The Latin Clerk: The Life, Work, and Travels of Adrian Fortescue (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Latin Clerk: The Life, Work, and Travels of Adrian Fortescue Anthony Dragani The Latin Clerk: The Life, Work, and Travels of Adrian Fortescue. By Aidan Nichols, O.P. (Cambridge, UK: Lutterworth Press. 2011. Pp. 308. $50.00 paperback. ISBN 978-07188-9274-6.) Adrian Fortescue (1874–1923), a priest of the Archdiocese of Westminster, was a defining figure in English Catholicism. A prolific author and speaker, Fortescue’s writings on liturgy and Eastern Christianity helped to shape [End Page 824] public perceptions of both subjects. Aidan Nichols’s biography, The Latin Clerk: The Life, Work, and Travels of Adrian Fortescue, provides a glimpse into the innermost life of the man as well as his scholarship. It details Fortescue’s achievements as a liturgist, orientalist, historian, and pastor. The book starts by chronicling Fortescue’s formative years, with an emphasis on those events that molded his outlook. It tells of his father, prominent Anglican clergyman Edward Bowles Knottesford Fortescue, who made the difficult decision to convert to Roman Catholicism before Adrian’s birth, and how this choice affected the future of his family. Forever conscious of his status as a member of England’s Catholic minority, Fortescue sought to defend his faith against Anglican critics. As a result, he became renowned as an apologist for the Catholic faith and a defender of the papacy. The focus then shifts to Fortescue’s preoccupation with Eastern Christianity. As a young man, Fortescue was greatly influenced by Greek Catholic monks in Grottaferrata, Italy. He was so captivated by the beauty of their liturgy and spirituality that he decided to dedicate himself to studying the Christian East. This led Fortescue to disguise himself as an Arab and to travel extensively throughout the Levant. During his adventures, he became familiar with the ancient churches of that region and occasionally defended himself from robbers in shootouts. Nichols’s book presents an overview of Fortescue’s writings on Eastern Christianity and highlights recurring themes found within them. It paints Fortescue as an ecumenical pioneer who, despite occasional polemics, worked to build understanding and unity between Western and Eastern Christians. It also touches on his unfulfilled desire to transfer to the Melkite Church. Fortescue’s liturgical scholarship also is explored in detail. Among English-speaking Catholics, Fortescue was primarily known as an expert on ritual and rubrics. It is ironic that he loathed addressing these subjects. Nichols lays out the theological reasoning behind Fortescue’s liturgical perspective as well as his practices as a pastor. The most fascinating aspect of this biography is how it chronicles Fortescue’s emotional turmoil during Pius X’s antimodernist crusade. It provides a portrait of a dark time in Catholic history, during which theologically orthodox priests such as Fortescue fell under suspicion simply for being too intellectual. It was painful for Fortescue, who had defended the papacy so vigorously, to watch the See of Peter become a perpetrator of indiscriminate oppression. Fortescue was so disturbed by Pius’s actions that he contemplated leaving the priesthood. This biography is both enlightening and entertaining. It illuminates Fortescue’s key insights, many of which remain just as true today as they were [End Page 825] during his lifetime. But it also paints a vivid picture of Fortescue and his greatness. From reading Nichols’s book, it becomes clear that Fortescue was a brilliant, eccentric, and colorful character. The account of his battle with cancer and premature death is surprisingly moving. Overall, The Latin Clerk does an impressive job of capturing both the essence of the man and a particular epoch in Catholic history. Anthony Dragani Mount Aloysius College Copyright © 2012 The Catholic University of America Press