Anderson's theological writings

[Archaic]

Hi Phil.

- What?



Archaic

[Phil Carter]

Hello Bunny,

He was also known for being hard of hearing too. Some people suffering from that problem speak louder without knowing it. His sermons, if given with this affliction in later years, must have been pretty interesting!

kindly

Phil

[Archaic]

During my doctoral studies I had to read many New England Puritan sermons from the 17th C. Anderson can't possibly be any heavier, so once Issue 1 of the Review is out (soon) I will give a few of his books a go. Promise.

Don.

Hi Soup.

Anderson penned more theological works than you can shake a stick at, but I found 'Human Destiny' (1887) to have some interesting content and to be more accessible than many of the others.

(Maybe Anderson was in a gentler mood in 1887 than he was in later years.)

Best regards,
Archaic

[Phil Carter]

During my doctoral studies I had to read many New England Puritan sermons from the 17th C. Anderson can't possibly be any heavier, so once Issue 1 of the Review is out (soon) I will give a few of his books a go. Promise.

Don.

Hello Don,

I wish you luck.

best wishes

Phil

[Phil Carter]

Its actually a more nuanced view of Anderson, and yes perhaps a more positive one too that im hoping for. Im not wishing to start a firefight but from the rest of your post I can barely hope for even a nuanced view from you of Anderson let alone a positive one.


These anti-semitic quotes would have been of interest. If anyone has them can they please post them.

Hello Jason,

No firefight and anti feeling intended.. I genuinely tried to find reason and rhyme in Anderson's work.. positive and negative. I just gave in. It was extremely heavy reading, and as said.. very boring indeed to my mind.


kindly

Phil

[Supe]

During my doctoral studies I had to read many New England Puritan sermons from the 17th C. Anderson can't possibly be any heavier, so once Issue 1 of the Review is out (soon) I will give a few of his books a go. Promise.

Don.

[jason_c]

Hello Jason,

As much as I admire the attempted finding of a phrase that could give rise and hope to a more positive view, (in my own eyes at least ) of Anderson in reference to his role in the WM and his views on Jews on a professional point, this one line taken from thousands of lines on his religious and social views is really nowhere near enough. I found some of the stuff he wrote indicates strong Anti-Zionist views. However...

I have read my way through only one of his religious books and attempted a 2nd. I mistakenly thought I could review his work.. and present a kind of independant review.. but the task was frankly.. too much. Probably THE most laborious task in literature I have ever attempted, and have read many many thousands of books in my 53 years on this planet, I can assure you old chap. I have discussed this briefly with Chris George recently, and we have both come to the conclusion that he may well have been an extreme product of his time.. regarding the Empire, the attitudes of the higher society against foreigners and in particular perhaps, the Jews in Whitechapel.

One has to have a definitive religious persuasion I'd wager to be able to wade through all the stuff he wrote with any conviction (which I am not).
It is tiresome, boring and very very deep in its meanings, in my honest opinion.

I found it extremely boring. Because I haven't read ALL his works that are religiously based, I can't say for certain that he was Anti Jewish.. but I did find indications that incline me on towards path.. on balance. His own views in particular, towards his own form of religion, seem very at odds with the Jewish religion.

I must add that I didn't write any of these kines or quotes down, perhaps someone else has. I had enough trouble wading through the stuff. It really was awful stuff to read. If you attempt it, and I really do mean this.. good luck.


kindly


Phil

Its actually a more nuanced view of Anderson, and yes perhaps a more positive one too that im hoping for. Im not wishing to start a firefight but from the rest of your post I can barely hope for even a nuanced view from you of Anderson let alone a positive one.


These anti-semitic quotes would have been of interest. If anyone has them can they please post them.

[ChrisGeorge]

Hello Chris,

Thanks for this input, and I apologise for not pre-warning you that I would name you in my posting.. it completely skipped my mind. No offense old chap.

kindly

Phil

No problem whatsoever, my friend.

Chris

[Phil Carter]

Hello Chris,

Thanks for this input, and I apologise for not pre-warning you that I would name you in my posting.. it completely skipped my mind. No offense old chap.

kindly

Phil

[Phil Carter]

Hello Jonathan,

Have I understood you correctly in that you mean that Anderson could have been playing a psychological game with his readers to present himself as being above the "norm" of view surrounding the Jewish Community at the time? Or are you suggesting he was that way inclined by nature anyway?


kindly

Phil

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi all

Stewart send me some time back an image of a letter from Anderson to Chief Rabbi Hermann Adler, so they were friends and correspondents at least on theological matters. Of course that doesn't mean that this buddy buddy correspondence warmed the cold chambers of Sir Robert's heart in terms of alleviating the hard stance he took about Jews' refusal to work with Gentile justice. And in fact we know of course that Adler in 1888 and later Mentor, the editorialist with the Jewish Chronicle in 1910, vociferously resisted the police ideas about finding a connection of the murders to the Jews. Clearly Mentor (i.e., the editor Leopold Greenberg) felt that bigotry was at work in Anderson's attitude toward the low class Jews of the East End, if not Jews in general.

Best regards

Chris

[Jonathan H]

Arguably Sir Robert Anderson's anti-anti-Semitism, which can also be found in his memoirs, strongly suggests that his choosing of a Polish Jew as the fiend is therefore compelling, in terms of historical methodology, as it goes against the expected bias; his being, relatively speaking, pro-Hebrew in a sea of sectarian antipathy.

[Phil Carter]

Hello Jason,

As much as I admire the attempted finding of a phrase that could give rise and hope to a more positive view, (in my own eyes at least ) of Anderson in reference to his role in the WM and his views on Jews on a professional point, this one line taken from thousands of lines on his religious and social views is really nowhere near enough. I found some of the stuff he wrote indicates strong Anti-Zionist views. However...

I have read my way through only one of his religious books and attempted a 2nd. I mistakenly thought I could review his work.. and present a kind of independant review.. but the task was frankly.. too much. Probably THE most laborious task in literature I have ever attempted, and have read many many thousands of books in my 53 years on this planet, I can assure you old chap. I have discussed this briefly with Chris George recently, and we have both come to the conclusion that he may well have been an extreme product of his time.. regarding the Empire, the attitudes of the higher society against foreigners and in particular perhaps, the Jews in Whitechapel.

One has to have a definitive religious persuasion I'd wager to be able to wade through all the stuff he wrote with any conviction (which I am not).
It is tiresome, boring and very very deep in its meanings, in my honest opinion.

I found it extremely boring. Because I haven't read ALL his works that are religiously based, I can't say for certain that he was Anti Jewish.. but I did find indications that incline me on towards path.. on balance. His own views in particular, towards his own form of religion, seem very at odds with the Jewish religion.

I must add that I didn't write any of these kines or quotes down, perhaps someone else has. I had enough trouble wading through the stuff. It really was awful stuff to read. If you attempt it, and I really do mean this.. good luck.


kindly


Phil

[jason_c]

Not sure if this has been flagged up before, but this website appears to have transcribed a large amount of Anderson's books on Theology:

http://www.newble.co.uk/anderson/literature.html

No doubt useful for anybody wishing to delve deeper into the mind of the man beyond his police work.

I had a quick glance. I read some from the following link.

http://www.newble.co.uk/anderson/heaven/preface.html

chapter 1


Here is Anderson talking of Jews at the time of Christ. This has little bearing on Anderson's alleged anti-semtism of 19th century Jews but may be of passing interest -

"We must remember that the Jews were not a tribe of ignorant savages, but a highly cultured and intensely religious people"

[Archaic]

Anderson? He is not read, but sleepeth...

Archaic