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What does H.C.F. stand for?

Comprising most of Lewis' writings.
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What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby Michael Gaul » October 24th, 2005, 2:31 pm

In the preface to Mere Christianity, Lewis refers to the "H.C.F" but does not explain what it means. Does anyone know?
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re: What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby Sven » October 24th, 2005, 9:16 pm

Rat! he found breath to whisper, shaking. Are you afraid?
Afraid? murmured the Rat, his eyes shining with unutterable love.
Afraid! Of Him? O, never, never! And yet -- and yet -- O, Mole, I am afraid!
Then the two animals, crouching to the earth, bowed their heads and did worship.
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Re: re: What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby Stanley Anderson » October 24th, 2005, 9:55 pm

…on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a fair green country under a swift sunrise.
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re: What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby Michael Gaul » October 25th, 2005, 12:23 am

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Re: What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby brhoads » November 2nd, 2009, 6:54 pm

Actually, in this context H.C.F. does not mean highest common factor, but Holy Catholic Faith. Lewis was talking about the aspects of Christian faith that we all have in common ("catholic" meaning universal, not the specific sect). We know this because of his deliberate use of capitalization.
Last edited by brhoads on November 3rd, 2009, 3:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby Sven » November 2nd, 2009, 8:44 pm

Welcome, brhoads.

I admire your ability to create a 'fact' out of thin air.
Rat! he found breath to whisper, shaking. Are you afraid?
Afraid? murmured the Rat, his eyes shining with unutterable love.
Afraid! Of Him? O, never, never! And yet -- and yet -- O, Mole, I am afraid!
Then the two animals, crouching to the earth, bowed their heads and did worship.
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Re: What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby Paul F. Ford » November 3rd, 2009, 12:32 am

Paul Ford—self-appointed president of the "245-3617 Club" and proud member of the "245-6317 Club"; author of the Companion to Narnia and the Pocket Companion to Narnia.
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Re: What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby brhoads » November 3rd, 2009, 3:48 am

I have no investment in my answer and am open to what others say. It simply seemed, from the context of writing about the faith of the apostles, that HCF would mean that faith, ie the holy catholic faith. I would like to know the arguments for highest common factor. Simply listing one's qualifications, as impressive as they may be, doesn't shed any light on the issue. It must have been something that Lewis felt his audience would just know.
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Re: What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby agingjb » November 3rd, 2009, 11:35 am

Looking at the context:

"In that way it may possibly be of some help in silencing the view that, if we omit the disputed points, we shall have left only a vague and bloodless H.C.F. The H.C.F. turns out to be something not only positive but pungent; divided from all non-Christian beliefs by a chasm to which the worst divisions inside Christendom are not really comparable at all."

I think that it's fairly clear the Lewis meant Highest Common Factor. I do wonder why he did not expand the abbreviation, and also why he used a mathematical term. I suppose it was in common use as an analogy.
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Re: What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby jayaresee » May 4th, 2010, 5:52 am

He also uses H.C.F. in the section on myth in [u]An Experiment in Criticism[u]. In the context from that work is certainly is for highest common factor
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Re: What does H.C.F. stand for?

Postby donand lil » August 12th, 2010, 2:45 am

Lewis uses H.C.F. in the third chapter of The Abolition of Man: "What is now common to all men is a mere abstract universal, an H.C.F...." He also makes it clear in the larger context of the book that he is not speaking about the Christian Faith in this text. I take it from the context that his meaning in every instance where he uses the abbreviation is more likely Highest Common Factor rather than Holy Catholic Faith.
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