Active Bystanding Blog Post

Social responsibility. Biblical studies PhD student Rachel Miller has written a post for the university's Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion blog on the theme of active bystanding. The post can be found here.

Ehrhardt Seminar

 

Biblical studies.  George Brooke, "How Hellenistic is the Pentateuch? Reading Backwards from the Dead Sea Scrolls", 1st May, 4pm, University Place 5.205 and online. This will be a special celebration to celebrate Prof George Brooke winning the British Academy Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies. For further information and Zoom link, please email Lynne Potts.

Studying Judaism through Artefacts

Experiential Learning. A selection of religious material objects in the archives of the John Rylands Research Institute and Library was presented to students on RELT71152 Jews among Christians and Muslims and RELT20572 Interpreting Religion. The study visit was led by Centre for Jewish Studies Fellows Prof Philip Alexander and Dr Katja Stuerzenhofecker in collaboration with curators at the John Rylands, Dr Zsófia Buda and Dr Tereza Ward. The objects highlighted global migrations and inter-religious encounters, aesthetic forms and ritual functions, what counts as religious, and the ethics of curatorial practices.

New Publication

Biblical studies. Sarah Parkhouse has published "Mary and/or Mary: The Changing Traditions of the Marys at the Cross and the Tomb in Early Christian and Late Antique Gospel Retellings" in Narratives of Jesus's Passion and Resurrection between the Second and the Seventh Centuries, edited by Tobias Nicklas and Konrad Schwarz (Mohr Siebeck, 2025) pp.169–93. Further information.

Editorial Board Appointment

Biblical studies. Peter Oakes will be joining the editorial board for the Journal of Theological Studies. Further information.

Trafford Faith Action Network Gathering

Social responsibility. On 25 February, in her capacity as Community Cohesion Lead for Trafford, Eve Parker led a gathering of the Trafford Faith Action Network that gave focus to the best start for children and young people. The event included representatives from various faith communities across Greater Manchester, as well teachers, community police officers, and youth groups, it gave focus to addressing hate crime, mental health, education and family support, and critically centred the voices of children and young people in helping to shape the agenda.

ArtWay Interview

Religion and arts. An interview with Siobhán Jolley, Ben Quash (KCL) and Roberta Ahmanson discussing the importance of art and religion has been published on ArtWay. Read it here.

New Book Publication

Religion and the arts. Samuel O'Connor Perks has published Off-Modern Catholic Aesthetics: Rethinking the Role of Religion in Twentieth-Century Art and Architecture in the series 'Studies in Religion and the Arts' with Brill. Further information.

Postgraduate Research Officer Appointment

Students Union elections. Religions & Theology PhD candidate Rachel Miller has been elected as Postgraduate Research Officer in the 2025/2026 Lead MCR elections. Every year, University of Manchester students vote for the 8 Executive Officers they want to represent them. This team shapes what university experience looks like and campaigns on the issues most important to students. As Postgraduate Research Officer, Rachel will represent the voice of PGRs and hope to build a thriving PGR community. More information can be found here.

New Book Publication

Islamic studies. Tom Woerner-Powell has published his new book Pacifism and Nonviolence in Contemporary Islamic Philosophy with Cambridge University Press. Further information.

Abrahamic Theistic Origins Project, Contributor

Religion and science. Daniel Langton discussed Rabbi Jonathan Sacks' view of Darwinism as an invited member of the Abrahamic Theistic Origins Project (ATOP) at Oxford, funded by the Templeton Religion Trust, which explores the question of how the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and the evolutionary sciences meet. 19 March 2025. Further information.

Keynote at Church of England Conference

Theology. On 13 March, Eve Parker was the keynote speaker at the Church of England’s conference for theological education institutes on ‘Classism’. Eve’s paper entitled ‘The Working-Class and the Future of Theological Education’ called on the church to give focus to class consciousness in and through theological education. The talk built on the research published in her book Trust in Theological Education: Deconstructing Trustworthiness for a Pedagogy of Liberation (SCM, 2022), and the conference was part of the CofEs strategy for encouraging the ministry of people from working-class backgrounds.

Religion & the Arts Conversation Video

Religion and arts. Siobhán Jolley's "Unexpected View" video with Jessie Jones is now online. Unexpected views are conversations between curators and some of the most important cultural practitioners of today. Discussions focus on a selected masterpiece from the National Gallery Collection, exploring its relevance to the artist’s work, or more broadly to current social and cultural issues. By allowing for new discussions of old works, the series aims for critical, counter-intuitive and joyful approaches to our collection, which reflect the breadth of contemporary artistic practice. In this film the artist and educator Jesse Jones talks to Siobhán about why she is drawn to Savoldo's 'Mary Magdalene' and why, given her love of film and cinema, it strikes her as a modern image. Watch it here.