Anthony Gervase Mathew (14 March 1905 – 4 April 1976) was a Catholic priest and British academic. A member of the Dominican Order, he taught at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford. His elder brother, David Mathew, served as a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church.
Rev. Fr. Gervase Mathew O.P., M.A., S.T.L., F.S.A. | |
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Church | Roman Catholic Church |
Other post(s) | University Lecturer in Byzantine Studies, University of Oxford |
Orders | |
Ordination | 1934 |
Personal details | |
Born | 14 March 1905 |
Died | 4 April 1976 | (aged 71)
Education | Balliol College, Oxford |
Gervase Mathew was born on 14 March 1905. His father, Anthony Mathew, was a barrister, who elected to educate his two sons at home rather than send them away to boarding school.[1]
In 1924 Gervase followed his brother, David, to Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Modern History under Sir Maurice Powicke.[2] Following his graduation from Oxford, in 1928 Mathew studied at the British School at Athens. In the same year he joined the Dominican Order. He was ordained in 1934.[2]
In 1934 Mathew returned to Oxford to take a post at Blackfriars Hall. He delivered lectures at both the School of Theology and Blackfriars.
Matthew's publications covered a range of fields, including classical antiquity, Byzantine art and history, historical theology, patristics, and fourteenth-century English literature and politics. In collaboration with the Chair of Modern Greek studies, Professor John Mavrogordato, Mathew instituted Byzantine Studies at the University of Oxford.[3] From 1947–1971 he held the post of University Lecturer in Byzantine Studies, and in 1965 he was Visiting Professor at the University of California.[4]
While at Oxford, Mathew was a guest member of a literary group, the Inklings, which was also frequented by J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, David Cecil, and Owen Barfield.[4]