The Rev. Dr. Arthur Peacocke has died
21 October 2006
St Peter’s is sad to report the death of The Rev. Dr. Arthur Peacocke on 21st October 2006. The Rev. Dr. Peacocke was a former Chemistry Fellow at the College and an Honorary Fellow of St Peter’s. He was an eminent scientist who had a significant impact in the early study of the structure of DNA. Later he became better known for his work exploring the relationship between religion and science, arguing that their respective key principles are compatible. After his ordination in 1971 Peacocke went on to write a number of highly influential theological texts concerning the reconciliation between religious and scientific perspectives.
In the spirit of this intellectual endeavour, Peacocke founded, and became the first director of, the Ian Ramsey Centre for the Interdisciplinary Study of Religious Beliefs in Relation to the Sciences and Medicine, part of Oxford University's Theology faculty. A year later, in 1986, he established the Society of Ordained Scientists, recognising that an exceptionally large number of qualified scientists are ordained priests in the Church of England.
Peacocke was appointed MBE in 1993 and won the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 2001, representing the culmination of his achievements as a leading expert in the then emerging study of science and religion.
You can read a full obituary as published in The Telegraph, listing all of Rev. Dr. Peacocke’s major achievements.