Austin Farrer

Austin Farrer (1904-1968) was an influential Anglican priest, philosophical theologian, and biblical scholar who served as Warden of Keble College, Oxford. A close friend of C.S. Lewis, Farrer made significant contributions to natural theology and the philosophy of divine action. His "Finite and Infinite" (1943) developed a sophisticated metaphysical framework drawing on scholastic thought while engaging modern philosophy. In "Faith and Speculation" (1967), he articulated his theory of "double agency," arguing that divine action operates through rather than in competition with natural causes. His Bampton Lectures, "The Glass of Vision" (1948), explored religious imagination and symbolic meaning. Farrer defended rational theism while emphasizing the limits of philosophical argumentation, insisting that religious experience and revelation complement natural theology. His work on biblical typology and his sermons demonstrated how philosophical rigor could illuminate Christian faith without reducing its mystery.