Paul Frederick Bradshaw,

FRHistS The Royal Historical Society (RHS), founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the H ...

(born 9 August 1945) is a British

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

priest, theologian, historian of

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

, and academic. In addition to parish ministry, he taught at

Chichester Theological College Chichester Theological College (1838–1994) was an Anglican theological college for the Diocese of Chichester in West Sussex, Sussex, England. Its churchmanship was high church and Anglo-Catholic. History Chichester Theological College was ...

and

Ripon College Cuddesdon Ripon College Cuddesdon (RCC) is a Church of England seminary, theological college in Cuddesdon, a village outside Oxford, England. The College trains men and women for ministry in the Church of England: stipendiary, non-stipendiary, local orda ...

(both Anglican

theological college A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and Christian theology, theology, generally to prepare them for ordinatio ...

s). From 1985 to 2013, he was Professor of Liturgy at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

in the United States.

Early life and education

Bradshaw was born on 9 August 1945 in Preston,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England. He studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

. He achieved

first-class honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied, sometimes with significant var ...

in Part I of the

Tripos TRIPOS (''TRIvial Portable Operating System'') is a computer operating system. Development started in 1976 at the Computer Laboratory of Cambridge University and it was headed by Dr. Martin Richards. The first version appeared in January 1978 a ...

, and

upper second-class honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied, sometimes with significant var ...

in Part II. He graduated from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree in 1966; as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(MA Cantab) degree in 1970. From 1966 to 1967, he taught at

Wandsworth School Wandsworth School was a local authority maintained boys' secondary school in Southfields, London. Established in 1895, it became a selective grammar school, then an all-ability comprehensive school, before merging in 1986 and finally closing ...

in London; the school closed in 1989. In 1967, Bradshaw entered

Westcott House, Cambridge Westcott House is an Anglican theological college based on Jesus Lane in the centre of the University of Cambridge, university city of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.Westcott House website, Home pag Retrieved on August 27, 2006. Its main activit ...

, an

in the

Liberal Anglo-Catholic The terms liberal Anglo-Catholicism, liberal Anglo-Catholic or simply liberal Catholic, refer to people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm liberal Christian perspectives while maintaining the traditions culturally associated wit ...

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

. While training for ordination at Westcott House, he also undertook

postgraduate research Postgraduate research represents a formal area of study that is recognized by a university or institute of higher learning. The notion of "postgraduate" refers to studies following a undergraduate degree. Postgraduate research either occurs within ...

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

. He completed his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(PhD) degree in 1971. His

doctoral thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

was titled "The Anglican Ordinal: its history and development from the Reformation to the present day". In 1983, Bradshaw was awarded by incorporation a Master of Arts (MA Oxon) degree by 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 ...

; this was to match his MA status at Cambridge and is not a standalone degree. In 1994, he was awarded a

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 ...

(DD) degree by the University of Oxford.

Ordained ministry

Bradshaw was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

in 1969 and as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in 1970 by

Michael Ramsey Arthur Michael Ramsey, Baron Ramsey of Canterbury (14 November 1904 – 23 April 1988), was a British Anglican bishop and life peer. He served as the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England. He was appointed on 31 May 1961 and ...

, the then

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

. From 1969 to 1971, he served his

curacy A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are ass ...

at St John the Baptist,

West Wickham West Wickham is an area of South East Greater London, London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies south of Park Langley, Eden Park, London, Eden Park, Beckenham and Bromley town centre, west of Hayes, Bromley, Hayes and north o ...

, then in the

Diocese of Canterbury The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering East Kent, eastern Kent which was founded by St Augustine of Canterbury in 597. The diocese is centred on Canterbury Cathedral and is the oldest episcopal see, see of the Chur ...

. From 1971 to 1973, he served a further curacy in the Parish of St Martin and St Paul in the

City of Canterbury Canterbury (), also known as the City of Canterbury, is a local government district with city status in Kent, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Canterbury, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of ...

. In 1978, Bradshaw moved to the

Diocese of St Albans The Diocese of St Albans forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England and is part of the wider Church of England, in turn part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese is home to more than 1.6 million people and comprises the hi ...

. He was

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

of St Leonard's Church,

Flamstead Flamstead is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire, England, close to the junction of the A5 and the M1 motorway at junction 9. The name is thought by some historians to be a corruption of the original ''Verulamstead''. Flam ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, between 1978 and 1982. During this time, he was also director of the Ministerial Training Scheme for the diocese. In 1990, Bradshaw was made an

honorary canon Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the precinct of ...

of the

Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana, originally called the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan City, is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the northern one-third of Indiana. It is in Provi ...

. In 1995, he was appointed a priest-vicar of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

in London, England. He was a member of the Church of England Liturgical Commission from 1981 to 1985 and 2001 to 2010.

Academic career

Bradshaw is a specialist in the early history of Christian liturgy. He has written or edited over 20 books and has contributed more than 90 articles or essays. He has collaborated with

Lawrence A. Hoffman Lawrence A. Hoffman (born 1942) is an American Reform Judaism, Reform rabbi and liturgiologist—particularly known for his studies of Jewish liturgy. He is known for his liberal religious views. Hoffman is Professor of Liturgy at Hebrew Union Co ...

on several essay collections about the evolution of worship in Christian and Jewish communities in North America. Bradshaw began his academic career at a theological college, rather than at a university. From 1973 to 1978, he was a

tutor Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

. Having returned to parish ministry, he was also director in the St Albans diocese Ministerial Training Scheme between 1978 and 1982. From 1983 to 1985, he was

vice-principal In larger school systems, a head teacher principal is often assisted by someone known as a vice-principal, deputy principal, or assistant/associate principal. Unlike the principal, the vice-principal does not have quite the decision-making author ...

, an Anglican theological college near

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. In 1985, Bradshaw moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. From 1985 to 2013, he taught in the Department of Theology,

, a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

university in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. Between 1985 and 1990, he was an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

. From 1990 to retirement, he was

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of liturgy. He was a visiting

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a p ...

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

, in 2011. He retired in 2013 and was appointed

emeritus professor ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

. From 1987 to 2005, Bradshaw was

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of '' Studia Liturgica'', an international

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...

. He was President of the

Societas Liturgica Societas Liturgica is the international ecumenical society for the study of Christian liturgy and worship. Societas Liturgica has around 300 members who are researchers, academics or practitioners. Anglican members of Societas Liturgica also serve a ...

from 1993 to 1995, and of the

North American Academy of Liturgy The North American Academy of Liturgy (NAAL) is an ecumenical and inter-religious association of liturgical scholars who collaborate in research. "Academy members are specialists in liturgical studies, theologians, artists, musicians, and persons in ...

Honours

In 1991, Bradshaw was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society 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 ...

(FRHistS). On 18 May 2005, he was awarded an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

(DD) degree by the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 2008, he was awarded the Berakah Award by the

. It is awarded yearly to a distinguished liturgist "in recognition of distinguished contribution to the professional work of liturgy".

Works

Bradshaw' book, ''The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship'', has had two editions (1992 and 2002), and has become a popular

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions, but also of learners ( ...

for those studying early Christian worship. It has been translated into French, Italian, Japanese and Russian. ; Works authored * ''The Anglican Ordinal: Its history and development from the Reformation to the present day'' (Alcuin Club Collections 53, London: SPCK 1971) * ''Daily Prayer in the Early Church: A Study of the Origin and Early Development of the Divine Office'' (Alcuin Club Collections 63, London: SPCK 1981; New York: OUP 1982; reprinted Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock 2008) * ''Ordination Rites of the Ancient Churches of East and West'' (New York: Pueblo 1990) * ''The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship: Sources and Methods for the Study of Early Liturgy'' (London: SPCK/New York: OUP 1992, 2002) * ''Early Christian Worship: A Basic Introduction to Ideas and Practice'' (London: SPCK/Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1996, 2010) * ''The Apostolic Tradition: A Commentary'' (with Maxwell E. Johnson and L. Edward Phillips; Hermeneia Commentary Series; Minneapolis: Fortress Press 2002) * ''Eucharistic Origins'' (Alcuin Club Collections 80, London: SPCK/New York: OUP 2004) * ''Reconstructing Early Christian Worship'' (London: SPCK, 2009/Collegeville: The Liturgical Press 2010) * ''The Origins of Feasts, Fasts and Seasons in Early Christianity'' (with Maxwell E. Johnson; Alcuin Club Collections 86, London: SPCK/Collegeville: The Liturgical Press 2011) * ''The Eucharistic Liturgies: Their Evolution and Interpretation'' (with Maxwell E. Johnson; Alcuin Club Collections 87, London: SPCK 2012/Collegeville: The Liturgical Press 2012) ; Works edited * ''The Making of Jewish and Christian Worship'' (Notre Dame Press, 1991) * ''The Changing Face of Jewish and Christian Worship in North America'' (Notre Dame Press, 1992). * ''Life-Cycles in Jewish and Christian Worship'' (Notre Dame Press, 1996). * ''Passover and Easter: Origin and History to Modern Times'' (Notre Dame Press, 1999). * ''Passover and Easter: The Symbolic Structuring of Sacred Seasons'' (Notre Dame Press 1999). * ''The New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship'' (Louisville: Westminster Press 2002). * ''Foundations in Ritual Studies: A Reader for Students of Christian Worship'' (London: SPCK/Grand Rapids: Baker Academic 2007).

References

External links

University of Notre Dame faculty information

Priests Vicar - Westminster Abbey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradshaw, Paul F. Living people University of Notre Dame faculty Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Alumni of Westcott House, Cambridge Alumni of King's College London 20th-century English Anglican priests 21st-century English Anglican priests People associated with Chichester Theological College Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Clergy from Preston, Lancashire Alumni of the University of Oxford Historians of the Book of Common Prayer 1945 births Anglican liturgists