Comments on: GKC the Possible Saint

By: Benighted Savage

Benighted Savage — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:57:23 +0000

Hot off the presses (sort of; dated 8 July): Dr Oddie tells us what he means when he argues that GK Chesterton was “pro-Jewish”:

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2011/07/08/%E2%80%98the-world-owes-god-to-the-jews%E2%80%99-wrote-chesterton-if-anything-he-was-pro-jewish-rather-than-%E2%80%93-as-the-calumny-alleges-%E2%80%93-anti-semitic/

I didn’t find Oddie’s apologia compelling. Just because Chesterton was not a Nazi-type anti-semite doesn’t entail that he was a “philosemite.” Oddie also avoids arguments and statements by Chesterton that are a little more difficult to explain away than the ones he refers to/quotes in his defense.

By: Catholic Phoenix

Catholic Phoenix — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:03:06 +0000

[...] A book suggestion from First Thoughts: The Holiness of G. K. Chesterton [...]

By: No Blog is an Island – 7.29.11 « Nate Navigates the Bible

No Blog is an Island – 7.29.11 « Nate Navigates the Bible — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:57:38 +0000

[...] David Mills sets my heart aflutter with news that GK Chesterton may possibly be deemed a saint (in the Aquinas, academic mold, I believe, rather than the miracle-working one)? [...]

By: Francesca

Francesca — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:02:57 +0000

I wouldn’t touch a book with a barge pole which pretended that GKC was philosemitic

By: David Mills

David Mills — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:26:18 +0000

I haven’t read Oddie’s appendix yet, but as a lover of Chesterton I have to say that “Benighted Savage” raises a serious problem with his writing, and with his vision of society. There is more to be said on Chesterton’s side, including the testimony on his behalf by his Jewish friends, but I think the very most that can be said is, as people say nowadays, “It’s complicated.” It’s impossible to avoid saying that he sometimes wrote things that have to be taken as anti-semitic.

By: Joe McFaul

Joe McFaul — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:22:24 +0000

The New Jerusalem is also worth examining in determining the extent of philosemitism. Perhaps that word meant something different then than it does today.

By: Benighted Savage

Benighted Savage — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:11:48 +0000

Anyone who has bothered to read G. K. Chesterton’s book _What I Saw in America_ (1922) would be puzzled to find the words “Chesterton” and “philosemitic” in close proximity to each other. It would be interesting to see how anyone could reconcile such a position with Chesterton’s defense therein of what he calls Henry Ford’s “campaign against the Jews.” And, sadly to say, that’s not the only case that can be culled from this book that would argue against Chesterton’s “philosemitism.”

By: thomas

thomas — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:12:03 +0000

The Everyman Chesterton, edited by Ian Ker:

http://www.amazon.com/Everyman-Chesterton-Everymans-Library-Cloth/dp/0307594971

is an excellent one-volume collection of Chesterton writings.

By: Bret Lythgoe

Bret Lythgoe — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 07:06:25 +0000

There’s an excellent review of one of the latest biographies of Chesterton, in the latest issue of NATIONAL REVIEW. The book is by the Newman expert, Ian Ker.

My only complaint, is the book, G. K. CHESTERTON, A BIOGRAPHY, by Ian Ker, and published by OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, at least if one orders it directly from OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, is really expensive! sixty five dollars! But it may be worth it. http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/ReligionTheology/Theology/?view=usa&ci=9780199601288

Also, the reviewer of this book, David S. Boyle, is an editor of LOGOS:A JOURNAL OF CATHOLIC THOUGHT AND CULTURE. I’ve never heard of this journal before, but I went to its website, and realized that I MUST read this journal! It looks excellent! http://www.stthomas.edu/cathstudies/Logos/

By: John Rowland

John Rowland — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:42:19 +0000

Not sure if you folks know Chesterton carried a small pistol , a pocket knife and a sword cane. My kind of guy I did South Bronx patrol as a patrolman and detective and could have used his arms backup. Ever see the end result of a sword cane used I did among other nasty zit zat weapons.