Alexander McCaul

Reverend Alexander McCaul (16 May 1799 – 13 November 1863) was an Irish Hebraist and missionary to the Jews.

Alexander McCaul
Born	16 May 1799 Dublin, Ireland
Died	13 November 1863 London, England
Burial place	City of London Cemetery
Nationality	Irish
Education	Trinity College Dublin
Occupation(s)	Hebraist, missionary
Known for	Missionary work among Jews, Hebrew scholarship
Notable work	Old Paths

McCaul studied Hebrew and German in Warsaw and later moved to St. Petersburg, where he was received by Alexander I of Russia. After returning to England and being ordained, he served as curate of Huntley, near Gloucester. He then returned to Poland in 1823 to lead the mission to the Jews in Warsaw and served as the English chaplain until 1830, despite conflicts with Lutheran congregations. In Berlin, he gained the support of the English ambassador George Henry Rose and the Crown Prince of Prussia.

In 1832, McCaul settled in London, supporting the London Society and founding the Jews' Operatives Converts Institution. He began publishing Old Paths, a weekly pamphlet on Jewish ritual. In 1840, he was appointed principal of the Hebrew college by the London Society and later became a professor at King's College London.

McCaul was also rector of St James Duke's Place and St Magnus-the-Martyr, as well as a prebendary of St Paul's Cathedral. He played a significant role in the Convocation of the English clergy, where he initially opposed, but later collaborated with, the High Church party. McCaul died on 13 November 1863 and is buried in the City of London Cemetery.

Life

McCaul, the son of Alexander McCaul (a cordwainer) was born to a Protestant family in Dublin, 16 May 1799. He was educated at a private school, and entering Trinity College Dublin, 3 October 1814, graduated B.A. 1819, and proceeded M.A. 1831; he was created D.D. in 1837. He was for some time tutor to the Earl of Rosse, and then, was sent in 1821 to Poland as a missionary, by the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews.

McCaul studied Hebrew and German at Warsaw, and at the end of 1822 went to St. Petersburg, where he was received by Alexander I of Russia. Returning to England, he was ordained and served the curacy of Huntley, near Gloucester, where he became close to Samuel Roffey Maitland. In 1823 he married and returned to Poland, living at Warsaw as head of the mission to the Jews, and English chaplain, until 1830. He was supported by the Grand Duke Constantine, but had disputes with the Lutheran congregations. Moving to Berlin, where he was befriended by George Henry Rose, the English ambassador, and by the Crown Prince of Prussia, who had known him at Warsaw.

To improve his health McCaul visited Ireland, and returned for a short time to Poland in 1832. Deciding to settle in London, he took up residence in Palestine Place, Cambridge Road and actively supported the London Society. He assisted in founding the Jews' Operatives Converts Institution, and in 1837 started the publication of Old Paths, a weekly pamphlet on Jewish ritual, which continued for sixty weeks.

In 1840, McCaul was appointed principal of the Hebrew college founded by the London Society; and in the summer of 1841, through Frederick William IV of Prussia, he was offered the bishopric of Jerusalem, but declined it because he thought it would be better held by one who had been a Jew. His friend Michael Solomon Alexander was appointed, and McCaul succeeded Alexander as professor of Hebrew and rabbinical literature at King's College, London. In 1846 he was also elected to the chair of divinity.

In 1843, McCaul was appointed rector of St James Duke's Place, London. In 1844 he became prebendary of St Paul's Cathedral, and in 1847 declined Archbishop William Howley's offer of one of the new colonial bishoprics. In 1850 he became rector of the united parish of St Magnus-the-Martyr. When the sittings of Convocation were revived in 1852, McCaul was elected proctor for the London clergy, and represented them for the rest of his life. At first strongly opposed to the revival of the ancient powers of convocation, he modified his views and worked with the High Church party, opposing the relaxation of the subscription to the 39 articles.

McCaul died at the rectory, St Magnus-the-Martyr, near London Bridge, on 13 November 1863. He is buried in the City of London Cemetery in the north-east of the city.

Works

McCaul's major works:

• Plain Sermons on subjects Practical and Prophetic (1840).
• A Hebrew Primer (1844).
• Warburtonian Lectures (1st ser. 1846; 2nd ser. 1852).
• Rationalism, and the Divine Interpretation of Scripture (1850).
• The Old Paths (1854).
• Some Notes on the first chapter of the Book of Genesis (1861; criticism of Essays and Reviews).
• Testimonies to the Divine authority of the Holy Scriptures (1862).
• Reasons for Holding Fast the Authorized English Version of the Bible
• An Examination of Bishop Colenso's Difficulties with regard to the Pentateuch (1863–4, 2 vols. McCaul seconded George Anthony Denison's motion for the appointment of a committee — of which he was then a member — for the consideration of John Colenso's works on the Old Testament).

Family

Married in 1823, McCaul left several sons. His daughter, Elizabeth Anne (1825–1921), writer and social activist, married James Finn, Consul to Ottoman Palestine, and founded the Distressed Gentlefolk's Aid Association, now known as Elizabeth Finn Care.

References

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1893). "M'Caul, Alexander". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 35. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

Further reading

• Finn, Elizabeth Anne (1929). Reminiscences of Mrs. Finn. London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott.
• Ruderman, David B. (2020). Missionaries, Converts, and Rabbis: The Evangelical Alexander McCaul and Jewish-Christian Debate in the Nineteenth Century. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-5214-9.

External links

• Works by or about Alexander McCaul at the Internet Archive
• Works by Alexander McCaul, at Hathi Trust