Donald Nicholl
Encyclopedia
Donald Nicholl was a British
historian
and theologian
. A speaker of medieval Welsh, Irish and Russian, he published books on medieval and modern history, religion and a biography of Thurstan
. He has been regarded as "one of the most influential of modern Christian thinkers".
. He was the son of a brass finisher, William Nicholl. Academically able, he won a Brackenbury scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford
, where he studied political philosophy under A D Lindsay
and was tutored in medieval history by Maurice Powicke
.
He left Oxford after a year, to serve in the British Army
, in World War II
. He served in the ranks of the infantry, then in intelligence, largely in Asia and the subcontinent
. Upon his return to Oxford in 1946, he converted to Catholicism
as a result of his wartime experiences.
From January 1948 until 1953, Nicholl taught history at the University of Edinburgh
. In 1953 he moved to the University College of North Staffordshire (later Keele University
), where he taught for over twenty years, being promoted to a professorship in 1972. In 1974 he left the UK to become professor of religious studies and history at the University of California, Santa Cruz
, where, for three years he chaired the religious studies department. He returned to England with his wife in 1980, but was appointed rector of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies
at Jerusalem from 1981 to 1985. He retired to Betley
, near Keele in Staffordshire, becoming senior research fellow at the Multi-Faith Centre, Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, and continuing to write.
In addition to his academic pursuits Donald Nicholl taught church history to the Poor Clares
in Aptos, California
and to novices in the Missionaries of Charity
, Mother Teresa
's order, in London. More informally he conducted a class in the "Penny University" at the Caffe Pergolesi in Santa Cruz, reading through Dostoevsky's
The Brothers Karamazov
.
Alongside his wife Dorothy Nicholl, he was active in the co-workers of Mother Teresa. A regular contributor to The Tablet
, a compassionate intelligence shone through his articles, providing a source of relief in conservative times and of compassionate impartiality in times of conflict. Perhaps his skill in listening respectfully to wildly variant points of view, acknowledging authentic distinctives unobscured by mollifying generalisations, was most widely known in his work at Tantur, but it was certainly experienced by his students as well.
Nicholl died of cancer, at his home in Betley, on 3 May 1997. He is buried in Keele churchyard.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
historian
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 study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. A speaker of medieval Welsh, Irish and Russian, he published books on medieval and modern history, religion and a biography of Thurstan
Thurstan
Thurstan or Turstin of Bayeux was a medieval Archbishop of York, the son of a priest. He served kings William II and Henry I of England before his election to the see of York in 1114. Once elected, his consecration was delayed for five years while he fought attempts by the Archbishop of Canterbury...
. He has been regarded as "one of the most influential of modern Christian thinkers".
Life
Nicholl was born on 23 July 1923 into a poor working-class community in Halifax, West YorkshireHalifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
. He was the son of a brass finisher, William Nicholl. Academically able, he won a Brackenbury scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, where he studied political philosophy under A D Lindsay
Alexander Dunlop Lindsay, 1st Baron Lindsay of Birker
Alexander Dunlop Lindsay, 1st Baron Lindsay of Birker CBE known as Sandie Lindsay, was a British academic and peer.-Early life:...
and was tutored in medieval history by Maurice Powicke
F. M. Powicke
Sir Frederick Maurice Powicke was an English medieval historian. He was a Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, delivered the Ford Lectures in 1927, and from 1929 was Regius Professor of History at Oxford. He was knighted in 1946....
.
He left Oxford after a year, to serve in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He served in the ranks of the infantry, then in intelligence, largely in Asia and the subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
. Upon his return to Oxford in 1946, he converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
as a result of his wartime experiences.
From January 1948 until 1953, Nicholl taught history at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. In 1953 he moved to the University College of North Staffordshire (later Keele University
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
), where he taught for over twenty years, being promoted to a professorship in 1972. In 1974 he left the UK to become professor of religious studies and history at the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
, where, for three years he chaired the religious studies department. He returned to England with his wife in 1980, but was appointed rector of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies
Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies
Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies is an ecumenical theological institute in Jerusalem, Israel.At the Second Vatican Council in October 1963, the idea of an international ecumenical institute for theological research and pastoral studies was proposed...
at Jerusalem from 1981 to 1985. He retired to Betley
Betley
Betley is a village and civil parish in the Newcastle district of Staffordshire, England, about halfway between Newcastle-under-Lyme and Nantwich. Betley forms a continual linear settlement with Wrinehill.-Transport:...
, near Keele in Staffordshire, becoming senior research fellow at the Multi-Faith Centre, Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, and continuing to write.
In addition to his academic pursuits Donald Nicholl taught church history to the Poor Clares
Order of Poor Ladies
The Poor Clares also known as the Order of Saint Clare, the Order of Poor Ladies, the Poor Clare Sisters, the Clarisse, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Congregation, and the Second Order of St. Francis, , comprise several orders of nuns in the Catholic Church...
in Aptos, California
Aptos, California
Aptos is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 6,220 at the 2010 census.Aptos is an unincorporated area of Santa Cruz county, consisting of several small communities...
and to novices in the Missionaries of Charity
Missionaries of Charity
Missionaries of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in 1950 by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, which consists of over 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries...
, Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
's order, in London. More informally he conducted a class in the "Penny University" at the Caffe Pergolesi in Santa Cruz, reading through Dostoevsky's
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays. He is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov....
The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov is the final novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Dostoyevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazov, which was published as a serial in The Russian Messenger and completed in November 1880...
.
Alongside his wife Dorothy Nicholl, he was active in the co-workers of Mother Teresa. A regular contributor to The Tablet
The Tablet
The Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
, a compassionate intelligence shone through his articles, providing a source of relief in conservative times and of compassionate impartiality in times of conflict. Perhaps his skill in listening respectfully to wildly variant points of view, acknowledging authentic distinctives unobscured by mollifying generalisations, was most widely known in his work at Tantur, but it was certainly experienced by his students as well.
Nicholl died of cancer, at his home in Betley, on 3 May 1997. He is buried in Keele churchyard.
Selected works
- Recent Thought in Focus (1952)
- Thurstan (1964), biography of Archbishop ThurstanThurstanThurstan or Turstin of Bayeux was a medieval Archbishop of York, the son of a priest. He served kings William II and Henry I of England before his election to the see of York in 1114. Once elected, his consecration was delayed for five years while he fought attempts by the Archbishop of Canterbury...
of York - Holiness (Seabury, 1981; Pauline Books & Media, 2005)
- Triumphs of the Spirit in Russia (Darton, Longman and Todd, 1997)
- The Beatitude of Truth: Reflections of a Lifetime (Darton, Longman and Todd, 1997) – published posthumously
- The Testing of Hearts (Darton, Longman and Todd, 1998) – published posthumously