SOURCE: "The Oxford Movement: Historical Background 1780-1833," in Tradition Renewed: The Oxford Movement Conference Papers, edited by Geoffrey Rowell, Pickwick Publications, 1986, pp. 24-50.

In the essay that follows, Nockles emphasizes that the Oxford Movement is best understood in its historical context and claims that Tractarian spirituality had deep continuities with earlier Church revival movements'

The passage of time is normally conducive to the attainment of a balanced and objective historical perspective. However the commemoration of great historical events can be a powerful barrier against it, and in this respect the Oxford Movement has proved no exception. For the celebration of the centenary in 1933 was productive of some glaring historical misconceptions, partly, be it noted, out of the very focusing of the participants on what happened in 1833 and the years following. For while on the one hand outright enemies of the Catholic tradition in Anglicanism, such as Bishop Knox...