Charles Gore

Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford

The Philosophy of the Good Life

In his series of lectures, Gore examines the concept of the good life as viewed by famous moral leaders of humankind: Zarathustra, the Buddha, Confucius, Muhammed, Socrates, Plato and the Stoics, the Jewish prophets, and finally, Jesus Christ. He reflects on how such figures relate to one another through the lens of revelation. Gore considers the function of faith in the moral life, concluding with his belief in Jesus’s claim on faith, while maintaining intellectual humility. 

Biography

Charles Gore was born on 22 January 1853 at West Side House, London. A Church of England bishop, he was one of the most influential Anglican theologians of the nineteenth century. Initially Vice-Principal of the theological college at Cuddedson in 1880, he became Principal of Pusey House, Oxford in 1884. After delivering the Bampton Lectures in 1891, he became Vicar of Radley. In 1894, he was appointed Canon of Westminster and in 1989, became Court Chaplain. He subsequently held bishoprics in Worcester (1902), Birmingham (1905), and Oxford (1911). 

Honorary Fellow of Balliol and Trinity, Gore received honorary degrees from Edinburgh, Oxford, and Athens. His work was ecumenical, and he cultivated relationships with other denominations, licensing the first female lay readers in the Church of England. Notable works include The Creed of the Christian (1895), The Sermon on the Mount (1896), The Epistle to the Ephesians (1898), The Body of Christ (1901), Orders and Unity (1910), Belief in God (1921), Belief in Christ (1922), The Holy Spirit and the Church (1924), and The Doctrine of the Infallible Book (1924).

Published/Archival Resources