Rev. Prof. George Christopher Stead (April 9, 1913 – May 28, 2008) was the last Ely Professor of Divinity

Ely Professor of Divinity

The Ely Professorship of Divinity was one of the professorships in divinity at the University of Cambridge. Originally part of the Regius Professorship of Greek, it was detached in 1889 and funded by the canonry of Ely, but has now been suppressed...

 at the University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

. He is best known for his work on the philosophy of the Church Fathers

Church Fathers

The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops. Their scholarly works were used as a precedent for centuries to come...

, his 1977 book Divine Substance being widely cited among Patristic scholars. He studied under G.E. Moore and Ludwig Wittgenstein

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He was professor in philosophy at the University of Cambridge from 1939 until 1947...

 while an undergraduate at Cambridge. He was a Priest and Canon

Canon (priest)

A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

 of the Diocese of Ely

Diocese of Ely

The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely. There is one suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The diocese now covers Cambridgeshire and western Norfolk...

 in the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

, having also served briefly as Curate

Curate

A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...

 of St. John's, Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

 in 1939.

Stead was particularly interested in the application of the Aristotelian

Aristotelianism

Aristotelianism is a tradition of philosophy that takes its defining inspiration from the work of Aristotle. The works of Aristotle were initially defended by the members of the Peripatetic school, and, later on, by the Neoplatonists, who produced many commentaries on Aristotle's writings...

 concept of substance (ousia) to Christian theology and in the use of the term 'homoousios' initially in a context deemed heretical (Paul of Samosata

Paul of Samosata

Paul of Samosata was Bishop of Antioch from 260 to 268. He was a believer in monarchianism, and his teachings anticipate adoptionism.-Life:...

) by the Council of Antioch, subsequently more authoritatively by the Council of Nicaea

First Council of Nicaea

The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325...

 (325 A. D.) but in turn giving rise to over half a century of heated discussion. Stead's interest (taking in on route Marius Victorinus and Gregory of Nyssa

Gregory of Nyssa

St. Gregory of Nyssa was a Christian bishop and saint. He was a younger brother of Basil the Great and a good friend of Gregory of Nazianzus. His significance has long been recognized in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Roman Catholic branches of Christianity...

) extended to Augustine

Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...

 and John Philoponus

John Philoponus

John Philoponus , also known as John the Grammarian or John of Alexandria, was a Christian and Aristotelian commentator and the author of a considerable number of philosophical treatises and theological works...

' use of the concept.

Academic career

• Marlborough College
  Marlborough College
  Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
  
  , graduated 1933
• King's College, Cambridge
  King's College, Cambridge
  King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
  
  , B.A., 1935
• New College, Oxford
  New College, Oxford
  New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
  
  , ?
• Cuddesdon College, Ordained Deacon 1938, Priest 1941
• King's College, Cambridge, Lecturer in Divinity, 1938–1949
• Eton College
  Eton College
  Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
  
  , Assistant Master, 1940–1944
• Keble College, Oxford
  Keble College, Oxford
  Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
  
  , Fellow and Chaplain, 1949–1971
• University of Cambridge, Ely Professor of Divinity, 1971–1980
• University of Cambridge, D.Litt., 1978
• Elected Fellow of the British Academy
  British Academy
  The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
  
  , 1980

Works

• Kategorienlehre, Reallexikon fûr Antike und Christentum, Band XX, Stuttgart,2004.
• Doctrine and Philosophy in Early Christianity (ISBN 086078830X), 2000
• Philosophy in Christian Antiquity (ISBN 978-0521469555), 1996
• Philosophie und Theologie I: Die Zeit der Alten Kirche (Theologische Wissenschaft) (ISBN 978-3170089242), 1990
• Substance and Illusion in the Christian Fathers (ISBN 978-0860781721), 1985
• Divine Substance (ISBN 0198266308), 1977
• Festschrift: Christian Faith and Greek Philosophy in Late Antiquity: Essays in Tribute to George Christopher Stead, Ed. L.R. Wickham & C.P. Bammel (ISBN 9004096051), 1993

• Also: The Birth of the Steam Locomotive (ISBN 978-1902702087), 2002