John Charles Ryle, the Beloved Bishop of Liverpool, was born on May 10, 1816, and obtained a degree in classical studies from Oxford University. He had aspired for a career in politics, but this dream was derailed by family financial misfortunes that compelled him into becoming an Anglican clergyman in 1841.

Upon becoming a vicar, Ryle’s vigorous evangelical preaching, warm personality, and ability to relate well with the masses earned him success in gospel outreach. He was later appointed Bishop of Liverpool in 1880 at the recommendation of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, a post Ryle he held until retiring at age 83.

J.C. Ryle embodied a singular dedication to a single book; his knowledge of Scripture ran deep within him; his devotion to the Bible was unwavering - he lived and breathed the sacred text. As Ryle himself said, “It is still the first book which fits the child’s mind when he begins to learn religion, and the last to which the old man clings as he leaves the world.”

After his death in 1900 the subsequent Bishop of Liverpool described J.C. Ryle as “the man of granite with the heart of a child.”

Classics