Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Heath, Dunbar Isidore
HEATH, DUNBAR ISIDORE (1816–1888), heterodox divine, born in 1816, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. as fifth wrangler in 1838, and commenced M.A. in 1841 (Graduati Cantabr. ed. 1884, p. 245). He was elected a fellow of his college, and was presented to the college living of Brading in the Isle of Wight. There he preached in 1859, and published in 1860, a series of ‘Sermons on Important Subjects,’ which were alleged to be derogatory to the Thirty-nine Articles. Heath maintained, contrary to the articles, first, that justification by faith is the putting every one in his right place by our Saviour's trust in the future, and that the faith by which man is justified is not his faith in Christ, but the faith of Christ himself; secondly, that Christ's blood was not poured out to propitiate his Father; thirdly, that forgiveness of sins has nothing at all to do with the gospel; and fourthly, that the ideas and phrases ‘guilt of sin,’ ‘satisfaction,’ ‘merit,’ ‘necessary to salvation,’ ‘have been foisted into modern theology without sanction from Scripture.’ Accordingly, in 1860, a suit was instituted against him in the court of arches by direction of his diocesan, Charles Richard Sumner, bishop of Winchester. Judgment was delivered in the case of Burder v. Heath on 2 Nov. 1861, when the defendant was declared to have forfeited his living under the statute of 13 Eliz. c. 12. An appeal was made to the judicial committee of the privy council, and the judgment, delivered on 6 June 1862, confirmed the decision of the lower court, and Heath was deprived of the vicarage of Brading. After his deprivation Heath lived in retirement, and died at Esher, Surrey, on 27 May 1888.
Besides editing for some time the ‘Journal of Anthropology,’ Heath wrote: 1. ‘A brief Account of the Scottish and Italian Missions to the Anglo-Saxons. Collected from Bede and the best historians, and thrown into the form of a Chronicle,’ London, 1845, 8vo. 2. ‘The Future Human Kingdom of Christ; or Man's Heaven to be this earth,’ 2 vols. London, 1852–3, 8vo. 3. ‘Our Future Life,’ London, 1853, 8vo. 4. ‘The Exodus Papyri. With an historical and chronological introduction by Miss Corbaux,’ London, 1855, 8vo. 5. ‘A Record of the Patriarchal Age; or the Proverbs of Aphobis, B.C. 1900, now first translated from the Egyptian,’ Ryde [1858], 12mo. 6. ‘Sermons on Important Subjects,’ Ryde [1860], 12mo. 7. ‘A Defence of my Professional Character,’ London [1862], 8vo. 8. ‘Phœnician Inscriptions,’ part i. London, 1873, 8vo.
[Athenæum, 9 June 1888, p. 728; Cambridge Chronicle, 15 June 1888, p. 7; Crockford's Clerical Directory, 1882, p. 497; Guardian, 6 June 1888, p. 825; Irving's Annals of our Time, p. 627; Isle of Wight Observer, 9 June 1888, p. 5, 16 June p. 6; Men of the Time, 1884; Times, 18 June 1861 p. 11, col. 4, 19 June p. 11, col. 5, 2 Aug. p. 9, col. 6, 4 Nov. p. 9, col. 1, 18 Nov. p. 9, col. 3, 9 June 1862 p. 9, col. 1, p. 11, col. 2.]