Diarmaid Ninian John MacCulloch (; born 31 October 1951) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

and

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 ...

, specialising in

ecclesiastical history __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritua ...

and the

history of Christianity The history of Christianity concerns the Christianity, Christian religion, Christendom, Christian countries, and the Christians with their various Christian denomination, denominations, from the Christianity in the 1st century, 1st century ...

. Since 1995, he has been a fellow of St Cross College, Oxford; he was formerly the senior tutor. Since 1997, he has been Professor of the History of the Church at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. Though ordained 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 churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

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 ...

, he declined ordination to the priesthood because of the church's attitude to homosexuality. In 2009 he encapsulated the evolution of his religious beliefs: "I was brought up in the presence of the Bible, and I remember with affection what it was like to hold a dogmatic position on the statements of Christian belief. I would now describe myself as a candid friend of Christianity." MacCulloch sits on the editorial board 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 bot ...

''.

Life

Diarmaid MacCulloch was born in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England, to parents Nigel J. H. MacCulloch (an Anglican priest) and Jennie MacCulloch (''née'' Chappell). He moved to Suffolk as a boy when his father was appointed

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 ...

Wetherden Wetherden is a village and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England, situated about northwest of Stowmarket and about west of the larger village of Haughley. In 2011 the parish had a population of 540. History It was recorded in the 1086 ...

. He attended Hillcroft Preparatory School,

Haughley Haughley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk, about two miles from Stowmarket in the Mid Suffolk District. The village is located miles northwest of the town of Stowmarket, overlooking the Gipping valley, next to the ...

and Stowmarket Grammar School. He subsequently studied history at Churchill College, Cambridge, where he obtained a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1972; this was promoted to a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) 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. Th ...

degree in 1976. During that period, he was also

organ scholar An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at a cathedral, church or institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and adm ...

at the college. After completing a Diploma in Archive Administration at

Liverpool University , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

in 1973, he then returned to Cambridge to complete a PhD degree in 1977 on Tudor history under the supervision of

Geoffrey Elton Sir Geoffrey Rudolph Elton (born Gottfried Rudolf Otto Ehrenberg; 17 August 1921 – 4 December 1994) was a German-born British political and constitutional historian, specialising in the Tudor period. He taught at Clare College, Cambridge, and w ...

, combining this with a position as Junior Research Fellow at Churchill College. MacCulloch joined the

Gay Christian Movement OneBodyOneFaith, formerly the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM), describes itself as "UK-based international Charity which challenges homophobia and transphobia, especially within the Church and faith based organisations". History The Gay ...

in 1976, serving twice on its committee and briefly as honorary secretary. From 1978 to 1990 he tutored at Wesley College, Bristol, and taught church history in the department of theology at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

. He interrupted his teaching to study for the Oxford Diploma in Theology (awarded 1987) at

Ripon College Cuddesdon Ripon College Cuddesdon is a Church of England 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 ordained and lay mi ...

. In 1987 he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in the

and from 1987 to 1988 he served as a non-stipendiary minister at All Saints' Clifton with St John's in the Diocese of Bristol. However, in response to a motion put before the

General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly, is the legislative body of the Church of ...

in 1987 by Tony Higton regarding the sexuality of clergy, he declined ordination to the priesthood and ceased to minister at Clifton. Regarding the conflict between his homosexuality and the Church of England and his own retreat from orthodoxy he said:

I was ordained Deacon. But, being a gay man, it was just impossible to proceed further, within the conditions of the Anglican set-up, because I was determined that I would make no bones about who I was; I was brought up to be truthful, and truth has always mattered to me. The Church couldn't cope and so we parted company. It was a miserable experience.

MacCulloch was awarded a Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree by the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in 2001; the DD is the highest degree awarded by the university. In 1996 his book ''Thomas Cranmer: A Life'' won the

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Uni ...

. His 2003 book '' Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490–1700'' won the 2004

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".British Academy Book Prize The British Academy Book Prize was an annual book award held by the British Academy in the period from 2000 and 2005. Eligible titles were those covering areas of the humanities and social sciences. Winners * 2001 Rees Davies for ''The First Engl ...

and the

Wolfson History Prize The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. Prizes are given annually for two or three exceptional works ...

. '' A History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years'' was published in September 2009 with a related 6-part television series called '' A History of Christianity'' which first aired on BBC4 in 2009 and then on BBC2 and BBC4 in 2010. The book won

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...

Cundill Prize The Cundill History Prize (formerly the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature) was founded in 2008 by Peter Cundill to recognize and promote literary and academic achievement in history. The prize is presented annually to an author who has publis ...

, a $75,000 prize, the largest such prize in Canada at the time. In 2012, he wrote and presented ''

How God Made the English ''How God Made the English'' was a British documentary series about the English national identity and its history. It was shown on BBC Two and hosted by historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded ...

'', a three-part documentary series tracing the history of English identity from the Dark Ages to the present day. In 2013 he presented a documentary on

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false char ...

and his place in English ecclesiastical and political history. His 2015 series '' Sex and the Church'' on BBC Two explored how Christianity has shaped western attitudes to sex, gender and sexuality throughout history. In 2018, MacCulloch published the biography ''Thomas Cromwell: A Life''. MacCulloch sits on the European Advisory Board of

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financia ...

Honours

MacCulloch was elected a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(FSA) in 1978, a

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(FRHistS) in 1982, and a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2001. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...

(DLitt) degree by the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

. He was knighted in the

2012 New Year Honours 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

for services to scholarship. While

Debretts Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company, publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John Deb ...

gives his formal style as "Prof Sir", MacCulloch has expressed the preference that he not be addressed in that manner, in accordance with protocol which dictates that clergy holding knighthoods are addressed as "Sir" only if so honoured before their ordination. *1996

for ''Thomas Cranmer: A Life'' *2004

for ''Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490–1700'' *2004

for ''Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490–1700'' *2010

Hessell-Tiltman Prize The Hessell-Tiltman History Prize is awarded to the best work of non-fiction of historical content covering a period up to and including World War II, and published in the year of the award. The books are to be of high literary merit, but not pr ...

for ''A History of Christianity'' *2010

for ''A History of Christianity''

Interviews

With Henk de Berg

Three-part interview conducted b
Henk de Berg
(2018)
Part I (on the existence of God)

Part II (on gay marriage and women priests)

Part III (on faith, violence and terrorism)

Appearances on ''
In Our Time In Our Time may refer to: * ''In Our Time'' (1944 film), a film starring Ida Lupino and Paul Henreid * ''In Our Time'' (1982 film), a Taiwanese anthology film featuring director Edward Yang; considered the beginning of the "New Taiwan Cinema" * ''In ...
''

Episode
on William Cecil (7 March 2019)
Episode
on the Siege of Malta (11 January 2018)
Episode
on the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Soverei ...

(12 November 2015)
Episode
on the ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

'' (17 October 2013)
Episode
on

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

(9 February 2012)
Episode
on ''

Foxe's Book of Martyrs The ''Actes and Monuments'' (full title: ''Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church''), popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, is a work of Protestant history and martyrology by Protestant Engli ...

'' (18 November 2010)
Episode
on

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

(25 February 2010)
Episode
on the Siege of Münster (5 November 2009)
Episode
on the Dissolution of the Monasteries (27 March 2008)
Episode
on the Diet of Worms (12 October 2006)
Episode
on the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre (27 November 2003)

Selected works

Filmography

* '' A History of Christianity'' (2009) * ''

'' (2012) * ''Henry VIII's Enforcer: The Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell'' (2013) * '' Sex and the Church'' (2015)

Books

* ''Suffolk and the Tudors: Politics and Religion in an English County 1500–1600'' (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1986) * ''Groundwork of Christian History'' (London, Epworth Press, 1987) * ''The Later Reformation in England'' (1990) * ''Henry VIII: Politics, Policy, and Piety'' (1995) * ''Thomas Cranmer: A Life'' (1996) * ''Tudor Church Militant: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation'' (1999) ** republished as ''The Boy King: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation'' (2001) * '' Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490–1700'' (2003) ** republished as ''The Reformation: A History'' (2005) * * ''Silence: A Christian History'' (London, Allen Lane, 2013) * ''All Things Made New: The Reformation and its Legacy'' (London, Allen Lane, 2016) * ''Thomas Cromwell: A Life'' (London, Allen Lane, 2018)

Critical studies, reviews and biography

References

Citations

Sources

* ''Crockford's Clerical Directory''; 97th edition (London: Church House Publishing, 2001), p. 477.
LGBT Religious Archives Network: profile: Diarmaid MacCulloch

External links

Profile on the website of St Cross College, Oxford

Curriculum vitæ
*
''A History Of Christianity'' on BBC website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macculloch, Diarmaid 1951 births 20th-century English historians 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century English historians 21st-century LGBT people Academics of the University of Bristol Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge Alumni of Ripon College Cuddesdon Alumni of the University of Liverpool Anglican clergy in the United Kingdom 20th-century Anglican deacons Anglican scholars British gay writers British historians of religion English Anglicans Historians of Protestantism Fellows of St Cross College, Oxford Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Historians of Christianity James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients Knights Bachelor LGBT and Anglicanism LGBT Anglican clergy LGBT historians LGBT people from England Living people People from Kent Reformation historians Contestants on University Challenge