V. A. Holmes-Gore
V. A. Holmes-Gore | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vincent Arthur Holmes-Gore 1909 |
| Died | 8 September 1952 (aged 43) Highbridge Station |
| Occupation | Clergyman |
| Spouse |
Helen Evans (m. 1936) |
Vincent Arthur Holmes-Gore (1909 – 8 September 1952) was an English clergyman and writer best known for his advocacy of Christian vegetarianism.
Career
[edit]Holmes-Gore obtained a B.A. from Keble College, Oxford and was ordained in 1933.[1][2] He was curate at Totnes from 1933 to 1936 and at Crediton until 1941.[3] In 1941 he became Rector of Doddiscombsleigh.[3] He was chaplain of Eversley School in Lymington from 1945 to 1948. After 1948 he was assistant master at Millfield Preparatory School in Somerset.[3][4]
Beliefs
[edit]Marriage
[edit]Holmes-Gore defended the Christian idea of marriage and rejected Pauline pronouncements on marriage as non-Christian and Manichean.[5] He believed that divorce was allowed in certain circumstances. His views on marriage are expressed in his book New Morals for Old, published in 1938.[5]
Vegetarianism
[edit]Holmes-Gore advocated for animal rights and Christian vegetarianism.[6][7] He was a speaker at meetings of the Gloucester Vegetarian Society.[8] He authored an article in the autumn 1947 issue of The Vegetarian World Forum, "Was the Master a Vegetarian?" which argued that verses in the New Testament that mention meat were mistranslated from the original Greek.[9] According to Holmes-Gore an accurate translation for the word meat meant "the act of eating food" and not the flesh of animals.[10] He argued that Jesus was a vegetarian, commenting that "the idea of the blessed Master giving his sanction to the barbaric habit of flesh eating is a tragic delusion foisted upon the Church by those who never knew Him."[6]
Holmes-Gore was an anti-vivisectionist. His quote "It is inconceivable that the cruelties of vivisection should be part of the Creator's plan for leading men to knowledge and to health" was cited on advertisements for the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Holmes-Gore was married and had no children.[3] He resided at Edgarley Mews, Glastonbury.[3] His father was G. Holmes-Gore, vicar of Broadwoodwidger.[12]
Death
[edit]Holmes-Gore had a nervous breakdown after resigning from his job due to ill health.[3] He suffered from appendix trouble. Holmes-Gore committed suicide on 8 September 1952 by jumping in front of a train at Highbridge Station.[3] He left £14,148 in his will.[13]
Selected publications
[edit]- "The Thorn in the Flesh". Theology. 32 (188): 111–112. 1936. doi:10.1177/0040571X3603218808.
- The Human Soul. C. W. Daniel. 1943.
- Christ or Paul?. C. W. Daniel. 1946.
- The Bible and Vegetarianism and Was the Master a Vegetarian. The Vegetarian Book Club. 1964. [with Geoffrey L. Rudd]
- These We Have Not Loved: A Treatise on the Christian Attitude to the Creatures. C. W. Daniel. 1971. ISBN 978-0852070031.
References
[edit]- ^ "Splendid Witness". The Western Morning News and Daily Gazette. December 17, 1934. p. 8.
- ^ "Leap in Front of Express". Yorkshire Observer. September 9, 1952. p. 1.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Jumped on to Line: Tragic Death of Former Lymington Chaplain". New Milton Advertiser & Lymington Times. October 4, 1952. p. 2.
- ^ "Former School Chaplain". New Milton Advertiser & Lymington. September 20, 1952. p. 4.
- ^ a b "New Morals for Old". The Northern Whig and Belfast Post. April 7, 1938. p. 11.
- ^ a b Pinchin, E. F. (1942). "These We Have Not Loved" (PDF). The Theosophist. 64 (3): 245–248.
- ^ Rosen, Steven (1987). Food for the Spirit: Vegetarianism and the World Religions. Bala Books. p. 21. ISBN 978-0896470224.
- ^ "Gloucester Vegetarian Society". The Citizen. January 7, 1946. p. 7.
- ^ Fowlkes, K. K. (2005). The Gate: Selections from the Writings of the Ancients : Collection and Commentary. Guardian. p. 89. ISBN 978-0977099207.
- ^ Phillips, David A. (1977). From Soil to Psyche: A Total Plan of Natural Living for the New Age. Woodbridge Press Publishing Company. p. 88. ISBN 978-0912800431.
- ^ "British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection". Worthing Gazette. March 29, 1944. p. 4.
- ^ "Personal". Devon and Exeter Gazette. August 22, 1941. p. 4.
- ^ "The Rev. V. A. Holmes-Gore's Will". Shepton Mallet Journal. February 6, 1953. p. 1.
