John Polkinghorne

John Polkinghorne
Polkinghorne in 2007
President of Queens' College, Cambridge
In office
1988–1996
Preceded byRonald Oxburgh
Succeeded byLord Eatwell
Personal details
Born
John Charlton Polkinghorne

(1930-10-16)16 October 1930
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England
Died9 March 2021(2021-03-09) (aged 90)
Cambridge, England
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
Spouse
Ruth Polkinghorne
(m. 1955)
Awards
Ecclesiastical career
ReligionChristianity (Anglican)
ChurchChurch of England
Ordained
  • 1981 (deacon)
  • 1982 (priest)
Offices held
Academic background
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
ThesisContributions to Quantum Field Theory (1955)
Doctoral advisor
Influences
Academic work
Discipline
Sub-discipline
School or tradition
Institutions
Doctoral students
Main interests
Notable works

John Charlton Polkinghorne KBE FRS (16 October 1930 – 9 March 2021) was an English theoretical physicist, theologian, and Anglican priest.[10] A prominent and leading voice explaining the relationship between science and religion, he was professor of mathematical physics at the University of Cambridge from 1968 to 1979, when he resigned his chair to study for the priesthood, becoming an ordained Anglican priest in 1982. He served as the president of Queens' College, Cambridge, from 1988 until 1996.

Polkinghorne was the author of five books on physics and twenty-six on the relationship between science and religion;[11] his publications include The Quantum World (1989), Quantum Physics and Theology: An Unexpected Kinship (2005), Exploring Reality: The Intertwining of Science and Religion (2007), and Questions of Truth (2009). The Polkinghorne Reader (edited by Thomas Jay Oord) provides key excerpts from Polkinghorne's most influential books. He was knighted in 1997 and in 2002 received the £1-million Templeton Prize, awarded for exceptional contributions to affirming life's spiritual dimension.[12]

  1. ^ a b c Polkinghorne, John (15 December 1986). "Gell-Mann Opened My Eyes". The Scientist. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  2. ^ Losch 2009, p. 91.
  3. ^ Losch 2018, p. 98.
  4. ^ Losch 2009, p. 103.
  5. ^ a b Williams, Stephen (2018). "John Polkinghorne on the Doctrine of Creation". Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding. Deerfield, Illinois: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  6. ^ Losch 2009, p. 92; Polkinghorne 1994, p. 47.
  7. ^ Watkins 2012, p. 217.
  8. ^ Hefner 2001, p. 234.
  9. ^ a b c "DAMTP Theses". Cambridge, England: University of Cambridge. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  10. ^ Daily Telegraph, Issue no 51,581 dated Friday 19 March 2021 p. 29 (Obituaries) "The Reverend Canon John Polkinghorne- Theoretical physicist who advanced the understanding of quantum theory before becoming a clergyman".
  11. ^ Metaxas 2011, p. 361.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Templeton was invoked but never defined (see the help page).