Charles Ernest Burland Cranfield, (13 September 1915 – 27 February 2015) was a British theologian, academic, and

Christian minister In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidanc ...

Biography

Cranfield was born in Winchmore Hill, London on 13 September 1915 to parents Charles Ernest Cranfield (a town clerk and Methodist preacher) and Beatrice Mary, née Tubbs (an artist). Cranfield attended Mill Hill School and gained a first class degree in classics in 1936 from Jesus College, Cambridge. he went on to study Theology at Wesley House, Cambridge until 1939. He was ordained as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

minister in 1941, served as a military chaplain during the Second World War, and then worked with prisoners-of-war and as a parish minister during the post-war period. He moved into academia and was appointment a

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 theology at the

University of Durham , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills ( Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_cha ...

in 1950. He was awarded a

personal chair Academic ranks in the United Kingdom are the titles, relative seniority and responsibility of employees in universities. In general the country has three academic career pathways: one focused on research, one on teaching, and one that combines th ...

as Professor of Theology in 1978, and maintained his links with the university as

Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

from his retirement in 1980. He moved away from Methodism and became a minister in the Presbyterian Church of England (which later became the

United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers. Origins and history The United Reformed Church resulte ...

) in 1954. On 7 April 1953, Cranfield married Ruth Elizabeth Gertrude Bole in Bath. They had twin daughters who both went on to become Church of Scotland ministers. Cranfield died on 27 February 2015 as a result of pneumonia and was buried at South Road Cemetery.

Honours

In 1982, Cranfield was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # ...

(FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences. He was awarded the 1989

Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies The Burkitt Medal is awarded annually by the British Academy "in recognition of special service to Biblical Studies". Awards alternate between Hebrew Bible studies (odd years) and New Testament studies (even years). It was established in 1923 and ha ...

by the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars s ...

Works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cranfield, Charles 1915 births 2015 deaths 20th-century British theologians New Testament scholars British Methodist ministers United Reformed Church ministers Academics of Durham University World War II chaplains Fellows of the British Academy