Hedley Sparks

Hedley Frederick Davis Sparks, (14 November 1908 – 22 November 1996) was a British biblical scholar and Church of England priest. From 1946 to 1952, he was Cadbury Professor of Theology at the University of Birmingham. From 1952 to 1976, he was Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford.

Early life Sparks was born on 14 November 1908 in Stoke Newington, County of London. He was the only child of the Revd Frederick Sparks (1847–1908) and his second wife, Blanche Barnes. His father died 5 weeks before his son's birth, at the age of 61.

His high class bachelor's degree won him the Senior Hulme Scholarship. This funded three further years of study and was usually used to fund a second degree. The chair had been linked with a canonry at Rochester Cathedral but this was separated before the 1951 election. In 1957, G. N. Clarke retired as Provost of Oriel College. Sparks was encouraged to apply to replace him, but upon learning that it would mean giving up his chair, chose not to. He was awarded two honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) degrees: by the University of St Andrews in 1963 and by the University of Birmingham in 1983. In 1980, he was elected to an honorary fellowship by Oriel College.

Selected works