New Publication

Bible and art. Siobhán Jolley has published 'Ein anderer Blick auf Maria Magdalena? Künstlerinnen und feministische Ambitionen' for the catalogue accompanying the Städel Museum's Mary Magdalene exhibition. Further information.

Response to Public Lecture

Buddhist studies. Gregory Adam Scott responded to a talk by Ben Brose on 'Stranger things: supranormal events in modern Chinese Buddhist autobiography'. 22nd May 2026 at SOAS, University of London. The video is now online.

New Podcast Appearance

Biblical studies. Sarah Parkhouse spoke about the Gospel of Mary on the US-based 'Lost Ladies of Lit' podcast. Further information.

Religion & Theology Research Seminar

 

Religion & Theology. 2nd November, Jillian Marcantonio (Campbell University), 'Igniting a Fiery Imagination: Romanos the Melodist's Liturgical Poetry'. 2pm. Online only. Email Siobhán or Kamran for the link.

Public Talk at St Paul's Cathedral

Christian art. Siobhán Jolley is speaking at St Paul's Cathedral on 'Reading the saints: unlocking the story of sainthood in sacred art'. The talk is based on Siobhán's recent book 'Saints' published with the National Gallery. Sunday 1st November, 1-2pm. Further information.

Carmel College Presentation

Social responsibility. Michael Hoelzl was invited to give a talk on the problem of evil and the philosophical question of theodicy on October 9th 2026 at Sixth Form Carmel College in St. Helens. After the presentation they did a workshop on the World Press Photo Award 2026 and discussed how contemporary forms of evil and violence are portrayed and understood today.

International Society for Science and Religion, blog entry

Jewish history. Daniel Langton was invited to contribute an entry entitled 'When Darwin met the Jews' for the International Society for Science and Religion blog. "When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, he could hardly have anticipated that within fifteen years his ideas would be expounded in Hebrew and compared with the teachings of the ancient Jewish sages..." 15 Oct 2026. Further information.

Scriptural Reasoning Event

Interfaith event. UoM Diversity Dialogues, the RS Student Society, and Manchester Jewish Society are running a Scriptural Reasoning event to discuss beginnings of the Bible, Quran and Torah. 14th October, Uni Place 4.213, 4pm onwards.

Interview on The Harry Hill Show

Biblical studies. Andy Boakye chats about Jesus and the New Testament on the Harry Hill show - even plugging our courses at the University of Manchester! Watch it here (Andy starts at minute 24). 

Religion & Theology Research Seminar

 

Religion & Theology. 22nd October, Stephen Wright (Nazarene Theological College), 'Eschatology as Hope as Imagination: Propositional and Poetic Utterance in Evoking the Christian Future'. 2pm. Online only. Email Siobhán or Kamran for the link.

Career Spotlight: Sustainability Consultant

For students. Passionate about making a positive impact on people and the planet? Sustainability Consultants help organisations reduce their environmental impact, develop responsible practices, and work towards sustainability goals. Through your RELT degree, you've developed valuable skills by exploring ethical dilemmas, examining social responsibility, evaluating different perspectives, and constructing evidence-based arguments. These skills can help organisations balance environmental, social and business priorities when making decisions. Check out the Prospects Sustainability Consultant profile to explore this career path and book a careers appointment to discuss your career ideas further. 

Religion & Theology Research Seminar

 

Religion & Theology. 8th October, Joshua Rushton (The University of Manchester), 'Environmental Approaches to the Early Modern Catholic World'. 2pm. Online only. Email Siobhán or Kamran for the link.

Digital Exhibition

Buddhist studies. The digital artwork connected to the Leverhulme-funded “Fear and Belonging in Minority Buddhist Communities” project is now online. ‘grasp, grasp’ by Sian Fan is a digital artwork which draws on the anonymised life stories of members of two different Buddhist communities, collected by University of Manchester researchers Erica Baffelli and Jane Caple. The work is a web-based experience filled with emotive photography and soundscapes, which traverses multiple pathways. It changes shape, operating in different sequences and moving in different directions, inviting viewers to reflect on the ephemerality of emotions. “It hopes to emulate the feeling of being submerged in all the stories all at once, creating an undefined but reflective wash of emotion and experience. It explores how, in people’s everyday lives, fear exists as an undercurrent, weaving in and out of quotidian experiences. It considers fear’s entanglement with belonging and explores how these states coexist in tension. Without attempting to pin it down, the work hopes to assert the complicated beauty of human experience. It seeks to form a blurry vision of lives lived, that, with your gaze soft and your grip gentle, you can find yourself enveloped within.” ‘grasp, grasp’ is made to be experienced on desktop; it works best on Chrome. Please take your time in exploring it here.