Community Conversation, hosted by Duncan Iveson

Religion, civil society, and the academy. An event entitled 'Religious tolerance in Manchester' took place 9 December at the University. Hosted by the President, Duncan Iveson, the aim of the evening was to acknowledge Manchester's difficult recent past and the Heaton Park Synagogue tragedy, and to use the university as a forum for discussing contested views among religious communities and civic society, and for academics to contribute to shaping those discussions. Religious and civic leaders spoke, including the Deputy Mayor Karen Green, preceded by an academic panel comprising Daniel Langton (on Judaism and antisemitism in the UK), Kamran Karimullah (on Diversity, Islam and Islamophobia in the UK), Eve Parker (on Religiosity and cohesion in Greater Manchester) and Hilary Pilkington (on The use and abuse of religion in extremist narratives). 

Climate Change Film

Christian studies. The Religion, Theology and Climate Change project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, has produced a short film to present some of its findings. Principal Investigator Peter Scott writes: “The project was always envisaged to have practical recommendations—taken together with the Report, this film makes these recommendations available to an audience beyond the academy.” You can watch the film here: Religion, Theology and Climate Change - YouTube.

Robotics Innovation Showcase

Digital humanities. Scott Midson was one of the speakers at the "Cradle: Robotics Innovation Showcase - Where Research Meets Reality" event on 27 November, representing the University’s Centre for Robotics and AI. Further information.

Board Member Position

International collaboration. Sarah Parkhouse has joined the board of North American Society for the Study of Christian Apocryphal Literature (NASSCAL).

New Publication

Jewish studies. HRF Helen R. Jacobus has published "Reconsidering the Redating of Five Jewish Documents in the 1990s: Updated Radiocarbon Dating Programs, Coins and Contracts From the Bar Kokhba Era,", co-written with Fiona Brock, Revue de Qumran 37.1 [125]: 3-39. Further information.

Student & Staff Festive Pizza Party

Event. Everyone from R&T and Liberal Arts are invited to a Festival Pizza Party, 4.30pm, Lime Cafe (bottom floor Samuel Alexander South Wing), Weds 3rd December.

Going Beyond Belief Highlights

Public resource. How do religions feature in sports today? On Adam North's Going Beyond Belief page on Sports and Religion, he explores commonalities between religion and sport, including rituals, communal traditions, leaders and role models, and a quest for transcendence. He asks questions such as can sports change the world for the better, and should we be critical of professional sports? This page, aimed at RS A-level students, is based on Adam’s PhD research and it is complementary to Radio 4’s Beyond Belief programme on the Olympics. This page could form the basis of an A-Level EPQ or it might be the kind of thing that inspires A-Level students to take their studies further after college or school!

Didsbury Lectures 2025

Christian Theology. Over the four evenings of 27-30 October, HRF Stephen Barton gave the Didsbury Lectures 2025 at the Nazarene Theological College, Manchester, on the theme, ‘The conversion of the emotions in early Christianity’. The lectures were live-streamed and are accessible on here on YouTube. 

New Publication

Biblical Studies. Peter Oakes, ‘Did Paul Write for Asterix? The Extent of Celtic Ethnicity in Galatia and the Audience of Galatians’, in The First Urban Churches 8: Galatia and Lycaonia, ed. James R. Harrison and L.L. Welborn (Writings from the Greco-Roman World Supplement Series 13; Atlanta: SBL Press, 2025), 91-112. Oakes' article examines inscriptions and other evidence to assess the extent to which people in Galatia and among Paul’s audience might be seen as having Celtic ethnicity, in various senses ranging from genetics to language use, material culture and self-identification. Further information.

International Mentoring Award

Mentoring and Social Responsibility. A massive congratulations to Holly Morse who has been awarded the Society of Biblical Literature's 2025 Status of Women in the Profession Outstanding Service in Mentoring Award. Holly accepted the award this November in Boston. Further information.

Classics Research Seminar

Septuagint studies. The Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology (CAHAE) research seminar invites you to hear a paper by Thomas Ford from Münster titled ‘A Fragment of Septuagint Habakkuk from Trinity College, Cambridge’. Thursday 27 November, 5pm, Sam Alex A115. The seminar will be followed by a reception.

Religion & Theology Research Seminar

 

Religion & Theology. 8th December: Alex Samely (UoM) "The Two Worlds of the Reader: Text World and Life-world in a New Theory of Reading." 3–5pm in Samuel Alexander A116 and online. Email Siobhán Jolley or Holly Morse for the online link. 

Rylands Showcase

Community engagement. As part of the Rylands 125th Birthday Open Night, Jeremy Penner and Sarah Parkhouse will showcase a selection of manuscripts related to their upcoming 'Coptic in Manchester' UKRI project. Dec 4th, 5:30–8pm GMT, John Rylands Research Institute and Library, 150 Deansgate. Further information.