He was a scholar of St Chad's College, Durham. After ordination in York Minster in 1934 he served as a parish priest in England for eleven years, then for eight years was Chaplain and Lecturer at Bishop Otter Training College, Chichester. In 1952, he became Dean of Divinity and Harrold Professor at Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Quebec. In 1966, he became Dean of Theology and in 1971 Dean Emeritus, as well as first Chairman of the Division of Graduate Studies. In 1955, Diocesan College, Montreal, conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) and in 1970 Bishop's University granted him the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law. He was one of the founders of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (IOSCS) including Robert A. Kraft.