W. H. C. Frend
British ecclesiastical historian and archaeologist (1916–2005)
Mary Frend
(m. 1951; died 2002)- 1982 (deacon)
- 1983 (priest)
- Keble College, Oxford (BA, MA, DPhil, DD)
- University of Cambridge
- University of Glasgow
William Hugh Clifford Frend FSA FRSE FRHistS FBA (11 January 1916 – 1 August 2005) was an English ecclesiastical historian, archaeologist, and Anglican priest.
Academic career
- Haileybury College (scholar)
- Keble College, Oxford (scholar, BA first class in modern history 1937, MA 1951, DPhil with thesis on Donatists 1940, DD 1966)
- Craven Scholarship to study in Berlin (with Hans Lietzmann) and North Africa
- Research fellowship at University of Nottingham
- Associate Director, Egypt Exploration Society, Q'asr Ibrim, Nubia 1963–64
- Bye Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (BD 1964)
- Fellow and university lecturer in divinity. During this time Charles III, then reading archaeology and anthropology at Trinity, was one of his students.
- Professor of Ecclesiastical History, and Dean of the Faculty of Divinity, in the University of Glasgow 1969–84 (Emeritus 1984–2005)
- Chairman, Association of University Teachers 1976–78
- Frend once stood for local government as Liberal Party candidate in Cambridge
- In the 1980s he worked at Carthage with a team from the University of Michigan
- In retirement was again elected Bye Fellow of Caius and in his last years wrote a new book about the early life of Augustine
Military career
- Assistant Principal, War Office 1940
- Seconded to Cabinet Office and served on Committees for Allied Supplies and the Free French
- Liaison officer, Psychological Warfare Branch, Tunis
- Service in Austria for 18 months
- Italy
- Commissioned officer, Queen's Royal Regiment 1947–67
Ministry
Frend inclined towards the low church tradition. He was a sometimes reluctant liberal who cautiously supported the ordination of women but criticised Bishop David Jenkins of Durham over his non-traditional ideas about Christmas. He was considered a good and humble pastor and an enlightening, if theologically unconventional, preacher.
- Reader 1956–82
- Ordained deacon in the Scottish Episcopal Church 1982
- Non stipendiary minister, Aberfoyle 1982–84
- Ordained priest in the Scottish Episcopal Church 1983
- Priest-in-charge, Barnwell with Thurning and Luddington 1984–90
- Permission to officiate in the Diocese of Ely 1990–2005
- Until his death, he continued to take two services every month
Public recognition
- Złoty Krzyż Zasługi z Mieczami (Gold Cross of Merit with Swords), Government of the Polish Republic in Exile
- Territorial Efficiency Decoration 1959
- Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London 1952
- Fellow of the Royal Historical Society 1954
- President of the Ecclesiastical History Society (1971–72)[1]
- D.D. honoris causa, University of Edinburgh 1974
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1979
- Fellow of the British Academy 1983
- He set up and financed the Frend Medal, awarded by the Society of Antiquaries for archaeology, history and topography of the early Christian Church.[2] Recipients include Harold McCarter Taylor and Charles Thomas (1981),[3] Philip Rahtz (2003), Günter P. Gehring (2000)[4] Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle (1986),[5] Nancy Gauthier (2002),[6] and Samuel Turner 2004.[7]
Family
Frend was married to Mary Grace (née Crook; 1951–2002). They had one son, Simon, and one daughter, Sally. His father was a priest of high church persuasion.
Major works
- The Donatist Church: A Movement of Protest in Roman North Africa (1951)
- Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church (1965)
- The Rise of the Monophysite Movement (1972)
- The Rise of Christianity (1984)
Works and publications[8]
- The Donatist Church: A Movement of Protest in Roman North Africa, 1951
- Early Church, 1964
- Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church, 1965
- Saints & Sinners in the Early Church: Differing & Conflicting Traditions in the First Six Centuries, 1970
- The Rise of the Monophysite Movement, 1972
- Religion, Popular and Unpopular in the Early Christian Centuries, 1976
- Town and Country in the Early Christian Centuries, 1980
- The Rise of Christianity, 1984
- Archaeology and History in the Study of Early Christianity, 1988
- The Archaeology of Early Christianity: A History, 1996
- Orthodoxy, Paganism and Dissent in the Early Christian Centuries, 2002
- From Dogma to History: How Our Understanding of the Early Church Developed, 2003
Works co-authored with J. Stevenson
- A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to AD 337
J. Stevenson (Editor of the 1957 First Edition), William H. C. Frend (Co-Revisor for the 1987 Second Edition) - Creeds, Councils and Controversies: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church, AD 337–461
J. Stevenson (Editor of the 1966 First Edition), William H. C. Frend (Co-Revisor for the 1989 Second Edition)
See also
References
- ^ Past Presidents - Ecclesiastical History Society
- ^ "Society of Antiquaries of London – Volume 83, 2003". sal.org.uk. 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
archaeology, history and topography of the early Christian Church
- ^ "Society of Antiquaries of London – Harold McCarter Taylor, C.B.E., T.D., M.A., MSc, PhD". sal.org.uk. 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
Charles Thomas
- ^ "Society of Antiquaries of London – Volume 80, 2000". sal.org.uk. 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
Günter P Gehring
- ^ "Society of Antiquaries of London – Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle". sal.org.uk. 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
1986
- ^ "Society of Antiquaries of London – Volume 82, 2002". sal.org.uk. 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
Nancy Gauthier
- ^ "Society of Antiquaries of London – Salon 87 – 25 April 2004". sal.org.uk. 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
Samuel Turner
- ^ "Books by William H.C. Frend".
External links
- Church Times obituary
- Telegraph obituary
- The Times obituary
- The Independent obituary
Academic offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by John Foster | Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Glasgow 1969–1984 | Succeeded by Ian Hazlett |
Professional and academic associations | ||
Preceded by | President of the Ecclesiastical History Society 1971–1972 | Succeeded by |