Robert Eden (bishop)

The Most Reverend Robert Eden D.D.
Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
Church	Scottish Episcopal Church
Diocese	Moray, Ross and Caithness
Elected	4 February 1851
In office	1851–1886
Predecessor	David Low
Successor	James Kelly
Other post(s)	Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church (1862–1886)
Orders
Ordination	January 1828 (deacon) December 1828 (priest) by Christopher Bethell
Consecration	9 March 1851 by William Skinner
Rank	Primus & Bishop
Personal details
Born	(1804-09-02)2 September 1804 London, England
Died	26 August 1886(1886-08-26) (aged 81) Inverness, Scotland
Buried	Tomnahurich Cemetery
Nationality	English
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	Frederick Eden & Anne Smith
Spouse	Emma Park ​ ​ (m. 1827; died 1880)​
Children	5 sons 5 daughters
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Moray and Ross (1851–1864)
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford

Robert Eden (2 September 1804 – 26 August, 1886) was a British

.

Personal life

Eden, the third son of Sir

.

Assessment of his accomplishments

The progress which Scottish episcopacy made in his time must be attributed largely to his influence. He had given up a comfortable English

tone which uniformly pervaded Eden's political acts than to the mollifying effect produced by the personal visit of Wilberforce.

The Church Society

Not the least service rendered by the Primus to the Scottish church was in 1876. Large and excited meetings of its members were held in Edinburgh for the purpose of remodelling the whole financial system of the church. The Church Society, the creation of the popular Dean

, had long shown signs of inability to cope with the growing wants of the church. A small body of reformers aimed at replacing this society by an organisation which should represent every congregation, and those who had worked hard and generously on the old lines were opposed to this. The result, therefore, depended on the view which the primus would take. He threw in his lot with the reformers, and composed many heated debates by his courtly suavity and excellent knowledge of business. The new financial body thus formed, known as the Representative Church Council, has been so successful as to justify his action.

Eden was perhaps a better primus than diocesan bishop. His bonhomie and love of telling jocose stories somewhat scared strict spirits. But his grand manner, which, said one of his clergy, 'made you feel proud of yourself in five minutes,' was very telling. Theologically he was a moderate

.

Works

His published works were:

• Some Thoughts on the Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures
• Three tracts against Wesleyan Methodism, published before his episcopate began.
• Four charges.
• Sermons in defence of Scottish episcopacy.
• Sermons on the Prayer Book, on the "International Society of Workmen", and against teetotalism.
• Impressions of a Recent Visit to Russia, a Letter addressed to Chancellor Massingberd, on Intercommunion with the Eastern Orthodox Church, 1866.

In addition, he wrote prefaces to Reginald Shuttle's translation of the Heliotropium: Conformity of the Human Will to the Divine by Jeremias Drexel (Drexelius), and to Dmitry Tolstoy's Romanism in Russia.

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Eden, Robert (1804-1886)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.