William Temple (archbishop)

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William Temple portrait

William Temple (15 October 1881 – 26 October 1944), Archbishop of Canterbury (1942–1944) was the second son of Archbishop Frederick Temple (1821-1902). He was educated at Rugby School and Balliol College, Oxford and in 1932-1933, he gave the Gifford Lectures. A renowned teacher and preacher, he is perhaps best known for his 1942 book Christianity and Social Order, which set out an Anglican social theology and a vision for what would constitute a just post-war society.

Also in 1942, with Chief Rabbi Joseph Hertz, Temple jointly founded the Council of Christians and Jews to combat anti-Jewish bigotry.

Temple is widely regarded as the most brilliant Archbishop of Canterbury since St. Anselm of Canterbury in the late 11th and early 12th century^{[citation needed]} and is regarded as one of the Doctors of the Anglican Church.^{[citation needed]} Anglicans around the world celebrate his feast day on October 26th.

One of his more famous sayings (though it's hard to pin down a source) is that

"the Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members".

He is also the author of the quote:

Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God.

It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness,

nourishment of mind by His truth,

purifying of imagination by His beauty,

opening of the heart to His love,

and submission of will to His purpose.

And all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expressions of which we are capable."

Books by Temple include 'Church and Nation' (1915), 'Personal Religion and the Life of Fellowship' (1926), 'Christianity and the State' (1928), 'Nature, Man and God' (1934), 'Men Without Work' (1938), 'Christianity and the Social Order' (1942) and 'The Church Looks Forward' (1944).

William Temple died at Westgate-on-Sea, Kent on 26th October, 1944. He was cremated at Charing Crematorium, Kent. Dr. Temple was the first Primate of All England to be cremated and his cremation had an immense effect upon the opinion of church people not only in this country, but also throughout the whole Anglican community. His ashes are buried on the south side of Corona at his cathedral.

Religious Posts
Preceded by Cosmo Lang	Archbishop of York 1928–1942	Succeeded by Cyril Forster Garbett
Preceded by Cosmo Lang	Archbishop of Canterbury 1942–1944	Succeeded by Geoffrey Fisher