New Publication

Christian studies. Siobhán Jolley, Saints (London: National Gallery / Yale University Press, 2026), 144pp. Saints explores the saints depicted in the collection at the National Gallery, charting not only a history of devotion but also the development of Western European art itself. Saints takes a close look at how some of the most splendid depictions of these figures still speak to us across the centuries. Further information.

Encountering Biblical Bodies Research Showcase

Biblical studies. On Tuesday 26 May in Ellen Wilkinson was the Centre for Biblical Studies/Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Arts and Languages "Encountering Biblical Bodies Showcase" with papers from Peter Oakes, Kate Bowen-Evans (Nazarene Theological College), Anke Bernau, Gillian Redfern, Cordelia Warr, Naomi Baker, Meaghan Allen, Rachel Miller, Siobhán Jolley, Scott Midson and Holly Morse. Further information.

Interdisciplinary Event on Faces

Interdisciplinary event. On 27th May, Scott Midson spoke on ‘Face/off: Self-identity and robot doppelgängers’ and the fifth event of the interdisciplinary seminar series on faces: '(Re)imagining faces: restoring humanity through art, archaeology, medicine & science'. Further information.

Public Talk

Biblical studies. On June 4th, Siobhán Jolley is leading a symposium with Paul Middleton (Chester) on 'Apocalypse Now: The Book of Revelation in the 21st Century' at Chester Cathedral. Further information.

Manchester Wesley Research Centre Annual Lecture

Methodist Studies. Please join our validation partner event: the  Manchester Wesley Research Centre annual lecture given by Priscilla Pope-Levison, Research Professor of Practical Theology, Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Her lecture is titled “The Emergence, Growth, and Decline of the International Methodist Deaconess Movement.” Watch her speak about the lecture here. 16th June, 5pm, Nazarene Theological College, in person and online. Register here.

Graduate Careers Week: 15-19 June

Preparing for life after uni? Explore opportunities and plan your next steps at Graduate Careers Week, starting Monday 15 June. With events helping you find graduate jobs, figuring out finances after uni, and the Graduate Careers Fair on Thursday 18 June.

Spotlight: Alumni Profile

Careers. Chloe McDowell graduated with a BA in Comparative Religion and Social Anthropology and now works as a Junior Policy Officer at Re-Imagine Europa. Read about her journey here.

Research Presentation

Jewish Studies. Katja Stuerzenhofecker is delivering the Religious Studies Seminar in the Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge, on 2 June 2026. The paper is entitled ‘Traditional prayers, returning voices: Orthodox Jewish women and girls’ singing in communal prayer’. The research is part of the project ‘British Ritual Innovation under Covid-19’.

International Postgraduate Success

Student news. Congratulations to Penny Bunyan, 3rd year BA student, who has been offered a scholarship for the University of Groningen’s two-year Erasmus Masters programme, Religious Diversity in a Globalised World. As part of the programme, students  spend time studying in the Netherlands, as well as Portugal or Spain. Penny says: "This is an exciting opportunity to study across multiple universities and gain a diverse attitude toward the study of religion. I have been awarded a tuition fee waiver as part of the excellent candidates for the upcoming cohort, which I am very grateful for."

Teaching Activities

Teaching trips. Within our modules this year, off-campus activities and trips have included: Katja Stuerzenhofecker taking students to engage with lived religious practices in the Jewish Museum for the Introduction to the Study of Religions and Theology (RELT10311) and to Rylands Hebraica Collections for Interpreting Religion (RELT20572). The intermediate Greek (RELT 20152) studied ancient New Testament manuscripts in the Rylands Bible room with Sarah Parkhouse, and Siobhán Jolley discussed religious painting and sculpture in Manchester Art Gallery to students (pictured) taking Bible in Ancient Contexts and Current Debates (RELT71002).

New Publication

Dead Sea Scrolls. George Brooke has published “A Response and Some Ways Forward,” The (Con)textual Perspectives on the Dead Sea Scrolls: Proceedings of the Seventeenth International Orion Symposium, February 28–March 3, 2022. Published in Honor of Esther G. Chazon (ed. R.A. Clements, M.B. Johnson, N. Mizrahi, and M. Segal; STDJ 157; Leiden: Brill, 2026), 375-381. Further information.

New Publication

Pauline Studies. Daniel R. Langton, "Paul" in Encyclopedia of Jewish-Christian Relations Online, edited by Homolka, Kampling, Levine, Markschies, Schäfer and Thurner (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2026), 10pp. ISSN 2569-3530. "Both historically and theologically, a case can be made that Paul continues to be the single most controversial and influential figure for Jewish-Christian relations." Further information.

New Publication

Theology. Peter Scott’s A Theology of Postnatural Right (2019) has been published in Korean by Daejanggan Publishing. Warm thanks to Seoyoung Kim, an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department, who undertook the translation work. Dr Kim has recently been appointed Lecturer in Applied Theology and Ministry Placements Programme Lead at Belfast School of Theology.