Christopher Henry Dawson

Chauncey Stillman Professor of Roman Catholic Studies, Harvard

(1) Religion and Culture (2) Religion and the Rise of Western Culture

In his first series of lectures, Dawson asserts that the positivist and secular inclinations of Enlightenment humanism have failed to uproot the religious tendencies of Western culture and replace them with an alternative account of moral behaviour. His second series examines the diverse Christian history of Europe, posing that the Dark Ages were vibrant and illuminating. He traces the development of the Christian church, proving that the history of religion is the foundation of Western culture.

Biography

Christopher Henry Dawson was born on 12 October 1889 in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. A Catholic historian and scholar, he campaigned for the integration of Christian philosophy, history, literature, and art to repair the rift between religion and Western culture. Independently wealthy, Dawson’s historical research and achievements were mostly outside the academic world. Appointed part-time Lecturer in the History of Culture at University College in Exeter from 1925 to 1933, he was eventually offered the Chauncey Stillman Professor of Roman Catholic Studies at Harvard from 1958 to 1962.

Elected Fellow of the British Academy in 1943, he also briefly led Sword of the Spirit, an ecumenical movement that proved too visionary for the Catholic authorities of the time. Dawson was an influential member of the founders of the Catholic publishing house, Sheed & Ward. Important works include The Age of the Gods (1928), Progress and Religion (1929), The Making of Europe (1932), Medieval Religion and Other Essays (1934), Religion and the Modern State (1936), Beyond Politics (1939), Mission to Asia (1966), The Dividing of Christendom and The Formation of Christendom (1967).

Published/Archival Resources

Published as Religion and Culture.