Robert Austin Markus
Robert Austin Markus | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | Budapest, Hungary | 8 October 1924
Died | 8 December 2010 Nottingham, England | (aged 86)
Nationality | British |
Spouse | Margaret Catherine Bullen
(m. 1955) |
Children | 3 |
Academic background | |
Education | |
Doctoral advisor | Dorothy Emmet |
Academic work | |
Discipline | History |
Institutions | |
Notable students | Ian Kershaw |
Main interests | History of Christianity |
Notable works | The End of Ancient Christianity (1990) |
Robert Austin Markus,
Early life
Róbert Imre Márkus was born in Budapest, Hungary on 8 October 1924. Both of his parents were Jews with strong ties to Christianity.[1] His father, Gyözö (Victor) Márkus (1897–1971), was the director of a heavy engineering firm which had been founded by Robert's grandfather Márkus Lajos, originally a locksmith. Robert's mother, Lili (Lily) Elek (1900–1962), was the daughter of the manager of an enormous forest in Osijek, modern-day Croatia. She was an internationally recognized ceramicist.[2]
Robert's father had converted to Lutheranism as a young man, but later regretted his decision and applied for readmission to the synagogue. Márkus was baptized in the Lutheran church as an infant.[2]
Education
Márkus attended the Áldás elementary school in Budapest, and later boarding schools in
Márkus completed his high school education at Kingsmoor School, Glossop. He subsequently enrolled at the University of Manchester as a chemistry student.[1] Márkus had originally sought to study philosophy, while his father wanted him to become and engineer and assume control of the family business, and chemistry thus became a compromise choice. At the university he came under the influence of Professor of Physical Chemistry Michael Polanyi.[4] As a chemist Márkus was exempted from military service during World War II, and instead served as a works chemist at a The Co-operative Group margarine factory in accordance with the wartime Essential Work Order.[4]
After the war, Márkus began studying philosophy at the University of Manchester. Here befriended his professor
At Manchester, Márkus belonged to a circle of future prominent intellectuals, which included
Career
With his friend McCabe, Márkus left Manchester for Oxford in 1950, where he joined the Dominican Order at Blackfriars, Oxford. It was at this time where he changed his name to Robert Austin Markus. Forbidden by his novice master from reading philosophy during his first year at Blackfriars, Markus was encouraged to read the scriptural commentaries of Augustine. The study of Augustine would later become central to his scholarly work.[1]
In 1954, Markus left Blackfriars for Birmingham, where he found work as a librarian. In 1955, Markus moved to Liverpool, where he worked at the university library under the librarian and scholar Kenneth Povey. Povey encouraged Markus to continue his research and from 1958, Markus was lecturer, and later senior lecturer and reader, in the department of medieval history at the University of Liverpool. At the time the department was headed by Christopher N. L. Brooke. At the time Markus lectured on a number of subjects, including Bede, and on ancient and medieval political thought. By 1960, Markus had become greatly interested in Pope Gregory I, and was offered to supervise a Special Subject on him. Among the early students to follow Markus' special subject on Gregory the Great was Ian Kershaw.[6]
In the 1960s, Markus befriended fellow historian
In 1974, Markus was appointed Chair of Medieval History at the University of Nottingham.[10] By this time, he had established himself as leading authority on the history of the early Church.[11] During his period at Nottingham, Markus contributed greatly making the Nottingham Department of Classics a leading institution in its field.[10] He was President of the Ecclesiastical History Society from 1978 to 1979.[1]
Markus took an early retirement from the University of Nottingham in 1982.[1] He would rater classify his early retirement as the best decision of his life apart from marrying his wife. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1985. From 1986 to 1987 he was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study. He was Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Catholic University of America in 1988.[12] Although retiring from university duties apart from a few guest lectures, Markus continued researching and writing. His The End of Ancient Christianity (1990) examined how Roman culture eroded from the time of Augustine to that of Pope Gregory the Great.[1] Wolf Liebeschuetz has described The End of Ancient Christianity as Markus' masterpiece.[13] It was followed by Gregory the Great and His World (1997). In these two studies Markus showed how the lives of these two figures intersected despite the continuing transformation of Christianity.[13] From 1991 to 1995, Markus was President of the International Association of Patristic Studies. He was Visiting Professor at Notre Dame University in 1993.[12] A festschrift, The Limits of Ancient Christianity: Essays on Late Antique Thought and Culture, was published in honor of Markus in 1999.[8] Markus was appointed OBE in 2000.[1]
Death
Markus spent his last days in Beeston, Nottingham, and died of prostate cancer at City Hospital, Nottingham on 8 December 2010.[1][14] He was survived by his wife, three children and four grandchildren.[8]
Personal life
Markus married Margaret Catherine Bullen in
Selected works
- Saeculum: History and Society in the Theology of St Augustine. ISBN 9780521368551.
- Christianity in the Roman World. ISBN 9780684141299.
- The End of Ancient Christianity. ISBN 9780521339490.
- Gregory the Great and His World. ISBN 9780521586085.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Cooper 2014.
- ^ a b Liebeschuetz 2012, p. 475.
- ^ Liebeschuetz 2012, pp. 475–476.
- ^ a b c d e Liebeschuetz 2012, p. 476.
- ^ Liebeschuetz 2012, p. 478.
- ^ Liebeschuetz 2012, p. 479.
- ^ Liebeschuetz 2012, p. 480.
- ^ a b c Nelson 2011.
- ^ Liebeschuetz 2012, pp. 480–481.
- ^ a b c Liebeschuetz 2012, p. 483.
- ^ Liebeschuetz 2011.
- ^ a b Liebeschuetz 2012, p. 488.
- ^ a b Liebeschuetz 2012, p. 484.
- ^ The Times. 14 December 2010.
Sources
- required.)
- Liebeschuetz, Wolf (25 February 2011). "Robert Markus: Medieval historian noted for his writings on the early Church". The Independent. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- Liebeschuetz, J. H. W. G. (28 November 2012). "Markus, Robert Austin, 1924-2010" (PDF). Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the British Academy. 11. Oxford University Press: 474–490. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- Nelson, Jinty (9 January 2011). "Robert Markus". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- "Markus, Robert". The Times. 14 December 2010. p. 55. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
Further reading
- "Markus, Prof. Robert Austin". ISBN 978-0-19-954089-1. Retrieved 25 August 2020.