page 37 Torn between two identities: Edward Irving’s Scottish Presbyterianism and British nationalism Byung Sun Lee Edward Irving and Thomas Carlyle often walked around the brooks near their home in Dumfriesshire. Suddenly Irving spoke to Carlyle, “One day we will both shake hands across the brook, you as a first in Literature, I as first in Divinity – and people will say, ‘Both these fellows are from Annandale. Where is Annandale? ’” 1 Introduction Edward Irving (1792–1834), the great orator of the National Scotch Church in Regent Square, London, is still a controversial figure known for his unconventional ideas concerning the person of Christ, the manifestation of supernatural gifts, and millennialism. His life represents a dramatic theological journey, inspired by a burning and passionate love for God. Almost all of Irving’s theological ideas had their focus on humanity’s desperate desire to approach God through the person of Christ. Along with his theology, his life has also attracted much scholarly attention on account of its panoramic journey: from being Scottish and uncelebrated to achieving unprecedented popularity in London; and from prominence as a Presbyterian minister to being deposed from the National Kirk. Irving’s legacy is that of a radical evangelical figure who played a significant role in changing the direction of Evangelicalism in the 1830s. Extensive research on him, viewing his work and theology in synthetic perspective, has begun to reveal a portrait of his life in its integrity. As a starting point, I will offer an account of the sphere in T T