Keble, John (1792-1866), was a British scholar, poet, and clergyman. He was a leader of the Oxford Movement, also known as the Tractarians, in the 1830’s. The Oxford Movement, a reform movement that stressed Roman Catholic ideas, had great influence on the Church of England in the 1800’s. Keble sought to defend the doctrines and authority of the church at a time when they seemed to be threatened by reform movements, by liberal theology, and by the Catholic Emancipation Act (1829). With colleagues at Oxford University, including the theologians John Henry Newman and Edward Pusey, Keble wrote a number of Tracts for the Times, which sought to revitalize the teaching of the Church of England. His collection The Christian Year (1827) became one of the most popular books of religious verse of the 1800’s. Its popularity led to Keble’s appointment as professor of poetry at Oxford in 1831. He held the position for 10 years.
Keble was born on April 25, 1792, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, England, and became a fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, at the age of 19. He was ordained a deacon in 1815 and a priest in 1816. He died on March 29, 1866. Keble College, Oxford, was founded as a memorial to him in 1870.
See also Oxford Movement .
