Henry Alford

Henry Alford combined church leadership with biblical scholarship, poetry, hymn writing, and editing. Dean of Canterbury from 1857 until 1871, he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and became known for his multivolume Greek Testament, sermons, hymns, and work as the first editor of the Contemporary Review. Rivingtons published Rejoice With Them That Rejoice in 1863. Alford preached the sermon in Canterbury Cathedral on 10 March to mark the marriage of the Prince of Wales. Its title draws on Paul's counsel in Romans and places shared joy within Alford's pastoral understanding of Christian sympathy. The twenty-two-page pamphlet belongs to a broader body of occasional sermons through which he addressed public events from the cathedral pulpit. Alford's career joined textual scholarship with accessible religious writing, poetry, music, and questions of English usage. Rejoice With Them That Rejoice captures that public-facing side of his work, connecting a national ceremony with a concise scriptural theme.