Teaching successes

Annual report of course unit evaluations. Within the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, which comprises 13 departments or units of assessment, Religions & Theology came top of the School’s ranking for both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. Congratulations to Ketan Alder, Holly Morse, and Scott Midson who achieved R&T's three highest scores for undergraduate teaching, and to Michael Hoelzl and Holly Morse (again) for R&T's two highest scores for MA teaching. It's worth noting that three of these high-scoring course units were core courses.

Public event, Manchester Cathedral

Faith and Language Diversity. Multilingual Manchester, Manchester Cathedral, We Stand Together, and Faith Network for Manchester, with support from Creative Manchester, present 'A Celebration of Faith and Language Diversity'. 25 June, 6.30-9pm, Manchester Cathedral. Further information. 

CIDRAL Book Launch

Cyborgs and Theology. Scott Midson (Manchester) joined colleagues to celebrate the publication of his monograph, Cyborg Theology: Humans, Technology and God (IB Taurus, 2017). May 28, 5pm, Old Abbey Taphouse.

Reading Group, Jewish Muslim relations

Jewish Muslim Research Network. The second session of the JMRN reading group will take place on June 7 from 12.30 - 2 pm. It will feature a selection from Yulia Egorova's recent book Jews and Muslims in South Asia. Further information. 

Blog Entry, 50 Jewish Objects

Jewish Studies. Stefani Silvestri (Manchester) discusses the latest developments of the 50 Jewish Objects project in her blog 'Interview with the artist Jaqueline Nicholls'. Further information. 

Book Contribution

Judaism in the Roman World. Professor Peter Oakes (Manchester) contributed to a new book produced by the recent European Research Council funded project 'Re-thinking Judaism's Encounter with the Roman Empire: Rome's Political and Religious Challenge to Israel and its Impact on Judaism (2nd Century BCE - 4th Century CE)'. Dr Kimberley Fowler was one of the full time researchers on the project. Further information. 

BBC News, Islam

The British Victorians who became Muslims. At the height of the Empire, a select band of British people renounced Christianity and converted to Islam. These are the stories of three such pioneers, who defied Victorian norms at a time when Christianity was the bedrock of British identity. Further information.

Conference, Lausanne

Jewish Archaeology. Professor Peter Oakes (Manchester) gave a paper exploring the relationships between meeting, eating, and types of first-space in use by the earliest Christian groups at the Early Synagogue Archaeology Conference held at the University of Lausanne on April 10 - 11. Further information. 

BBC News, Christianity

Church of Ireland's ruling body set for historic meeting. The Church of Ireland's governing body meets in Londonderry this week to discuss, debate and determine the future running of the church. More than 600 delegates will attend General Synod in Londonderry for the first time. Further information.

New Publication

Christian History. Professor Peter Oakes (Manchester), 'The Christians and their Politeuma in Heaven: Philippians 3:20 and the Herakleopolis Papyri', In the Crucible of Empire: The Impact of Roman Citizenship upon Greeks, Jews, and Christians. Katell Berthelot and Jonathan Price, eds. (Leuven: Peeters, 2019), 141-63. Further information. 

Colloquium, Manchester-Lausanne

Love, Boundaries, and Sacred Texts 2109 Colloquium. Contributors to the colloquium were from the Universities of Manchester, Chester, and Lausanne (Switzerland). Manchester-based contributors included: Dr David Lamb, ‘The Boundaries of Love: Us and Them Language in 1 John 2:19’; Dr Benedict Kent, ‘Transgressive Reciprocity between God the Father and Jesus 'the slave' in Philippians 2:5-11’; Siobhán Jolley, ‘Mary Magdalene and the Gendered Boundaries of Love’; Dr Walter Houston, ‘Marrying out? The construction of boundaries in Ezra 9-10’; Dr Holly Morse, ‘Sex a/object: Women's Bodies and Ethnic Boundaries in Deuteronomy 21, Ruth 3 and Ezekiel 16’; Dr Todd Klutz, ‘The Story of Judas in the Gospel of John: Redrawing the Boundaries of the Christ Cult’; and Dr Mi Ja Wi (NTC), ‘You will receive power to cross the boundaries: An examination of Acts 1:8’. Chester and Manchester, 2-3 May 2019. Further information.

Research Network Reading Group

Jewish Muslim Research Network. Inaugural session of the new reading group. May 10, 12.30pm, Room WG.21 Samuel Alexander Building. Further information. 

Seminar, Ehrhardt Seminar

Biblical Studies. Justin Daneshmand (Manchester), 'Visitation and Verdict: Reading the Lukan Nazareth Periscope as a Theoxenic Episode of Theophanic Judgement'. 9 May, 2 pm, Room 2.219 University Place. Further information. 

Seminar, Leeds

Cultural History. Dr Stefania Silvestri (Manchester) will be presenting the '50 Jewish Objects project' as part of the Sadler Seminar series, The Archive After Cecil Roth: Jewish Studies, Cultural History, and the Cecil Roth Collection. 8 May 2019, 4-5.30 pm. Further information. 

Artist Workshop

Handmade Books/Handmade Inheritance. Artist Jacqueline Nicholls will lead a workshop on traditional book binding techniques, working with you to create your own book and inspire you to consider what you have inherited and what you will hand on. 29 May 2019, 2-4.30 pm. Further information.

Paper, Colloquium

Biblical Studies. Dr Holly Morse (Manchester), 'Sex a/object: Women's Bodies and Ethnic Boundaries in Deuteronomy 21, Ruth 3 and Ezekiel 16', at the Love, Boundaries, and Sacred Texts Colloquium. 3 May 2019, University of Manchester.   

Paper, Sheffield University

Biblical Studies. Dr Holly Morse, 'Eve was Framed: Genesis 2-4, Reception Criticism, and the Curatorial Turn'. 13 May 2019, Sheffield Institute for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies (SIIBS). Further information. 

Launch of new Centre

Biblical Studies and Gender. The Bible, Gender, and Church Research Centre (BGC) is a new and exciting research centre, bringing biblical and gender studies together with issues faced by men and women in the contemporary church. The centre is a joint initiative between Cliff College and The University of Manchester. The inaugural lecture for the centre will be delivered by Revd Dr Susan Shooter and is entitled 'Yet In My Flesh Shall I See God: Researching Faith with Survivors of Abuse'. This will be followed by responses from Dr Holly Morse (Manchester) and Dr Kirsi Cobb (Cliff College), as well as a reception for all participants. Further information.

Public Lecture, University of Groningen

Political Philosophy. Dr Michael Hoelzl (Manchester), 'What is Wrong with Populism? Or, the Normative Power of the Counterfactual'. 10 May 2019, University of Groningen, Campus Frysan in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. 

New Funding

Biblical Studies and Mental Health. Congratulations to Andrew Wisdom in being awarded a prestigious PhD Studentship by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC). His thesis title is '‘The Renewing of Your Minds’: Psychological Trauma and Mental Health in the Pauline Epistles.' His supervisors will be Todd Klutz and Andrew Boakye.

Ehrhardt Seminar

Biblical Studies. Justin Daneshmand (Manchester), 'Visitation and Verdict: Reading the Lukan Nazareth Periscope as a Theoxenic Episode of Theophanic Judgement'. May 2, 2-4 pm. Further information. 

Departmental Seminar

Religions & Theology. Dr Carl Kilcourse (Manchester Met), 'Conflict in the Heavenly Capital: Protestant Missionaries, Taiping Rebels, and the Meaning of Christianity'. May 2, 4-5.30 pm. Further information.

New Funding

Literary Reception of the Book of Esther. Congratulations to Sherry Ashworth in being awarded a prestigious School PhD Studentship. Her provisional thesis title is 'The Reception of the Book of Esther in Nineteenth Century Novels' and her supervisors will be Holly Morse and Daniel Langton.