Donald Nicholl (23 July 1923 – 3 May 1997) was a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

and

theologian 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 ...

. A speaker of medieval Welsh, Irish and Russian,Hastings, Adrian. "Nicholl, Donald (1923–1997)." ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

''. Ed. H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford:

OUP Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2004
Accessed 16 Feb 2007
he published books on medieval and modern history, religion and a biography of

Thurstan :''This page is about Thurstan of Bayeux (1070 – 1140) who became Archbishop of York. Thurstan of Caen became the first Norman Abbot of Glastonbury in circa 1077.'' Thurstan or Turstin of Bayeux ( – 6 February 1140) was a medi ...

. He has been regarded as "one of the most influential of modern Christian thinkers".

Life

Nicholl was born on 23 July 1923 into a poor working-class community in Halifax, West Yorkshire. He was the son of a brass finisher, William Nicholl. Academically able, he won a Brackenbury scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied political philosophy under A. D. Lindsay and was tutored in medieval history by

Maurice Powicke Sir Frederick Maurice Powicke (1879–1963) was an English medieval historian. He was a fellow of Merton College, Oxford and was a professor at Queen's University, Belfast and the Victoria University of Manchester, and from 1928 until his re ...

. He left Oxford after a year to serve in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He served in the ranks of the infantry, then in intelligence, largely in Asia and the

subcontinent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

. Upon his return to Oxford in 1946, he converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

as a result of his wartime experiences.

Ida Friederike Görres Ida Friederike Görres (2 December 1901, in Schloss Ronsperg, Bohemia – 15 May 1971, in Frankfurt am Main), born Elisabeth Friederike, Reichsgräfin von Coudenhove-Kalergi, was a Catholic writer. From the Coudenhove-Kalergi family, she was the ...

and

Edith Stein Edith Stein (religious name Saint Teresia Benedicta a Cruce ; also known as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross or Saint Edith Stein; 12 October 1891 – 9 August 1942) was a German Jewish philosopher who converted to Christianity and became a ...

played a role in influencing his conversion. From January 1948 until 1953, Nicholl taught history at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. In 1953 he moved to the University College of North Staffordshire (later

Keele University Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele, is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, Keele ...

), where he taught for over 20 years, being promoted to a professorship in 1972. In 1974 he left the UK to become professor of religious studies and history at the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge of ...

, where, for three years he chaired the religious studies department. He returned to England with his wife in 1980, but was appointed rector of the

Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies "Tantur" (from Arabic: الطنطورة, al-Tantura, lit. The Peak/Hill) may refer to: * Tantur Ecumenical Institute: An institute of advanced theological research in ecumenism located on Tantur hill in Jerusalem, near Bethlehem. * Tantour: a conica ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

from 1981 to 1985. He retired to Betley, near Keele in Staffordshire, becoming senior research fellow at the Multi-Faith Centre, Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, and continuing to write. In addition to his academic pursuits, Nicholl taught church history to the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

in Aptos, California, and to novices in the

Missionaries of Charity The Missionaries of Charity ( la, Congregatio Missionariarum a Caritate) is a Catholic centralized religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as ...

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...

's order, in London. More informally he conducted a class in the "Penny University" at the Caffe Pergolesi in Santa Cruz, reading through Dostoevsky's ''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (russian: Братья Карамазовы, ''Brat'ya Karamazovy'', ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing '' ...

''. Alongside his wife, Dorothy Nicholl, he was active in the co-workers of Mother Teresa. He was regular contributor to ''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert ...

''. Nicholl died of cancer, at his home in Betley, on 3 May 1997. He is buried in Keele churchyard.

Selected works

* ''Recent Thought in Focus'' (1952) * ''Thurstan'' (1964), biography of Archbishop

of York * ''Holiness'' (Seabury, 1981; Pauline Books & Media, 2005) * ''Triumphs of the Spirit in Russia'' (Darton, Longman and Todd, 1997) * ''Talking with St. Seraphim: A Meditation with St. Seraphim Shared in the Context of the St Theosevia Centre for Christian Spirituality, March 1992'' (1997) * ''The Beatitude of Truth: Reflections of a Lifetime'' (Darton, Longman and Todd, 1997) – published posthumously * ''The Testing of Hearts'' (Darton, Longman and Todd, 1998) – published posthumously

External links

Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholl, Donald 1923 births 1997 deaths 20th-century British Roman Catholic theologians Academics of Keele University Academics of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford English Roman Catholics English theologians British medievalists University of California, Santa Cruz faculty 20th-century English historians