Henry Alford

Henry Alford was an English Church of England priest, biblical scholar, poet, editor, and hymn writer. Born in London in 1810, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow, and was ordained in the 1830s. He served as vicar of Wymeswold in Leicestershire from 1835 to 1853, ministered at Quebec Chapel in London, and became Dean of Canterbury in 1857, remaining there until his death in 1871.

Alford's principal scholarly achievement was his multi-volume critical edition of the Greek New Testament, published between 1849 and 1861. The work helped introduce English readers to important developments in continental biblical scholarship. He later produced The New Testament for English Readers and participated in the early work of the English New Testament revision committee. His interests also included poetry, language, art, music, and journalism; he served as the first editor of the Contemporary Review.

As a hymn writer, Alford produced texts for the church year, biblical themes, processions, harvest worship, and Christian hope. Representative hymns include We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight, Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand, Forward! Be Our Watchword, and his best-known harvest hymn. His writing reflects the close connection between biblical scholarship, parish ministry, and congregational song in Victorian Anglicanism.