Tom Harpur
| The Reverend Thomas William Harpur | |
|---|---|
Tom Harpur photo by Hugh Wesley
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| Born |
April 14, 1929 Toronto, Ontario |
| Died | January 2, 2017 (aged 87) Lion's Head, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | B.A. (Toronto), M.A. (Oxon) |
| Alma mater |
University of Toronto, University of Oxford |
| Occupation | Classicist, theologian, priest, and journalist |
| Known for | Toronto Star religion editor |
| Notable work | The Pagan Christ |
| Spouse(s) | Susan (1980-2017, his death) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | www. tomharpur.com |
The Reverend Thomas William "Tom" Harpur (April 24, 1929 – January 2, 2017) was a Canadian author, broadcaster, columnist and theologian. An ordained priest, he was a proponent of the Christ myth theory, the idea that Jesus did not exist but is a fictional or mythological figure. He was the author of a number of books, including For Christ's Sake (1993), Life after Death (1996), and The Pagan Christ (2004).
Born in the east-end of Toronto, Ontario to an evangelical family, in 1929, Harpur earned an Honours B.A. in 1951 at University College at the University of Toronto, where he won the Jarvis Scholarship in Greek and Latin, the Maurice Hutton Scholarship in Classics, the Sir William Mulock Scholarship in Classics, and the Gold Medal in Classics. He went on to study Lit.Hum. ("Greats" or Classics) at Oriel College at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar from 1951 to 1954 where he read the ancient historians (Herodotus, Thucydides and Tacitus) completely in their original texts. He graduated in 1954 with the B.A and was conferred the M.A. (Oxon.) two years later. Between 1954 and 1956 he studied theology at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, where he was a tutor in Greek. At Wycliffe he won prizes in homiletics and Greek and was the senior student and valedictorian in his graduating year. He returned to Oxford in 1962 and 1963 for his post-graduate studies where he read the Early Christian writers or Church Fathers (Patristics).
Harpur was ordained a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada in 1956. He served as a curate at St. John's York Mills, Toronto from 1956 to 1957. From 1957 to 1964 he served the parish of St. Margaret's-in-the-Pines in Scarborough, Ontario. During this time he lectured on ancient philosophy part-time at Wycliffe College. From 1962 to 1963 he spent a further year at Oriel College, Oxford, doing postgraduate research in Patristics and New Testament studies.
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