Abstract

An examination of the Oxford group of the followers of John Hutchinson , the self-taught Hebrew scholar, natural philosopher and cosmologist, provides insights into the change in the movement that bears his name. Hutchinsonians who studied at Oxford, like George Horne , William Jones and Alexander Catcott , first adopted Hutchinson's ideas in much the same uncompromising form as the earliest followers of Hutchinson had done. However, later on, we see an effort by members of this Oxford group to moderate the profile of the movement. They gradually developed a sense of the need to embrace a more generalised orthodoxy instead of pursuing at all costs their own esoteric defence of the Trinity. They also began to soften what had been their sometimes patronising, sometimes aggressive attitudes to those not convinced of Hutchinson's brilliance and sufficiency. The realisation among this Oxford group that a full-blooded Hutchinsonian system was on the margins of orthodox thinking led them to develop a more integrated approach which arguably contributed to the gradual breakdown of Hutchinsonianism as a coherent body of thought