Robert Farrar Capon
Discover the life, theology, and literary voice of Robert Farrar Capon: Episcopal priest, author, theologian, and culinary thinker. Explore his journey, beliefs, writings, and memorable quotes.
Introduction
Robert Farrar Capon (October 26, 1925 – September 5, 2013) was an American Episcopal priest, theologian, and author, acclaimed for combining theological reflection with a love for food and everyday life. His books include theological works, meditations on grace, commentaries on the parables of Jesus, and even culinary reflections such as The Supper of the Lamb. Capon’s voice is distinctive: he blends wit, paradox, and reverence, urging readers to see God’s grace in the ordinary, including in meals, cooking, and daily relationships.
Early Life & Education
Capon was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, on October 26, 1925, to parents Frederick and Maybelle Capon. He attended Columbia College (graduating 1946) and the Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (1947). He then prepared for ordained ministry, attending Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, from which he was ordained in 1949.
Ministry & Later Shift to Writing
After ordination, Capon served in parish ministry in New York:
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He was vicar at All Soul’s Church, Stony Brook, NY (1949–58) and then at Christ Church, Port Jefferson, NY (1958–77).
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For almost thirty years, he was engaged in full-time parish ministry.
In 1965 he published his first book, Bed and Board, on marriage.
In 1977, at age 51, he publicly revealed his intention to divorce his first wife and remarry, which led to the end of his full-time parish responsibilities. After that, he devoted himself more fully to writing, though he continued serving in various ecclesiastical roles (such as assisting priest and Canon Theologian).
By the 1990s, he was assisting at St. Luke’s Church in East Hampton and served as Canon Theologian to the Episcopal Bishop of Long Island.
He lived with his second wife, Valerie, on Shelter Island, New York.
Capon passed away on September 5, 2013, in Greenport, New York, at age 87.
Theological Themes & Writings
Grace, Paradox & Radical Forgiveness
One of Capon’s central emphases is the radical grace of God: that salvation is not achieved by human effort or merit, but is a gift rooted in Christ’s death and resurrection. He often highlights paradox as a proper posture for theology: truths that resist easy explanation but invite deeper wonder.
His trilogy on Jesus’ parables is well known:
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The Parables of Grace
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The Parables of the Kingdom
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The Parables of Judgment
Another notable work is Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus, where he explores the nature of judgment, acceptance, and divine sovereignty.
Capon also described himself (in The Romance of the Word) as an “old-fashioned high churchman and a Thomist to boot.”
Food, Creation & Sacrament
Capon had a longstanding passion for cooking and food, seeing in eating and communal meals echoes of the heavenly banquet. He wrote The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection, a work mixing theology, spirituality, and food. He taught cooking classes and served as a food columnist (for Newsday and The New York Times).
In his eyes, the material world is not secondary; creation is good, and the physical realities (taste, smell, texture) participate in spiritual meaning.
He often rejected a dualistic view that separates the sacred and the secular.
Legacy & Influence
Though not as widely known in mainstream circles, Capon has a devoted following among theologians, pastors, and lay readers who appreciate his accessible yet profound style. His blending of theology and the everyday (especially food) has allowed many to see faith as lived, not distant. His influence continues via his books, which remain in print and quoted widely in theological circles.
Selected Quotes by Robert Farrar Capon
Here are some quotes that reflect his theology, wit, and love of life:
“I like a cook who smiles out loud when he tastes his own work. Let God worry about your modesty; I want to see your enthusiasm.”
“The world is by no means averse to religion. In fact, it is devoted to it with a passion. It will buy any recipe for salvation as long as that formula leaves the responsibility for cooking up salvation firmly in human hands. The world is drowning in religion. But it is scared out of its wits by any mention of the grace that takes the world home gratis.”
“There is only one unpardonable sin, and that is to withhold pardon from others.”
“Grace doesn't sell; you can hardly even give it away, because it works only for losers … But it will not buy free forgiveness because that threatens to let the riffraff into the Supper of the Lamb.”
“One real thing is closer to God than all the diagrams in the world.”
“Jesus came to raise the dead. He did not come to teach the teachable; He did not come to improve the improvable; He did not come to reform the reformable; none of those things works.”
“The human race is positively addicted to keeping records and remembering scores. … if God has announced anything in Jesus, it is that he, for one, has pensioned off the bookkeeping department permanently.”
These selections show his characteristic balance: seriousness and humor, mystery and clarity, theological depth rooted in ordinary life.
Lessons from Robert Farrar Capon
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Theology grounded in everyday life
Capon teaches that faith is not only about abstract doctrines — it lives in meals, relationships, and our sensory world. -
Embrace paradox, don’t evade it
Deep truths often resist simple statements; navigating tension is part of spiritual maturity. -
Reject moralism; embrace grace
His refusal to reduce Christianity to rules or self-improvement reminds readers that grace is central to his vision. -
Let your passions inform theology
His love for cooking and taste was not a distraction but a lens through which he saw God’s generosity. -
Speak plainly yet poetically
His writing demonstrates how theology can be both intellectually robust and emotionally engaging.
Conclusion
Robert Farrar Capon was a singular voice: a priest, a theologian, and a man who saw God in the kitchen and the dinner table. He challenged readers to live in the tension of paradox, to taste creation as revelation, and to rest in a generous grace that defies human accounting. His writings continue to inspire those who seek a theology that is both imaginative and rooted in everyday wonder.