Kenneth Shenton writes:
THE Very Revd Dr Stephen Smalley, who died on 19 May, aged 93, was one of the most academically able Anglican clergymen of his generation. With a singular presence, colourful and stimulating, he was an outstanding Johannine scholar who not only revitalised the inner workings of Chester Cathedral, but succeeded in placing it ever more firmly at the very heart of the broader Cheshire community.
Stephen Stewart Smalley was born in Wandsworth, south London, on 11 May 1931, the only son of a civil servant, Arthur Smalley, and his wife, May (née Kimm). He was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he came under the considerable influence of the distinguished Professor of Divinity C. F. D. Moule. It was Moule who instilled in him the academic rigour that so came to characterise his subsequent career. Smalley spent 12 months at the Eden Theological Seminary, in St Louis, Missouri, before returning to Cambridge to study for the priesthood at Ridley Hall. He was ordained deacon in 1958 to a title at St Paul’s, Portman Square, in central London.
Two years later, Smalley returned to both Cambridge and academia, becoming Chaplain of Peterhouse. In his last year at the college, he took on the additional pastoral post of Dean. From 1963, he spent seven years as a Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Ibadan, in Oyo state, Nigeria. He then moved to Manchester, where he was a Lecturer in New Testament Studies at the University, and, from 1972, he also served as Warden of St Anselm’s Hall. From there, he became Canon Precentor of Coventry Cathedral, and then Vice-Provost. He was a longstanding member of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas and a member of the Church of England’s Doctrine Commission.
In August 1987, Smalley succeeded the Very Revd Ingram Cleasby as Dean of Chester, and set out, under the banner of “Continuity and Change”, to re-energise the organisation, both internally and externally. As a fervent advocate for community cohesion and ecumenical endeavour, he instituted the Dean’s Breakfast, at which all manner of local interests could meet and shape ideas. Amid the 900th-anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Benedictine Abbey at Chester, he set in train a hugely ambitious £2.5-million fund-raising appeal. Here, much to the chagrin of his Bishop, the Rt Revd Michael Baughen, his innovations included the sponsorship of the Chester Cathedral Appeal Stakes, a handicap race at Chester’s first ever Sunday meeting.
With the fund-raising appeal exceeding all expectations, Smalley was able to secure a solid financial base for the cathedral’s future through a Development Trust. More immediate developments of significance included improvements to the Visitors’ Centre, the renewal of the nave flooring, and the welcome provision of underfloor heating. New seating, staging, and lighting gave the building a greater flexibility to be a more multi-functional performance venue. A further substantial project involved a rebuild of the former monks’ dormitory as a purpose-built song school. A girls’ choir was also instituted, and Smalley was keen to ensure that they were seamlessly integrated into the choral fabric of the cathedral’s ministry.
Always precise, literate, and stylish, Smalley proved to be a fine writer. He made many significant contributions to a wide range of specialist periodicals, including New Testament Studies and Novum Testamentum. He reviewed for the Church Times and revised the Pitkin Guide to Chester Cathedral.
As an editor, he took responsibility for Christ and Spirit in the New Testament. Writings on a more expansive canvas began in 1967 with the publication of Building for Worship, followed a year later by Heaven and Hell. Other works included The Spirit’s Power, and seminal texts, John: Evangelist and interpreter, the Word Biblical Commentary 1, 2, 3, John, and Thunder and Love: John’s Revelation and John’s community. His commentary The Revelation to John also attracted widespread critical acclaim.
During his time as Dean of Chester, Smalley himself played no small part in the wider cultural artistic life of the diocese. In 1992, together with his son, Jovian, Smalley enacted the story of Abraham and Isaac as part of that year’s Chester cycle of medieval mystery plays. He was also a President of the Federation of Cathedral Old Choristers’ Associations, a member of the Governing Council of the University of Chester, Chairman of the Governors of the King’s School, and involved with the Blue Coat Foundation. He retired from Chester in 2001, initially to Gloucestershire, and returned to scholarship with renewed vigour.
His wife from 1974, Susan Paterson, died in 1995. He is survived by his son and daughter.