A labour of love
Geoffrey Durham talks to the Friend about the background and themes of his new book, an anthology of writing by Quakers: The Spirit of the Quakers
How were you first drawn to Quakerism?
I was drawn by accident. Chance. When I first went it was at a time when I felt, as a person, I needed to change. I thought, to be a Quaker, I would need to change. But I was wrong. I did not need to change. It triggered a desire to make changes in my life; but the Quakers would have taken me just as I was. I know that now.
What appeals to you about the writing of Friends?
The writing of Friends, at its very best, is simple and true and speaks directly to the heart and the mind and the soul. It appeals to both emotion and intellect. At first the words of George Fox were difficult. A lot about Christ. I was not, at the time, sure of that; but I have come to appreciate the depth and strength of his writing. He expressed himself in the language of his time. William Penn portrayed him as meek, mild and peaceful! He was feisty, radical, difficult, outward-looking and not afraid to describe his ‘enemies’ as ‘full of filth’! I think he had an extraordinary presence. He was a prodigious thinker. A remarkable man.
So you enjoyed spending time in his company, in the company of his words at least?
Yes. Fox is special. He had enormous power and passion and fervour and a profound understanding of the inner life. I love the way the early Quakers, like him, spoke outwardly to the world. So much of what we write today is Quaker to Quaker. It is spoken inwardly to ourselves.
A defining theme in the book is the voice that speaks outwardly.
That is right. It was a central criteria for me in choosing pieces. When Fox and others spoke outwardly they did so to everybody and their message was that you have it inside you to change. You are able, with your resources, to change. Fox uses the word repent. I prefer change. I mean having a clear desire to be who you can be. I also wanted each selection to be grounded in actual lived experience. It is a book for newcomers to Quakerism. It was important to me that it be grounded in experience. Quakerism is grounded in experience.
What do you feel about the early Quakers?
I think we have a lot to learn from them. My job was to ‘cover the ground’ of Quaker thought and experience. I found in the seventeenth century Quakers great riches. They were extremely talented at expressing a clear and direct message. They spoke outwardly and they were used to expressing themselves in public.
It is a personal selection, an anthology, but there is a narrative to the book?
Yes. There are chapters devoted to specific themes, such as Worship and Testimonies, but it does unfold a story from early days to today. I have also included the complete Advices and Queries in one chapter. They are just wonderful.
You have devoted four chapters to individual journals? Why?
I wanted to complement chapters composed of shorter passages with some long pieces. Fox and Woolman were easy to choose. I have also included Pierre Ceresole and the complete journal of Mary Penington. I love it because she begins being very suspicious of Quakers. She says she despises them but she goes on to describe how she had a secret desire to go to their Meetings and how she then went and became convinced of their message. I find her story so honest and moving and in the first person just fascinating.
Pierre Ceresole?
He is very important for me. I just love his writing. I love his depth of thought, his depth of feeling and his economy of expression. He put his ideas in short thoughts. I think a great lesson that Pierre Ceresole teaches us is the importance of being useful. We are here to be useful. Deeds not creeds.
Do you feel that the power and spiritual richness of Quaker writing reflects the state of health of the Religious Society at the time of writing? There is very little from the nineteenth century.
A good point. One of my aims was to choose passages of real power, based on experience, that spoke outwardly to the world. In terms of eras, the nineteenth century was not a fruitful period in the health of the society and it does not feature strongly in the selection, though there are some notable exceptions.
What is the essence of Quaker spiritual writing for you?
Its a sense of communicating a deep religious experience. A doggedness. A bloody-mindedness. A sense that if they were not so determined, against the odds, they would have given up. They did not. They refused to give up. In their lives they combined meaning and purpose, not meaning first and then purpose. In their lives meaning becomes purpose. I feel that is what we should aim for in our own lives.
Were there any particular words that resonated with you in a personal way?
So many. It is impossible to choose. Some less familiar words I love from Donald Swan: ‘There is this whole idea of living with a conscience and that we had to go on living with it. You know, I think I’ve lived with it ever since. And it is a permanent partner: a little second identity that goes along with you – a little conscience, a little box. And I think I am a conchie for life.’ And I love those more familiar words of John Woolman’s: ‘to turn all the treasures we possess into the channel of universal love becomes the business of our lives’.
Which says it all?
Which says it all.
The Spirit of the Quakers is published by Yale University Press. Part of The Sacred Literature Series, it is available from the Quaker Bookshop: 020 7663 1030 or Quaker bookshop.
You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.