Background
Born in Dunwich, Suffolk, he was the son of Francis Phillips, a farmer.
Orientalist churchman vice-chancellor of
Born in Dunwich, Suffolk, he was the son of Francis Phillips, a farmer.
Magdalen College.
He was also the Rector of Sandon, Essex, the President of Queens" College, Cambridge, from 1857 until his death and Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University from 1861-1862. After spending his early years in farm work, and acquiring a knowledge of mathematics in his spare time, Phillips became a master at the grammar school in Woodbridge, Suffolk, and later at that in Worcester. While at Worcester he published his first works, A Brief Treatise on the Use of a Case of Instruments (1823) and A Compendium of Algebra (1824).
In 1824 Phillips left Worcester in order to enter Magdalen Hall, Oxford, but after a short residence migrated to Queens" College, Cambridge, in October 1825.
In 1830 he was elected fellow of his college and subsequently became senior tutor. He was ordained deacon in 1831 and priest in 1832.
On the death of Joshua King in 1852, he was elected president of Queens" where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1861-1862 he was vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
As president of Queens" he was noted for his hospitality, and did much to promote the welfare of his college.
He gave £1000 to found a scholarship in 1887 and made a generous donation towards building the new chapel in 1891. As a fellow of Queens", Phillips had at first continued to study mathematics, but soon turned to Hebrew, which he began to teach in the college, although there was then little interest in the subject at Cambridge. He used his position to promote oriental studies in the university, and took a leading part in the establishment in 1872 of the Indian languages tripos and the Semitic languages tripos, examinations for which were first held in 1875.
He published editions of several Syriac texts, and rewrote his earlier Elements as A Syriac Grammar (1866).
Apart from his academic works, his only publication was Short Sermons on Old Testament Messianic Texts (1863).