Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch Granted an Honorary Doctorate in Edinburgh

Reverend Professor Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch, an Emeritus Fellow of St Cross College, has been granted an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity by the University of Edinburgh.  

The honorary degree acknowledges Professor MacCulloch’s decades of acclaimed research into the history of the church.  

“When I started taking a special interest in the history of the Church more than half a century ago, it might have appeared self-indulgent, in a world where religion seemed to be fading into a pleasant private hobby,” said the Professor in a short speech at the ceremony.  

“But then came 1978: the year of the Ayatollahs in Iran, the election of a born-again President in the US, and the choice of a Counter-Reformation Pope. Suddenly religion was back, with a vengeance.” 

Other notable honorands to receive doctorates alongside Professor MacCulloch at the July ceremony were Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, and Dame Professor Anne Marie Rafferty, DBE, President of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). 

In a gesture unique to the university, each honorand was tapped with the “Geneva Bonnet”, also known as John Knox’s Breeks: a special cloth hat allegedly made from trousers belonging to the 16th century Scottish scholar whose educational reforms led to the establishment of Edinburgh’s university.  

Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dorothy Miell, crowned Professor MacCulloch with John Knox’s Breeks, while Professor Stewart Brown, acting as his Laureator, was responsible for his presentation and presentation speech, which was limited to 200 words. 

When I started taking a special interest in the history of the Church more than half a century ago, it might have appeared self-indulgent, in a world where religion seemed to be fading into a pleasant private hobby

It was a delight for Professor MacCulloch to receive this high honour in the University he so long esteemed, in the city that has been his favourite in the world since a very small boy. Though he also offered words of caution to those present:

“You’ll remember the apocryphal Chinese curse: may you live in interesting times. I give you a far more terrifying version: may you live in times that a church historian finds interesting.” 

Congratulation, Professor MacCulloch, on this well-deserved honorary degree!