William Hugh Clifford Frend (11 January 1916 – 1 August 2005) was an English ecclesiastical historian, archaeologist and Anglican priest. He was a specialist in the history and archaeology of early Christianity, particularly religious movements and controversies in the Roman and early Christian worlds.
Early life and family background
Frend was born at Shottermill, Surrey, on 11 January 1916. He was the second son of the Reverend E. G. C. Frend, Vicar of Shottermill, and his wife Edith (née Bacon). He was the youngest by seven years of four children, two sons and two daughters.
His father was an Anglican clergyman of high church persuasion. His mother was the daughter of a general practitioner, and one of her sisters became the first woman to serve as an alderman in Leeds.
A notable earlier member of the family was Frend's great-great-uncle, William Frend (1757–1841), the mathematician, Unitarian, writer and political and social reformer.
Frend became interested in archaeology while still a child. He later recalled spending time at the museum in Haslemere, whose archaeological and historical displays encouraged his interest in the past.
He attended Fernden Preparatory School in Haslemere before entering Haileybury College in 1929. At Haileybury he won an exhibition and later a scholarship. He was already undertaking small-scale archaeological excavation while still at school.
Fellow and university lecturer in divinity. During this time Charles III, then reading archaeology and anthropology at Trinity, was one of his students.
In retirement was again elected Bye Fellow of Caius and in his last years wrote a new book about the early life of Augustine
Frend's historical work was notable for bringing archaeological evidence into the study of early Christianity alongside literary, theological, social and economic sources.
His early research concentrated on Christianity in Roman North Africa. The Donatist Church: A Movement of Protest in Roman North Africa examined Donatism in its wider historical and social setting and became an influential contribution to the modern study of the early Church.
His subsequent major works included Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church (1965), The Rise of the Monophysite Movement (1972) and The Rise of Christianity (1984). By the 1970s he was internationally recognised as one of the leading historians of the early Christian Church.
Frend continued to combine history and archaeology throughout his career. From 1976 to 1978 he was a member of the University of Michigan team working on the international "Save Carthage" project. His work included collating evidence for the development of Christian churches at ancient Carthage.
Military career
Assistant Principal, War Office 1940
Seconded to Cabinet Office and served on Committees for Allied Supplies and the Free French
Frend's wartime career took him to North Africa and continental Europe. His experience and knowledge of Tunisia later contributed to his continuing historical and archaeological interest in Roman North Africa.
Ministry
Frend inclined towards the low church tradition and supported the ordination of women.[citation needed] Alongside his academic career he maintained an active involvement in Anglican church life.
Frend also held several international scholarly positions. He was president of the Comité international d'histoire ecclésiastique comparée from 1980 to 1983 and subsequently its honorary president. In 1981 he became vice-president of the Association Internationale d'Études Patristiques.
Family
Frend was the second son of the Reverend E. G. C. Frend, Vicar of Shottermill, and Edith Frend (née Bacon). His father was an Anglican priest of high church persuasion.
His great-great-uncle was William Frend (1757–1841), the mathematician, Unitarian, writer and political and social reformer.
Frend married Mary Grace Crook in 1951. They had one son, Simon, and one daughter, Sally. Mary died in 2002.
Major works
The Donatist Church: A Movement of Protest in Roman North Africa (1951)
Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church (1965)
The Rise of the Monophysite Movement (1972)
The Rise of Christianity (1984)
Works and publications
The Donatist Church: A Movement of Protest in Roman North Africa, 1951
Early Church, 1964
Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church, 1965
Saints & Sinners in the Early Church: Differing & Conflicting Traditions in the First Six Centuries, 1970
The Rise of the Monophysite Movement, 1972
Religion, Popular and Unpopular in the Early Christian Centuries, 1976
Town and Country in the Early Christian Centuries, 1980
The Rise of Christianity, 1984
Archaeology and History in the Study of Early Christianity, 1988
The Archaeology of Early Christianity: A History, 1996
Orthodoxy, Paganism and Dissent in the Early Christian Centuries, 2002
From Dogma to History: How Our Understanding of the Early Church Developed, 2003
Works co-authored with J. Stevenson
A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to AD 337 J. Stevenson (Editor of the 1957 First Edition), William H. C. Frend (Co-Revisor for the 1987 Second Edition)
Creeds, Councils and Controversies: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church, AD 337–461 J. Stevenson (Editor of the 1966 First Edition), William H. C. Frend (Co-Revisor for the 1989 Second Edition)
