namely, the influence of religion on aspects of western culture.

Works

Books

* ''The Age of the Gods'' (1928). Reissued by the

Catholic University of America Press The Catholic University of America Press, also known as CUA Press, is the publishing division of The Catholic University of America. Founded on November 14, 1939, and incorporated on July 16, 1941,Roy J. Deferrari ''Memoirs of the Catholic Unive ...

(2012) * ''Progress and Religion: An Historical Inquiry'' (1929). Reissued by the Catholic University of America Press (2001) * ''Christianity and the New Age'' (1931) * ''The Making of Europe: An Introduction to the History of European Unity''. London:

Sheed and Ward Sheed and Ward was a publishing house founded in London in 1926 by Catholic activists Frank Sheed and Maisie Ward. The head office was moved to New York in 1933. The United States assets of Sheed and Ward have been owned by Rowman & Littlefield ...

, 1932. Reissued by the Catholic University of America Press, 2003. * ''The Spirit of the Oxford Movement'' (1933) * ''Enquiries into Religion and Culture'' (1933). Reissued by the Catholic University of America Press (2009) * ''Medieval Religion and Other Essays'' (1934) * ''Religion and the Modern State'' (1936) * ''Beyond Politics'' (1939) * ''The Claims of Politics'' (1939) * ''The Judgment of the Nations'' (1942). Reissued by the Catholic University of America Press (2011) *

Gifford Lectures The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford. Their purpose is to "promote and diffuse the study of natural theology in the widest sense of the term – in o ...

1947–49 ** ''Religion and Culture'' (1948) ** ''Religion and the Rise of Western Culture'' (1950) * ''Understanding Europe'' (1952). Reissued by the Catholic University of America Press (2009) * ''Medieval Essays'' (1954). Reissued by the Catholic University of America Press (2002) * ''The Mongol Mission: Narratives and Letters of the Franciscan Missionaries in Mongolia and China in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries'' (1955). Republished in 1966 as ''Mission to Asia''. * ''Dynamics of World History'' (1957). Edited by John J. Mulloy et al. Reissued by the

Intercollegiate Studies Institute The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes conservative thought on college campuses. It was founded in 1953 by Frank Chodorov with William F. Buckley Jr. as its first president. It sponsor ...

(2002). * ''The Movement of World Revolution'' (1959) * ''Progress and Religion: An Historical Enquiry'' (1960) with others Reissued by the Catholic University of America Press (2001) * ''The Historic Reality of Christian Culture'' (1960) * ''The Crisis of Western Education: With Specific Programs for the Study of Christian Culture'' (1961). Reissued by the Catholic University of America Press (2010) * ''The Dividing of Christendom'' (1965) * ''The Formation of Christendom'' (1967) * ''The Gods of Revolution'' (1972) * ''Religion and World History: A Selection from the Works of Christopher Dawson'' (1975) * ''Christianity and European Culture: Selections from the Work of Christopher Dawson'' edited by Gerald J. Russello Reissued by the Catholic University of America Press (1998)

External links

"The Catholic Tradition and the Modern State,"
'' The Catholic Review'', January/March 1915.
"Catholicism and the Bourgeois Mind,"
''Crisis Magazine,'' 27 December 2011.
Catholic Studies

References

External links

* Catholic Education Resource Center
Christopher Dawson

The Christopher Dawson Society for Philosophy and Culture Inc.

The Christopher Dawson Collection
*
Rediscovering Christopher Dawson: An Interview with Dr. Bradley J. Birzer

The Achievement of Christopher Dawson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Christopher 1889 births 1970 deaths 20th-century English historians Academics of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Christian humanists Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism English Anglo-Catholics English Roman Catholics English Roman Catholic writers Fellows of the British Academy Harvard Divinity School faculty People educated at Winchester College People from Hay-on-Wye Sociologists of religion World historians

Life

Writing

Career

Influence

Comparable historians

Works

Books

External links

References

Further reading

External links