Regius Professor of Hebrew (Oxford)

Edward Pococke, bust in the cathedral of a 17th-century professor

Edward Bouverie Pusey, professor for more than fifty years, 1828 to 1882

The Regius Professorship of Hebrew in the University of Oxford is a professorship at the University of Oxford, founded by Henry VIII in 1546.

In 1630, through the influence of William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, a canonry of Christ Church was perpetually annexed to the professorship.

List of Regius Professors

Incomplete list:

• 1546 or 1547 Thomas Harding^[1]
• 1548 Richard Bruerne^[2]
• 1559 Thomas Neale
• 1569 Thomas Kingsmill^[3]
• 1591 John Harding^[4]
• 1598 William Thorne^[5]
• 1604 John Harding (again)
• 1610 Richard Kirby
• 1621 Edward Meetkerke^[6]
• 1626 John Morris
• 1648 Edward Pococke^[7]
• 1691 Roger Altham
• 1697 Thomas Hyde^[8]
• 1702 Roger Altham (again)
• 1715 Robert Clavering^[9]
• 1747 Thomas Hunt
• 1774 Richard Brown^[10]
• 1780 George Jubb
• 1787 Benjamin Blayney
• 1802 Joseph White
• 1814 Richard Laurence
• 1822 Alexander Nicoll^[11]
• 1828–1882 Edward Bouverie Pusey^[12]
• 1883 Samuel Rolles Driver
• 1914 G. A. Cooke
• 1934 Godfrey Rolles Driver (acting)^[13]
• 1936 Herbert Danby
• 1954 Cuthbert Aikman Simpson
• 1959 Sir Godfrey Rolles Driver (acting, second term)^[13]
• 1960 William Duff McHardy
• 1978–89 James Barr^[14]
• 1992 Hugh Williamson^[15]
• 2014 Jan Joosten^[16]

Godfrey Rolles Driver twice served as acting professor during vacancies, in 1934–1935 and 1959–1960. However, he was not eligible to hold the chair outright, as he was a layman and the chair was attached to an Anglican canonry of Christ Church, requiring the holder to be in holy orders.^[13] The university statutes were changed in 1960 to allow William McHardy, a Church of Scotland layman, to be appointed.^[17]

References

1.  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Thomas Harding". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
2.  Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1886). "Bruerne, Richard". Dictionary of National Biography 7. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
3.  Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). "Kingsmill, Thomas". Dictionary of National Biography 31. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
4. "John Harding (HRDN584J)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
5.  Lee, Sidney, ed. (1898). "Thorne, William (1568?-1630)". Dictionary of National Biography 56. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
6. Gordon Goodwin, 'Meetkerke, Edward (1590–1657), divine', in Dictionary of National Biography (London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1894)
7.  Lee, Sidney, ed. (1896). "Pococke, Edward". Dictionary of National Biography 46. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
8. "Hyde, Thomas (HD652T)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
9. The London Gazette: no. 5330. p. 1. 17–21 May 1715.
10. Joseph Foster, Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715–1886, Volume I: A–D, ISBN 978-1-85506-843-8, p. 175: "Brown, Richard"]
11. R. S. Simpson, 'Nicoll, Alexander', in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004)
12. 'Pusey, Edward Bouverie', in Encyclopædia Britannica (1911 edition)
13. J. A. Emerton, 'Driver, Sir Godfrey Rolles (1892–1975)' in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004)
14. H. G. M. Williamson, Obituary of James Barr at guardian.co.uk
15. Hugh Williamson, Christ Church, Oxford, at chch.ox.ac.uk
16. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/regius-professor-of-hebrew-oxford-university-jan-joosten https://www.gov.uk/government/news/regius-professor-of-hebrew-oxford-university-jan-joosten
17. "Professor W D McHardy". The Daily Telegraph. 15 May 2000. Retrieved 30 July 2015.