Alexander Gray RyrieThe Cambridge University List of Members up to 31 July 1996 (Supplement), University of Cambridge, 1996, p. 83 (born 20 August 1971), is a British historian of

Protestant Christianity Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, specializing in the history of England and Scotland in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. He was appointed Professor of Divinity at

Gresham College Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in Central London, England. It does not enroll students or award degrees. It was founded in 1596 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, and hosts ...

in 2018. He was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

in 2019.

Biography

Ryrie was born in London, and raised in Washington, DC. After teaching for a year at a school in rural Zimbabwe, Ryrie read history as an undergraduate at

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...

( BA 1993, MA 1997), completed a

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Reformation studies at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, and in 2000 took a

DPhil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in theology at

St Cross College, Oxford St Cross College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1965, St Cross is an all-graduate college with gothic and traditional-style buildings on a central site in St Giles', just south of Pusey Street. I ...

. His doctoral work, examining how early English evangelical reformers operated within the political atmosphere of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

's reign, was published as ''The Gospel and Henry VIII''. Ryrie lives in the

Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands running between three regions of Northern England: North West England on the west, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber on the east. Commonly ...

with his wife Victoria (married 1995) and their two children. He has been a reader in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

since 1997, and is licensed to the parish of Shotley St John in the

diocese of Newcastle The Diocese of Newcastle is a Church of England diocese based in Newcastle upon Tyne, covering the historic county of Northumberland (and therefore including the part of Tyne and Wear north of the River Tyne), as well as the area of Alston Mo ...

Career

From 1999 to 2006, he taught in the Department of Modern History at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...

, and is Professor of the History of Christianity at Durham University, where he has worked since 2007. From 2012 to 2015 he was head of the Department of Theology and Religion. He completed a three-year Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship in 2018. A Fellow of the

Ecclesiastical History Society The Ecclesiastical History Society (EHS) is a British learned historical society founded in 1961 to foster interest in, and to advance the study of, all areas of the history of the Christian Church through twice yearly conferences and publication ...

(President, 2019–20), Ryrie is co-editor of ''

The Journal of Ecclesiastical History ''The Journal of Ecclesiastical History'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. It was established in 1950 and covers all aspects of the history of the Christian Church. It deals with the church b ...

''. In 2018, he was appointed Gresham Professor of Divinity, having been Visiting Professor in the History of Religion at Gresham College from 2015 to 2017.

Works

* ''The English Reformation: A Very Brief History'' (2020) * ''Unbelievers: An Emotional History of Doubt'' (2019) * ''Protestants: The Faith That Made the Modern World'' (2017) * ''Being Protestant in Reformation Britain'' (2013) * ''The Age of Reformation: The Tudor and Stewart Realms 1485-1603'' (2009) * ''The Sorcerer's Tale: Faith and Fraud in Tudor England'' (2008) * ''The Origins of the Scottish Reformation'' (2006) * ''The Gospel and Henry VIII: Evangelicals in the Early English Reformation'' (2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryrie, Alec 1971 births 21st-century English historians Academics of Durham University Academics of the University of Birmingham Alumni of St Cross College, Oxford Alumni of the University of St Andrews Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Anglican lay readers Anglican scholars British historians of religion English Anglicans Fellows of the British Academy Living people Presidents of the Ecclesiastical History Society Professors of Gresham College Writers from London