Irving, Edward

IRVING, EDWARD. - Protestant pastor, b. at Annan (Scotland) on 4 Aug. 1792, d. at Glasgow on 7 Dec. 1834. In 1819 he was appointed assistant to Chalmers, in the parish of St. John at Glasgow; three years later, in 1822, he was called to head the "Caledonian Church," a Scottish chapel in London, where he became famous for his oratory.

While I. devoted himself entirely to his sermons in the Scottish chapel in London and to the study of the prophecies, H. Drummond (1786-1860), in Advent 1826, began a series of religious meetings at his villa of Albury Park with a group of about 40 sympathizers. They occupied themselves mainly with the interpretation of the prophecies and their fulfillment, and I. too was invited to these meetings. The book of the Chilean Jesuit P. Lacunza, published under the pseudonym of G. Giosafet Ben-Ezrai, on the coming of the Messiah, had fallen into his hands; and having translated it, he became persuaded, and persuaded the other members of the Albury Park meetings, that the coming of Jesus Christ was near, but that first the world would be renewed with the re-establishment of the offices of apostles, prophets, evangelists and angels (bishops and pastors). This coincided with the news that had spread of persons who had the gift of prophecy, of tongues and of miracles. Soon there were prophets also among the participants in the Albury Park meetings. In 1832 Drummond, moved by the spirit of prophecy, began to choose the first apostles until he reached the number of 12. These then elected the evangelists and the "angels."

Thus was born the Catholic Apostolic Church: catholic, because it was to extend to the whole world; apostolic, because of the re-establishment of the 12 Apostles. I., who had nevertheless contributed not a little to the founding of the new sect, was not elected to any office, because he was still tied to the Presbyterian Church. When later, in 1833, he was condemned, above all for having manifested certain false or very doubtful doctrines on the humanity of Jesus Christ, he sought refuge in the new sect, but had to enter it as a simple believer until one of the prophets had a revelation that he had been elected by God "angel" (bishop), indeed head of the angels, that is, of a group of pastors, but he never had the supreme rank of apostle. For this reason the members of the Catholic Apostolic Church absolutely do not want to be called Irvingites; nevertheless this is the name most in use, though the official one is the other. The organization of this sect is entirely special. The heads of the Church were to be the 12 Apostles elected by God and manifested by the prophets. They were to have no successors, but during their lifetime the world was to be converted and the coming of the Lord was to take place. After the Apostles came in dignity the prophets, who manifested what God revealed to them; they were not elected but recognized by the Church when they manifested the revelations to the faithful. The evangelists were chosen by the Apostles alone and were to accompany them in the conversion of the world; the angels (bishops and pastors) were those who were to direct the communities already established. In 1838, after two years of retreat and study at Drummond's villa at Albury Park, the 12 Apostles, accompanied by evangelists, scattered throughout the world, divided with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Before separating, they compiled the "Great Testimony," which is their confession of faith, and which was to be presented
to kings and the great of the earth, including the pope. But the result
did not correspond to the hopes. Some of the apostles sincerely hoped to receive the gifts and charisms of the
Apostles for so great an undertaking, but in vain; and one of
them, Mackenzie, to whom had fallen the evangelization
of Sweden and Norway (tribe of Gad), disappointed, re-nounced the apostolate and separated from the sect. This fact,
the eccentricities of the prophets, the absolute authority that the
apostles assumed, their having adopted many doctrines and in
many things the Catholic liturgy, which Protestant
sects always so abhor, the schism of the neo-apostolic
Church, and finally the death of the last of the 12 primitive
apostles, who died in 1901 at the age of 96, without the
Lord appearing in all this time, inflicted hard
blows on the Catholic Apostolic Church, which at present
is reduced to a few thousand adherents.

In 1863 only 6 of the apostles remained, and in
Germany, where the new Church had had a fairly
good success, the idea arose of replacing the deceased
with others. This idea was led by the two angels (bishops)
H. Geyer and F. W. Schwarz. But if the office of the apostles
became perpetual, one of the fundamental doctrines of
the Catholic Apostolic Church fell, namely that of the imminent
coming of the Lord during the mission of the 12 apostles.
The surviving apostles therefore opposed the new
doctrine and excommunicated Geyer and Schwarz. These
did not concern themselves with such excommunication; indeed in 1865
Schwarz took the direction of a new sect with
the title of apostle, then electing others, and replaced the
Protestant doctrines with the Catholicizing ones of the Catholic-
Apostolic Church. The new sect took the name of the Neo-
Apostolic Community or Church (Neo-apostolische Gemeinde). On Schwarz's death in 1895 there succeeded Fritz Krebs,
who gave to the first apostle (Stammapostel), that is, to himself,
some superiority over the others, whereas before they were considered as equal. On his death in 1905
there succeeded him Hermann Niehaus, who gave new impulse
to the sect. The number of the apostles grew to 14 (Paul
and Barnabas), and the new sect has spread in many parts
of the world. Ten apostles were in Germany: of the
other four, one in each of these regions: Holland,
Switzerland, North America and South Africa.

Their main book is the Lehrbuch der Fragen und
Antworten: a catechism of questions and answers, in which
in 656 questions the whole doctrine is contained. It is divided
into 10 parts, each of which explains one or more articles
of faith. Christ governs his Church by means of "living
apostles" to whom belongs the designation of all
ecclesiastical offices. Baptism of the dead is admitted,
so that a believer can have himself baptized for his ancestors
whom he wishes to save, who died outside the sect. In the Lord's Supper
"the merits of Jesus Christ are given through
the bread and the wine" in a mysterious but visible manner. Whoever
receives the great Sacrament of the Holy Spirit is numbered among the 144,000 sealed by the Apocalypse. At the coming
of the Lord only the just will rise to reign with him
for a millennium, after which the
reprobate also will rise and there will be the final judgment.

Camillo Crivelli