Stephen Whitefield Sykes (1 August 1939 – 24 September 2014) was 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 Britai ...
bishop and academic specialising in
divinity
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine< ...](_blank)
. He was
Van Mildert Professor of Divinity
The Van Mildert Professor of Divinity is one of the oldest chairs at Durham University. The chair is named in honour of Bishop William Van Mildert, one of the founders of the university. The holder of the Van Mildert chair, which is jointly funded ...
at
Durham University from 1974 to 1985, and
Regius Professor of Divinity at
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
from 1985 to 1990. Between from 1990 and 1999, he served as the
Bishop of Ely, the
diocesan bishop of the
Diocese of Ely. He was the
Principal of
St John's College, Durham
St John's College is a college of the University of Durham, United Kingdom. It is one of only two "recognised colleges" of the university, the other being St Chad's. This means that it is financially and constitutionally independent of the univer ...
from 1999 to 2006. He served as an
Honorary Assistant Bishop
An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop.
Church of England
In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...
in the
Diocese of Durham
The Diocese of Durham is a Church of England diocese, based in Durham, and covering the historic county of Durham (and therefore including the part of Tyne and Wear south of the River Tyne, and excluding southern Teesdale). It was created in ...
during his time as head of St John's College and in retirement.
Early life
Sykes was born on 1 August 1939 in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, England; his father was
principal of one of the city's
theological colleges.
He was educated at
Monkton Combe School, then an all-boys
independent school in
Bath, Somerset.
He matriculated into
St John's College, Cambridge in 1958 to study theology. He graduated from the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
with a
first class Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree 1961.
He then trained for ordination at
Ripon Hall, Oxford
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 min ...
.
Career
Ordained ministry
Sykes was ordained
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 1964 and priest in 1965.
In 1964, he returned to
St John's College, Cambridge, his alma mater, as dean of the
college chapel.
When he moved to
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
in 1974, he became a
residentiary canon of
Durham Cathedral. Having returned to Cambridge in 1985, he was given a corresponding honorary canonry at
Ely Cathedral.
He served as a
curate of
St John the Evangelist's Church, Cambridge, from 1985 to 1990.
On 2 May 1990,
[Diocese of Ely – Stephen Sykes](_blank)
he was consecrated as the
Bishop of Ely. He became a
Lord Spiritual
The Lords Spiritual are the bishops of the Church of England who serve in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. 26 out of the 42 diocesan bishops and archbishops of the Church of England serve as Lords Spiritual (not counting retired archbi ...
through seniority and served in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
from 31 August 1996 to 31 July 1999. He stepped down from this position on 1 September 1999
and returned to education. From 1999 to 2014, when he was head of St John's College and during retirement, he served as an
honorary assistant bishop
An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop.
Church of England
In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...
in the
Diocese of Durham
The Diocese of Durham is a Church of England diocese, based in Durham, and covering the historic county of Durham (and therefore including the part of Tyne and Wear south of the River Tyne, and excluding southern Teesdale). It was created in ...
.
From 1991 he was a member of the
Doctrine Commission of the Church of England. He served as its chairman from 1996 to 2002.
Academic career
In addition to serving as dean of
St John's College, Sykes was a member of the
Faculty of Divinity at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
.
He was an
assistant lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...
in
divinity
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine< ...](_blank)
from 1964 to 1968, then a lecturer in divinity from 1968 to 1974.
In 1974, he was appointed as the
Van Mildert Professor of Divinity
The Van Mildert Professor of Divinity is one of the oldest chairs at Durham University. The chair is named in honour of Bishop William Van Mildert, one of the founders of the university. The holder of the Van Mildert chair, which is jointly funded ...
at
Durham University. In 1985, he returned to Cambridge University to take up the chair of
Regius Professor of Divinity. During a break from academia he served as a bishop: he was
Bishop of Ely from 1990 to 1999. In 1999, he was appointed the principal of
St John's College, Durham
St John's College is a college of the University of Durham, United Kingdom. It is one of only two "recognised colleges" of the university, the other being St Chad's. This means that it is financially and constitutionally independent of the univer ...
. St John's is both a
college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...
of Durham University and an
Anglican theological college
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
. He retired in 2006.
Later life
Following his retirement, Sykes remained living in Durham.
In his later years, he developed a neurological condition that confined him to a wheelchair.
Sykes died on 24 September 2014, aged 75.
He was survived by his wife and children, though his wife died eight weeks later.
His funeral was held in
Durham Cathedral,
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
on 10 October 2014.
He was later buried in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
at a woodland burial site.
Personal life
In 1962, Sykes married Marianne Hinton, known as Joy. Together they had three children; one son and two daughters. Their son, Richard, is a barrister and both daughters, Joanna and Juliet, trained as teachers.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, Stephen Whitefield
1939 births
2014 deaths
Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
Regius Professors of Divinity (University of Cambridge)
English Anglican theologians
Academics of Durham University
Bishops of Ely
Anglican suffragan bishops in the Diocese of Durham
Alumni of Ripon College Cuddesdon
20th-century Church of England bishops
People educated at Monkton Combe School
Principals of St John's College, Durham
Ecclesiologists