Oliver Michael Timothy O'Donovan (born 28 June 1945) is a British

Anglican priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

and academic, known for his work in the field of

Christian ethics Christian ethics, also known as moral theology, is a multi-faceted ethical system. It is a Virtue ethics, virtue ethic, which focuses on building moral character, and a Deontological ethics, deontological ethic which emphasizes duty according ...

. He has also made contributions to

political theology Political theology is a term which has been used in discussion of the ways in which Theology, theological concepts or ways of thinking relate to politics. The term is often used to denote religious thought about political principled questions. Scho ...

, both contemporary and historical. He was Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

from 1982 to 2006, and Professor of Christian Ethics and Practical Theology at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

from 2006 to 2013.

Early life and education

O'Donovan was born on 28 June 1945. He is the son of Joan Knape and Michael Francis O'Donovan (1906–1966), better known as Frank O'Connor, eminent Irish writer of short stories and memoirs. His doctoral thesis on the problem of

self-love Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, ...

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

was completed under both Henry Chadwick at Oxford and Paul Ramsey at Princeton.

Career

Ordained ministry

O'Donovan was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

as 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 denominations, such as the Cathol ...

in 1972 and as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in 1973. A scholar-priest, he has never undertaken parish ministry. He was a

Canon Residentiary Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the precinct of ...

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Oxford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Oxford and the principal church of the diocese of Oxford. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, a colle ...

, from 1982 to 2006. He served on the

General Synod of the Church of England The General Synod is the tricameral deliberative and legislative organ of the Church of England. The synod was instituted in 1970, replacing the Church Assembly, and is the culmination of a process of rediscovering self-government for the Church ...

from 2005 to 2006. Since November 2015, he has been a Canon Provincial (of the

Province of York The Province of York, or less formally the Northern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England and consists of 14 dioceses which cover the northern third of England and the Isle of Man. York was elevated to ...

) and the Provincial Theologian at

York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...

. He has also held permission to officiate in the

Diocese of York The Diocese of York is an administrative division of the Church of England, part of the Province of York. It covers the city of York, the eastern part of North Yorkshire, and most of the East Riding of Yorkshire. The diocese is headed by the ar ...

since 2015. O'Donovan has been active in

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

dialogue. He was part of the Anglican–Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Discussions from 1982 to 1984, and a member of the Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) from 1985 to 1990.

Academic career

O'Donovan taught at

Wycliffe Hall Wycliffe Hall () is a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford affiliated with the Church of England, specialising in philosophy, theology, and religion. It is named after the Bible translator and reformer John Wycliffe, who was mast ...

, Oxford (1972–1977), and at

Wycliffe College Wycliffe College () is an evangelical Colleges of the University of Toronto, graduate school of theology of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded i ...

, Toronto (1977–1982). He was Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology and Canon of Christ Church at the

(1982–2006). He then held the post of Professor of Christian Ethics and Practical Theology at the School of Divinity,

New College, Edinburgh New College is a historic building at the The University of Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh which houses the university's School of Divinity. It is one of the largest and most renowned centres for studies in Theology and Religious studies, R ...

(2006–2013), and was an associate director of the

Centre for Theology and Public Issues The Centre for Theology and Public Issues (CTPI) is a research centre based in New College, Edinburgh, New College, the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. Founded in 1984 by Duncan B. Forrester, CTPI promotes Christian theological ...

. He is a past President of the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics. In 2001 he delivered the Stob Lectures at Calvin Theological Seminary. In 2007 he delivered the New College Lectures at New College, University of New South Wales. O'Donovan cites these New College Lectures as his first opportunity to explore the ideas that would become his "Ethics as Theology" trilogy of books. In 2008 he delivered a lecture at

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

upon receiving the Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life. In 2021, he delivered the

Gifford Lectures The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford at the four ancient universities of Scotland: St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Their purpose is to "pro ...

on ''The Disappearance of Ethics'' at the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

. O'Donovan has held distinguished visiting lectureships in the universities of Durham and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, the

Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyola, and included all ...

in Rome,

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

in Hamilton, Ontario, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a public research university in Pokfulam, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of ...

, and

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...

, Pasadena, California.

Personal life

In 1978 he married Joan Lockwood O'Donovan. They have jointly authored two books on the history of Christian political thought, and have two sons, Matthew and Paul.

Honours

He has been a Fellow of the British Academy since 2000 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh since 2009. In 2023, he received an honorary doctorate from the Swiss private university STH Basel.

Publications

Books *''Entering into Rest: Volume 3: Ethics as Theology'' (Eerdmans 2017) *''Finding and Seeking: Volume 2: Ethics as Theology'' (Eerdmans 2014) *''Self, World, and Time: Volume 1: Ethics as Theology: An Induction'' (Eerdmans 2013) *''The Word in Small Boats: Sermons from Oxford'' (Eerdmans 2010) *''A Conversation Waiting to Begin: The Churches and the Gay Controversy'' (SCM 2009) *''Church in crisis: The gay controversy and the Anglican Communion.'' (Eugene, Or: Cascade Books. 2008) *''The Ways of Judgment'' (Eerdmans 2005) *''The Just War Revisited'' (CUP 2003) *''Common Objects of Love'' (Eerdmans 2002) *''The Desire of the Nations'' (CUP 1996) *''New Dictionary of Christian Ethics & Pastoral Theology '' (co-edited) (IVP Academic, 1995) *''Peace and Certainty'' (Eerdmans 1989) *''Resurrection and Moral Order'' (IVP 1986, 2nd ed IVP/Eerdmans 1994) *''On the Thirty-Nine Articles'' (Paternoster 1986 and SCM 2011) *''Begotten or Made?'' (OUP 1984) *''Principles in the Public Realm: The Dilemma of Christian Moral Witness''. (Oxford 1984) xfordshire: Clarendon Press. *''The Problem of Self-Love in Saint Augustine'' (Yale 1979)

References

External links

University of Edinburgh, Faculty PageCentre for Theology and Public Issues, Edinburgh University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonovan, Oliver 1945 births 20th-century Anglican theologians 20th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English theologians Academics of the University of Edinburgh Christian ethicists English Anglican theologians Evangelical Anglican clergy Evangelical Anglican theologians Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Living people Regius Professors of Moral and Pastoral Theology Political theologians