Stephen Sykes

Stephen Whitefield Sykes (born 1 August 1939) retired as Principal of St John's College, Durham at the end of August 2006. He was formerly the Church of England Bishop of Ely and held professorial chairs in divinity at both Durham University and Cambridge University.

Sykes studied at St John's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1961. He then trained for ordination at Ripon Hall, Oxford. He was ordained deacon in 1964 and priest in 1965. After ordination he was appointed as a lecturer in divinity at Cambridge University and the dean (responsible for the chapel) of his alma mater, St John's College, Cambridge. In 1974 he was appointed as the Van Mildert Professor of Divinity at the University of Durham and became a residentiary canon of Durham Cathedral. In 1985 he returned to Cambridge to take up the chair of Regius Professor of Divinity and was given a corresponding canonry at Ely Cathedral. He served as curate in St John the Evangelist's Church, Cambridge, from 1985 to 1990. On 2 May 1990,^[1] he was consecrated as the Bishop of Ely.^[2] He stepped down from this position on 1 September 1999^[1] and returned to education, becoming the principal of St John's College, Durham in succession to David Day.^[3] From 1991 he was a member of the Doctrine Commission of the Church of England, taking over as Chairman in 1996. He is an honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Durham.

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