George Fox, The First Quaker

Sat 7 September 2024

Quaker Meeting House

A talk by Geoffrey Durham (author of 'What Do Quakers Believe?' and 'Being a Quaker') on the visionary whose heretical beliefs electrified the nation 370 years ago and who still inspires Quakers today. He was born in 1624, and this talk is part of Cambridge Quakers’ celebration of his 400th anniversary.

George Fox was a divisive figure, a man of profound wisdom and a born communicator, whose integrity and plain speaking did much to establish freedom of speech and of worship in this country. His beliefs – there is ‘that of God’ in everyone, we have no need of priests, our teacher is within us – were considered blasphemous by the authorities and caused him to be locked up in seven different prisons over twenty-five years.

He had wisdom, energy and a deep understanding of psychology, but today his personality can feel elusive and he’s tricky to get to know. Geoffrey Durham has been fascinated by him for thirty years and will explore his character – the everyday human as well as the spiritual master – in a talk that tells the story of his life and reflects on his brilliant insights and extraordinary magnetism.

This event is hosted by Cambridge Quakers. To find out more about Quakers visit: quaker.org.uk/about-quakers

*This event is part of Open Cambridge. See the full programme here: https://www.opencambridge.cam.ac.uk/events*