Religions & Theology Research Seminar

Christian Studies. Professor George Pattison (University of Glasgow) “Love Came Down at Christmas” 16:00 - 17:30 29 October 2020. Further information.

Reporting live...

Worship in the age of COVID. The coronavirus and the lockdown that followed have created considerable challenges for how religious communities conduct their worship. Several of R&T’s professors moonlight as priests in the Church of England. Here is a brief report on how Prof David Law has coped with the challenges of conducting services in the age of Covid-19: In the first weeks of the lockdown we conducted services solely by zoom, which meant of course that the congregation was unable to receive communion. The way we dealt with this problem was for the priest to receive communion on behalf of the congregation, which entailed modifying the words of distribution to ‘The Body/Blood of Christ keep all of us in eternal life’. Theologically, conducting services via zoom raises interesting questions about the nature of sacred space, or perhaps we should call it sacred cyberspace! The reopening of the churches presented the problem of how to conduct services while observing social distancing. Because of the danger of infection, we decided to offer communion in only one kind, i.e., offering the congregation bread only, inadvertently thereby reverting to the Roman Catholic practice the Church of England had rejected at the Reformation! The other precaution was for the priest to wear a visor and, after priest and communicant had both disinfected their hands with hand sanitiser, for the priest to pass the consecrated wafer under a Perspex screen specially designed for the purpose.

Reading group, Jewish-Muslim

Jewish Muslim Research Network. The next session of the JMRN reading group is on 30 September 2020, 4-5pm. Facilitated by Sarah Johnson. Readings: Chapters 2 & 5 of Yoav Di-Capua’s No Exit: Arab Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Decolonization (2018) and Aline Schlaepfer’s “Between Cultural and National Nahḍa: Jewish Intellectuals in Baghdad and the Nation-Building Process in Iraq (1921-1932)” (2011). Further information.

New publication

Technology and Christian theology. Karen O’Donnell & Scott Midson, eds, 'Special Edition on Theological Re-imaginings of Human Relationships in Cyberspace' Theology and Sexuality, 26:2-3 (2020). Further information.

Blog entry, Crux Sola

Biblical Studies. Peter Oakes’s Reading Romans in Pompeii: Paul’s Letter at Ground Level (2009) was listed on the Crux Sola blog in an article recommending 5 books on Paul’s letter to the Romans that every church minister should have on their shelf. (See also the related project Entering Early Christianity via Pompeii, hosted by the Centre for Biblical Studies.) Further information.

Conference Papers, British New Testament Society

Biblical Studies. Manchester PhD students Anna Budhi and Siobhán Jolley both presented papers to the British New Testament Conference, which took place online 3-5 September 2020. Anna spoke on 'Cicero’s Unshakable Virtus and the Changeful Masculinity of Jesus and Pontius Pilate’, comparing and contrasting Cicero’s ideal of Roman ‘manly courage’ with the portrayal of Jesus in his encounters with Pilate in John’s Gospel. Siobhán’s paper was 'Merry Mary Quite Contrary, or the Merits of Artemisia’s Magdalene minus Melancholy’, in which she analysed the unusually upbeat depiction of Mary Magdalene in Artemisia Gentileschi’s painting. Both papers were based on work being done in their research projects under the joint supervision of Peter Oakes and Holly Morse. Further information.

International expert panel, Norway

South Asian Studies. In the summer of 2020, John Zavos served as a panellist for the Norwegian Research Council, assessing large grant applications on the Religions sub panel of the Researcher Project for Scientific Renewal programme. Further information.

Ehrhardt Seminar

Dead Sea Scrolls. Prof. George Brooke (University of Manchester, University of Chester) ‘Esoteric Wisdom in the Dead Sea Scrolls’ 14:00 - 16:00 22 October 2020. Further information.

Appointment to House of Lords

Congratulations. The Rt Revd Dr David Walker, the Bishop of Manchester, who is Chair of Trustees of the Department’s Lincoln Theological Institute and also an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department, took his seat as a member of the House of Lords in Parliament on Monday 7 September. As one of the 26 Lords Spiritual, he will represent the city and diocese of Manchester. Further information.

New publication

South Asian Studies. John Zavos, ‘Hinduism and Public Space in Europe’ in Knut A. Jacobsen and Ferdinando Sardella (eds) Handbook of Hinduism in Europe, Volume 1 Pan-European Developments (Leiden: Brill, 2020), 665–686. Further information.

Conference paper, Institute of Biblical Studies, Poland

Dead Sea Scrolls. Hon. Research Fellow in the Centre for Biblical Studies: Helen Jacobus, has been invited to speak at the Aramaic Enoch Conference 2020 to be held online. Her paper is entitled 'A Comparative Look at the Lunar Fractions in the Aramaic Fragments of 4QAstronomical Enocha-b (4Q208–4Q209).' Institute of Biblical Studies (KUL, Lublin, Poland) in collaboration with the Enoch Seminar (Chairs Henryk Drawnel & Gabriele Boccaccini), 20-22 Oct 2020. Further information.

Book Review

South Asian Studies. American Academy of Religion review. "I want to commend J.G. Suthren Hirst’s contribution about Śaṅkara’s engagement with the Bhāgavata tradition, which contains many interesting new observations about the historical context of one of the most important intellectual heroes of South Asia." Jackie Suthren Hirst, ‘Refutation or dialogue? Śaṃkara’s treatment of the Bhāgavatas’, in eds Brian Black and Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Dialogue with Classical Indian Traditions: Encounter, Transformation and Interpretation (London & New York: Routledge, 2019), 51-65. Further information.

New publication

Christian Studies. David Law, 'Karl Barth und der Anglikanismus: Die anglikanische Rezeption und Wirkungsgeschichte Barths von 1986 bis zur Gegenwart', in Theologische Rundschau, 85:2, 103-182. Further information.

Social responsibility, Black Lives Matter

Anglican clergy training. Andy Boakye will be contributing to a training day for Anglican clergy with a session entitled '“There is No Longer Jew or Greek”: The Church, The Gospel and the Question of Race'. Open to clergy and laity. The aim is to theologically reflect on the issues raised by the recent resurgence of Black Lives Matter and facilitate dialogue about racial harmony. 30 November 2020, Diocese of Manchester. More details to follow.

Religions & Theology Research Seminar

Sociology and Religion. Dr Kristin Aune (Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, University of Coventry) - “Religious Student Societies in Universities – Division and Cohesion” 16:00 - 17:30 15 October 2020. Further information.

Ehrhardt Seminar

Biblical Studies. Dr James Sedlacek (Nazarene Theological College) ‘Is the Perfect Tense in the Pauline Corpus a ‘Front-grounding’ Tense or a ‘Backgrounding’ Tense?’ 14:00 - 16:00 15 October 2020. Further information.

International Summer School, University of Leuven

Biblical and Jewish Studies. Philip Alexander contributed to a summer school on Biblical Hebrew Poetry, focusing on the 'Song of Songs and Its Reception in Judaism'. 7-11 September 2020. Further information.

Panel discussion, Oxford Three Faiths

Jewish Studies. CJS Hon. Research Fellow Michael Hilton will be contributing to an online panel on the topic of 'Our Journeys to the Holy Land'. Oxford Three Faiths, 7.30-8.45pm, 5 October 2020. For registration, see further information.

Public lectures, Sion Centre

Jewish Studies. CJS Hon. Research Fellow Michael Hilton will be podcasting on 'Why are the Jewish High Holydays so popular?' and 'The Jewish Festivals of Sukkot and Simchat Torah'. Sion Centre for Dialogue and Encounter, 2.00-3.30pm, 14 and 22 Sept 2020. For registration, see further information.

Public lectures, Liberal Jewish Synagogue

Jewish Studies. CJS Hon. Research Fellow Michael Hilton will be podcasting on preparation for the High Holy Days with talks on 'Faith versus good deeds' and 'The Scapegoat in Judaism and Christianity'. 8.10-9.30pm, 8 and 15 Sept 2020. For registration, see further information.

Ehrhardt Seminar

Biblical Studies. Dr Elizabeth Shively (University of St Andrews) ‘The Benefit of Applying a Multidimensional Cognitive Model to Gospel Genre Studies’ 14:00 - 16:00 08 October 2020. Further information.

Postgraduate Forum, Nordic region

Jewish Studies. CJS Hon. research fellow Dr Katharina Keim is organising the first Nordic Postgraduate Forum in Jewish Studies. Papers will be presented by six current doctoral students from around the Nordic region working on projects that relate to the study of ancient and medieval Jewish history. The programme also features a masterclass in reading Talmudic texts by Prof Philip Alexander entitled, ‘“If they are not prophets, they are sons of prophets”: Tosefta Pesahim 4:13-14 and its reception in the Yerushalmi and the Bavli.’ 22-23 Sept, open to all via Zoom. To register, see further information.

Social Responsibility, college governor

Jewish Studies. CJS Hon. Research Fellow Michael Hilton is a governor of the progressive rabbinic training college Leo Baeck College. Further information.

Online panel discussion, Farhang Foundation

Islamic Studies. Alan Williams will be contributing to an online event held under the auspices of the Farhang Foundation entitled 'New Light on Reading Rumi'. 26 Sept 2020. To register, see further information.

New publication

Biblical Studies. CBS Hon. Research Fellow Stephen C. Barton, ‘God and the knowledge of God in the Gospels’, in Stephen C. Barton and Todd Brewer, eds., Cambridge Companion to the Gospels (second edition; Cambridge: CUP, 2021), 368-396. Further information.

New publication

Biblical Studies. CBS Hon. Research Fellow Stephen C. Barton, ‘Paul and Mental Health’, in Christopher Cook and Isabelle Hamley, eds., The Bible and Mental Health (London: SCM, 2020), 54-73. Further information.

New publication

Biblical Studies. CBS Hon. Research Fellow Stephen C. Barton, ‘Jesus, the Gospels, and the Kingdom of God in Constitutional Perspective’, in Peter Bolt and James Harrison, eds., Justice, Mercy, and Wellbeing: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Press, 2020), 33-55. Further information.

Reading Group, Biblical Hebrew

Biblical and Jewish Studies. Philip Alexander will be giving a course on Biblical Hebrew, that is, a reading group focusing on the Book of Esther and commentaries. The class will meet via Zoom once a week in semesters one and two. The primary aim of this non-credit course will be to provide students at BA, MA or PhD levels who have done some Hebrew with the opportunity to advance their knowledge by closely reading a biblical book. Further information.

Religions & Theology Research Seminar

Biblical Studies. Dr Nijay K Gupta (Northern Seminary, Illinois) - “Reconstructing Junia's Imprisonment: Examining a Neglected Comment in Romans 16:7” 16:00 - 17:30 01 October 2020. Further information.

Religions & Theology Research Seminar

Jewish Studies. Prof. Melissa Raphael (Gloucestershire) “The (Dis)appearing Feminine: Jewish Feminist Art and the Liberation of Women and God…" 16:00 - 17:30 17 September 2020. Further information.

Events programme for Religions & Theology

Seminars and public lectures for 2020-21. Many of the department's planned events are available to see as a single online listing. Further information.

New publication

Biblical and Jewish Studies. Alex Samely, 'How Coherence Works: Reading, Re-Reading and Inner-Biblical Exegesis' in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel 9:2 (2020), 130-182. Further information.