Richard Alan Burridge (born 11 June 1955) is a
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 Britain ...
priest,
biblical scholar
Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 Fo ...
and a former Dean of
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
.
Early life and education
Burridge was born on 11 June 1955 to Alan Burridge and Iris Joyce Burridge (''née'' Coates).
Burridge played guitar in the band Exousia in the 1970s, and continues to record as a solo artist. He was educated at
University College, Oxford
University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...
where he received an
MA and the
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...
where he read for a PhD.
His doctoral thesis on the genre of the gospels was published in 1992 as ''What are the Gospels? A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography''. It played a part in establishing that the Gospels were read as biographies in the first centuries after Christ, and that they belonged to a recognised literary genre of biographies rather than being unprecedented writings which reflected the faith and life of the post-Easter church.
Career
Early career
Burridge's early career was as a
school teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
. From 1978 to 1982, he was a
schoolmaster
The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled after B ...
teaching
classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
and a
house tutor at
Sevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School is a highly selective coeducational independent school in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. It is the second oldest non-denominational school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432, only behind Oswestry (1407). Over 1,000 day pupils ...
, an
independent school
An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...
in
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lon ...
, Kent.
Ordained ministry
Burridge trained for the Anglican priesthood at
St John's College, Nottingham
St John's College, Nottingham, founded as the London College of Divinity, was an Anglican and interdenominational theological college situated in Bramcote, Nottingham, England. The college stood in the open evangelical tradition and stated that i ...
. He was ordained deacon in 1985 and priest in 1986 and was curate at
St Peter and St Paul, Bromley
St Peter and St Paul is a church in the town of Bromley, Borough of Bromley, in south east London. Known familiarly as Bromley Parish Church, it is not far from Bromley High Street and approximately halfway between Bromley North and Bromley S ...
, Kent (1985–1987).
Academic career
Burridge was
Dean of King's College London 1994–2019, and he was elected as a
Fellow of King's College
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
(
FKC) in 2002. From 2007 to 2012, he was Director of
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
Studies, and in 2008 he was appointed to a Personal Chair in Biblical Interpretation. He was a member of 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 Britain ...
's
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 (Church of England), Church Assembly, is t ...
, and chaired their validation panel for
ordination training
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 v ...
and
theological education
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 s ...
(1996–2004); he is currently serving as a representative of the
Church Commissioners
The Church Commissioners is a body which administers the property assets of the Church of England. It was established in 1948 and combined the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Eccle ...
and as deputy chair on the Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group. He was a trustee of
Cumberland Lodge
Cumberland Lodge is a 17th-century Grade II listed country house in Windsor Great Park 3.5 miles south of Windsor Castle. Since 1947 it has been occupied by the charitable foundation known as Cumberland Lodge, which holds residential conferences ...
between 1998 and 2008.
Role at King's College London
The Dean of King's College London is an ordained person responsible for overseeing the spiritual development and welfare of all students and staff as well as fostering vocations among the worshipping community.
When King's was founded in 1829 it was with the express purpose of ensuring that its students received an education that took seriously the religious dimension to life. Throughout the history of King's its deans have been key people in ensuring this continues. The college motto, ''sancte et sapienter'' ("with holiness and with wisdom"), reflects both the college's Anglican foundation and its continuing commitment to religious life and theological education.
The modern-day King's includes members from a wide array of backgrounds, cultures and faiths. Today the dean is responsible for the university's provision for its diverse religious community.
Richard Burridge retired as Dean of King's College London in 2019.
Personal life
In 1979, Burridge married Susan Morgan; they divorced in 2009.
Together they had two daughters.
In 2014, he married Megan Warner.
Selected publications
Books
* - revision of his doctoral thesis.
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Articles and chapters
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References
External links
King's College London Staff Profile"The King's Values: Consumer Culture and Higher Education"Dean's first inaugural lecture pdf transcript ("''cogito ergo sum''" being replaced by "''tesco ergo sum''")
"(Re-) tell me the old, old Story: Narrative, Genre and the Bible"second Professorship inaugural lecture podcast (moralism of "''the Bible says''" as genre-mistake, scripture's library of diverse texts properly seen as "The Books" rich in diversity)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burridge, Richard Alan
Living people
1955 births
Alumni of University College, Oxford
Deans of King's College London
Academics of King's College London
21st-century English theologians
British biblical scholars
20th-century English Anglican priests
Alumni of St John's College, Nottingham
Anglican biblical scholars
21st-century Christian biblical scholars
Fellows of King's College London
Ratzinger Prize laureates