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Papers by Peter Elliott

Journal of Religious History, 2019

Much recent work has been undertaken on the beginnings of Pentecostalism in North America, and it... more Much recent work has been undertaken on the beginnings of Pentecostalism in North America, and its antecedents in the nineteenth century. These efforts have outlined the theological contributions of the Holiness movement, revivalism, and nineteenth‐century healing movements. One group that has been largely overlooked is the Edward Irving influenced Catholic Apostolic Church, which has been seen as making a minimal contribution as a precursor to Pentecostalism in general; it has especially been seen as peripheral in the Americas. This article will use contemporary newspapers and recently digitised primary sources to argue that the Catholic Apostolic Church was a significant force in the pre‐history of American and Canadian Pentecostalism, with hundreds of followers in key cities, regularly exhibiting prophecy and glossolalia throughout the second half of the nineteenth century.

Lucas, 2019

Dowie was a controversial figure, both in Australia, and especially in America where he concluded... more Dowie was a controversial figure, both in Australia, and especially in America where he concluded his ministry. This article re-examines the traditional narrative of the beginnings of his healing ministry in Australia in the light of his own personal correspondence. Significant doubts emerge about the veracity of the traditional narrative.

For some years, the historiography of Australian Pentecostalism has been dominated by the belief ... more For some years, the historiography of Australian Pentecostalism has been dominated by the belief that Pentecostalism came to Australia in 1909 through the agency of Sarah Jane Lancaster who had, in turn, been influenced by news of overseas events. There had, apparently, been little or no influence in the Australian context by such groups as the Catholic Apostolic Church, which formed in Britain in 1835, in the wake of Edward Irving’s proto-Pentecostal theology. Although members of the Catholic Apostolic Church arrived in Melbourne in the 1850s, the general view was that they had by then abandoned their earlier pursuit of the charismata.
In 2012, I argued (based on a limited sample of evidence) that the adherents of the Catholic Apostolic Church in Australia both taught and practised the charismata throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. This evidence is contained in the Angels’ Report Books, located in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Since then, the Bradford collection has been fully digitised, thereby allowing a comprehensive review of the Catholic Apostolic Church’s charismatic activity and further evaluation of the Lancaster hypothesis.
The significance of this research is that it allows a considerable re-framing of the pre-history of Australian Pentecostalism, demonstrating that the Catholic Apostolic Church taught and practiced glossolalia, prophecy and divine healing through the last four decades of the nineteenth century. .

The broader clash between Charles I and Parliament that became the English Civil Wars was reflect... more The broader clash between Charles I and Parliament that became the English Civil Wars was reflected in the narrower battlefront of ecclesiology. With the collapse of censorship, Katherine Chidley’s separatism, already formed by the 1620s, achieved an audience in 1641 with her first publication which, ironically, championed the less radical position (and newly-coined term) of Independency. Her publication was in response to Thomas Edwards who was striving to ensure Presbyterianism became the new established Church. The tension between the two demonstrates the continuity between Elizabethan Brownism and mid-seventeenth century English separatism, the complexity of the relationship between Independency and separatism, and the rivalry between Presbyterians and Independents/separatists for legitimacy and predominance. The Chidley-Edwards duel sheds light on the multiple conflicts of the day when the magnitude of the stakes involved were captured succinctly in the previous monarch’s maxim: “No bishop, no king, no nobility”. The new position of Independency emerges more clearly through their debate.

In recent decades, most interpreters have argued that as an organised movement, Australian Pentec... more In recent decades, most interpreters have argued that as an organised movement, Australian Pentecostalism began in 1909 with Sarah Jane Lancaster's Good News Hall. This article argues that Australian Pentecostal beginnings should be recalibrated to 1853, with the arrival of representatives of the Catholic Apostolic Church in Melbourne. The evidence indicates that the Catholic Apostolic Church continually taught and practised the charismatic gifts in Australia throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. The existence of an established denomination in Australia embracing and exhibiting the charismatic gifts for the period 1853 to 1900 challenges the dominant Lancaster interpretation. This evidence also argues for a direct historic link between Australian Pentecostalism and the charismata of Edward Irving and the nascent Catholic Apostolic Church in 1830s London.

Books by Peter Elliott

Beyond Four Walls: explorations in being the Church, 2020

This chapter appears in a book of conference papers I edited with Michael O'Neil. It argues that ... more This chapter appears in a book of conference papers I edited with Michael O'Neil. It argues that the influence of Romanticism is comprehensive and ongoing within the western Church, surfacing in often surprising ways across the theological spectrum.

Australian Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements: arguments from the margins, 2020

This chapter in a publication edited by Rocha, C., Hutchinson, MP & Openshaw, K argues that in th... more This chapter in a publication edited by Rocha, C., Hutchinson, MP & Openshaw, K argues that in the historiography of Australian Pentecostal precursors, the presence and activity of the Catholic Apostolic Church has been largely overlooked. Interacting with Chant's work, primary sources are presented to demonstrate the activity of Catholic Apostolics in several Australian States from the mid-nineteenth century.

Edward Irving’s hybrid: towards a nineteenth-century apostolic and Presbyterian Pentecostalism ... more Edward Irving’s hybrid: towards a nineteenth-century apostolic and Presbyterian Pentecostalism

In 1822 a young Church of Scotland minister named Edward Irving accepted a post in London and quickly attracted support across all socio-economic groups. He became the most popular preacher in London with several thousand adherents. During the next decade, Irving developed views and practices that could be described as millenarian and proto-pentecostal; his interest in prophecy grew and his Christology became unorthodox.

The arrival of charismata in the congregation allowed a much wider scope for the laity to participate within worship services, but also led to Irving’s ejection from his church. Hundreds followed Irving to form a new group which tried to balance the charismatic participation of the laity with an apostolic hierarchy. The resulting tensions between presbyterian, congregational and episcopal features give a fascinating glimpse of a church redefining and expanding leadership structures and opportunities, with echoes of relevance for the contemporary Church.

This is the biography of Englishman Trevor White, who went to British North Borneo (now Sabah) as... more This is the biography of Englishman Trevor White, who went to British North Borneo (now Sabah) as a missionary in 1939, was interned by the Japanese, and returned after the war to have an amazingly fruitful ministry amongst the Dusun people. It is a story of setback, perseverance and revival. I will send you a copy of this book for free if you contact me.

Software by Peter Elliott

Edward Irving: Romantic Theology in Crisis (electronic)

Book Reviews by Peter Elliott

Journal of Religious History, 2019

Much recent work has been undertaken on the beginnings of Pentecostalism in North America, and it... more Much recent work has been undertaken on the beginnings of Pentecostalism in North America, and its antecedents in the nineteenth century. These efforts have outlined the theological contributions of the Holiness movement, revivalism, and nineteenth‐century healing movements. One group that has been largely overlooked is the Edward Irving influenced Catholic Apostolic Church, which has been seen as making a minimal contribution as a precursor to Pentecostalism in general; it has especially been seen as peripheral in the Americas. This article will use contemporary newspapers and recently digitised primary sources to argue that the Catholic Apostolic Church was a significant force in the pre‐history of American and Canadian Pentecostalism, with hundreds of followers in key cities, regularly exhibiting prophecy and glossolalia throughout the second half of the nineteenth century.

Lucas, 2019

Dowie was a controversial figure, both in Australia, and especially in America where he concluded... more Dowie was a controversial figure, both in Australia, and especially in America where he concluded his ministry. This article re-examines the traditional narrative of the beginnings of his healing ministry in Australia in the light of his own personal correspondence. Significant doubts emerge about the veracity of the traditional narrative.

For some years, the historiography of Australian Pentecostalism has been dominated by the belief ... more For some years, the historiography of Australian Pentecostalism has been dominated by the belief that Pentecostalism came to Australia in 1909 through the agency of Sarah Jane Lancaster who had, in turn, been influenced by news of overseas events. There had, apparently, been little or no influence in the Australian context by such groups as the Catholic Apostolic Church, which formed in Britain in 1835, in the wake of Edward Irving’s proto-Pentecostal theology. Although members of the Catholic Apostolic Church arrived in Melbourne in the 1850s, the general view was that they had by then abandoned their earlier pursuit of the charismata.
In 2012, I argued (based on a limited sample of evidence) that the adherents of the Catholic Apostolic Church in Australia both taught and practised the charismata throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. This evidence is contained in the Angels’ Report Books, located in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Since then, the Bradford collection has been fully digitised, thereby allowing a comprehensive review of the Catholic Apostolic Church’s charismatic activity and further evaluation of the Lancaster hypothesis.
The significance of this research is that it allows a considerable re-framing of the pre-history of Australian Pentecostalism, demonstrating that the Catholic Apostolic Church taught and practiced glossolalia, prophecy and divine healing through the last four decades of the nineteenth century. .

The broader clash between Charles I and Parliament that became the English Civil Wars was reflect... more The broader clash between Charles I and Parliament that became the English Civil Wars was reflected in the narrower battlefront of ecclesiology. With the collapse of censorship, Katherine Chidley’s separatism, already formed by the 1620s, achieved an audience in 1641 with her first publication which, ironically, championed the less radical position (and newly-coined term) of Independency. Her publication was in response to Thomas Edwards who was striving to ensure Presbyterianism became the new established Church. The tension between the two demonstrates the continuity between Elizabethan Brownism and mid-seventeenth century English separatism, the complexity of the relationship between Independency and separatism, and the rivalry between Presbyterians and Independents/separatists for legitimacy and predominance. The Chidley-Edwards duel sheds light on the multiple conflicts of the day when the magnitude of the stakes involved were captured succinctly in the previous monarch’s maxim: “No bishop, no king, no nobility”. The new position of Independency emerges more clearly through their debate.

In recent decades, most interpreters have argued that as an organised movement, Australian Pentec... more In recent decades, most interpreters have argued that as an organised movement, Australian Pentecostalism began in 1909 with Sarah Jane Lancaster's Good News Hall. This article argues that Australian Pentecostal beginnings should be recalibrated to 1853, with the arrival of representatives of the Catholic Apostolic Church in Melbourne. The evidence indicates that the Catholic Apostolic Church continually taught and practised the charismatic gifts in Australia throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. The existence of an established denomination in Australia embracing and exhibiting the charismatic gifts for the period 1853 to 1900 challenges the dominant Lancaster interpretation. This evidence also argues for a direct historic link between Australian Pentecostalism and the charismata of Edward Irving and the nascent Catholic Apostolic Church in 1830s London.

Beyond Four Walls: explorations in being the Church, 2020

This chapter appears in a book of conference papers I edited with Michael O'Neil. It argues that ... more This chapter appears in a book of conference papers I edited with Michael O'Neil. It argues that the influence of Romanticism is comprehensive and ongoing within the western Church, surfacing in often surprising ways across the theological spectrum.

Australian Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements: arguments from the margins, 2020

This chapter in a publication edited by Rocha, C., Hutchinson, MP & Openshaw, K argues that in th... more This chapter in a publication edited by Rocha, C., Hutchinson, MP & Openshaw, K argues that in the historiography of Australian Pentecostal precursors, the presence and activity of the Catholic Apostolic Church has been largely overlooked. Interacting with Chant's work, primary sources are presented to demonstrate the activity of Catholic Apostolics in several Australian States from the mid-nineteenth century.

Edward Irving’s hybrid: towards a nineteenth-century apostolic and Presbyterian Pentecostalism ... more Edward Irving’s hybrid: towards a nineteenth-century apostolic and Presbyterian Pentecostalism

In 1822 a young Church of Scotland minister named Edward Irving accepted a post in London and quickly attracted support across all socio-economic groups. He became the most popular preacher in London with several thousand adherents. During the next decade, Irving developed views and practices that could be described as millenarian and proto-pentecostal; his interest in prophecy grew and his Christology became unorthodox.

The arrival of charismata in the congregation allowed a much wider scope for the laity to participate within worship services, but also led to Irving’s ejection from his church. Hundreds followed Irving to form a new group which tried to balance the charismatic participation of the laity with an apostolic hierarchy. The resulting tensions between presbyterian, congregational and episcopal features give a fascinating glimpse of a church redefining and expanding leadership structures and opportunities, with echoes of relevance for the contemporary Church.

This is the biography of Englishman Trevor White, who went to British North Borneo (now Sabah) as... more This is the biography of Englishman Trevor White, who went to British North Borneo (now Sabah) as a missionary in 1939, was interned by the Japanese, and returned after the war to have an amazingly fruitful ministry amongst the Dusun people. It is a story of setback, perseverance and revival. I will send you a copy of this book for free if you contact me.

Edward Irving: Romantic Theology in Crisis (electronic)