George Dunbar Kilpatrick (15 September 1910 – 14 January 1989) was an Anglican priest and theologian. He was
Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture
The position of Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture was established at the University of Oxford in 1847. This professorship in the critical interpretation or explanation of biblical texts, a field known as exegesis, was ...
at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
from 1949 to 1977.
Life
Kilpatrick was born in
Coal Creek, British Columbia, Canada.
Education
He studied at
University College, London
University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
(obtaining a first-class degree in classics in 1932) and
Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...
(obtaining a second-class degree in
Literae Humaniores (classics) in 1934 and a second-class degree in theology in 1936, as well as a
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies.
...
degree in 1944). In 1948 he obtained his
Doctor of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...
degree.
Academic work
He was ordained deacon in 1936 and priest in 1937, serving as a curate in
Horsell
Horsell is a village in the borough of Borough of Woking, Woking in Surrey, England, less than a mile north-west of Woking town centre. In November 2012, its population was 9,384. Horsell is integral to H. G. Wells' classic science fiction novel ...
, Surrey, and in
Selly Oak
Selly Oak is an industrial and residential area in south-west Birmingham, England. The area gives its name to Selly Oak ward and includes the neighbourhoods of: Bournbrook, Selly Park, and Ten Acres. The adjoining wards of Edgbaston and Harbor ...
, Birmingham.
[
After tutoring at ]Queen's College, Edgbaston
The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education (also called the Queen's Foundation, Birmingham, and formerly the Queen's College, Birmingham) is an ecumenical theological college which, with the West Midlands Ministerial Training Cou ...
, and serving as Acting Warden of the College of the Ascension, Selly Oak, Kilpatrick became rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of Wishaw, Warwickshire
Wishaw is a village and civil parish in the north-west of Warwickshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 125. It is located within the district of North Warwickshire and is the home of ...
, and a lecturer at Lichfield Theological College
Lichfield Theological College was founded in 1857 to train Anglican clergy to serve in the Church of England. Uniquely at its foundation, the college did not require a degree, and non-graduates made up the majority of its ordinands. The college ...
in 1942. He became head of the Department of Theology and Reader in Christian Theology at University College Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948.
Nottingham's main campus ( University Park) with Jubilee C ...
in 1946. He was Grinfield Lecturer
Edward William Grinfield (1785–1864) was an English biblical scholar.
Life
He was the son of Thomas Grinfield and Anna Joanna, daughter of Joseph Foster Barham of Bedford, and brother of Thomas Grinfield. He was a schoolfellow of Thomas de ...
on the Septuagint
The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...
at the University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
from 1945 to 1949, and obtained his DDiv degree in 1948. He was appointed Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture
The position of Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture was established at the University of Oxford in 1847. This professorship in the critical interpretation or explanation of biblical texts, a field known as exegesis, was ...
in 1949, a position that carried with it a Fellowship
A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...
at The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...
. He held the professorship and fellowship until 1977. He was appointed a Fellow of University College, London in 1967.[
He has been described as "one of the outstanding textual critics of the twentieth century".]
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilpatrick, George
1910 births
1989 deaths
Canadian Anglican priests
20th-century Church of England clergy
Alumni of University College London
Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford
Academics of the University of Nottingham
Fellows of the Queen's College, Oxford
English Anglican theologians
Dean Ireland's Professors of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture
Staff of Lichfield Theological College