Huw Parri Owen (30 December 1926 – 26 October 1996) was a Welsh theologian, writer and academic.

Life

Owen was born on 30 December 1926 in Cardiff and was educated at

Cardiff High School Cardiff High School ( cy, Ysgol Uwchradd Caerdydd) is a comprehensive school in the Cyncoed area of Cardiff, Wales. Stephen Jones has been Headteacher since 2011. It has been rated as Excellent for current performance and Excellent for prospect ...

and

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship S ...

, where he studied Literae Humaniores and

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He was ordained as a minister in the

Presbyterian Church of Wales The Presbyterian Church of Wales ( cy, Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru), also known as Calvinistic Methodist Church (), is a denomination of Protestant Christianity in Wales. History The church was born out of the Welsh Methodist revival and the ...

in 1949 in order to take up an appointment as Professor of New Testament at the United Theological College Aberystwyth (1949–53) before moving to Bangor as Lecturer in New Testament Studies at the

University College of North Wales , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

. Though he was at first a biblical scholar, who published several articles on New Testament subjects in journals, Owen's interests rapidly turned to more philosophical themes. His first book, ''Revelation and Existence: A Study in the Theology of Rudolf Bultmann'', was published in 1957 whilst at Bangor.

Hywel Lewis Hywel David Lewis (21 May 1910 – 6 April 1992) was a Welsh theologian and philosopher. He was best known for his defence of dualism and personal survival. Life Lewis was born in Llandudno, Wales, and educated at Caernarfon grammar school, the ...

, who had been a professor at Bangor, had moved to King's College London in 1955 and, through his influence, Owen was appointed as a lecturer in the philosophy of religion there in 1962; he became

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in 1963. A concern for traditional theistic belief lasted throughout his life and writings, though he continued to review books in biblical studies as well as philosophy of religion, especially for the journal ''Religious Studies'' in the 1960s and 70s. He was appointed Professor of Christian Doctrine at King's College in 1971, a post he held until 1983. He was regarded as a distinguished theologian, who wrote and spoke with clarity. He died in Cardiff on 26 October 1996. Though Owen's books published in his lifetime all treated of broad issues in theism such as the concept of God, knowledge of God, and arguments for his existence, a more specific study on the subject of prayer was published posthumously (see list of books below). A short study of Owen's thought was published in 2012 by Alan P. F. Sell.Alan P. F. Sell, ''Convinced, Concise, and Christian: The Thought of Huw Parri Owen'' (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2012)

Works

Owen's publications include: *''Revelation and Existence'' (1957) *''The Moral Argument for Christian Theism'' (1965) *''The Christian Knowledge of God'' (1969) *''Concepts of Deity'' (1971) *''W. R. Matthews: Philosopher and Theologian (1976) *''Christian Theism: A Study in its Basic Principles'' (1984) *''The Basis of Christian Prayer'' (edited by Stephen N. Williams) (2006)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Huw Parri 1926 births 1996 deaths Welsh theologians Welsh scholars and academics Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Academics of Bangor University Academics of King's College London Welsh Presbyterian ministers 20th-century Presbyterian ministers 20th-century Welsh theologians