John M. Neale's life is a study in contrasts: born into an evangelical home, he had sympathies toward Rome; in perpetual ill health, he was incredibly productive; of scholarly temperament, he devoted much time to improving social conditions in his area; often ignored or despised by his contemporaries, he is lauded today for his contributions to the church and hymnody. Neale's gifts came to expression early–he won the Seatonian prize for religious poetry eleven times while a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, England. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1842, but ill health and his strong support of the Oxford Movement kept him from ordinary parish ministry. So Neale spent the years between 1846 and 1866 as a warden of Sackvi… Go to person page >
Clarence Bicknell (27 October 1842-17 July 1918) was a British amateur botanist, painter and archaeologist, with a doctorate in mathematics, and an Anglican priest (in Italy, from 1877 until he left the Church, date unknown). He was born in Herne Hill, England, on October 27, 1842, and died in Tenda (then in Italy, but since 1947 in France) on July 17, 1918.
Arriving in Italy in 1877 to work as an Anglican vicar, he built a museum ("Museo Biblioteca Clarence Bicknell") in Bordighera to house his botanical and archaeological collections. He became noted for his identification of the plants and petroglyphs of the Ligurian Riviera. His writings included Flowering Plants of the Riviera and Neighboring Mountains (1885) and Guide to the Prehis… Go to person page >
Eighth-century Greek poet John of Damascus (b. Damascus, c. 675; d. St. Sabas, near Jerusalem, c. 754) is especially known for his writing of six canons for the major festivals of the church year. John's father, a Christian, was an important official at the court of the Muslim caliph in Damascus. After his father's death, John assumed that position and lived in wealth and honor. At about the age of forty, however, he became dissatisfied with his life, gave away his possessions, freed his slaves, and entered the monastery of St. Sabas in the desert near Jerusalem. One of the last of the Greek fathers, John became a great theologian in the Eastern church. He defended the church's use of icons, codified the practices of Byzantine chant, and wr… Go to person page >
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