Bernard Jackson Prize 2021

Postgraduate prize. This prize of £100 is awarded annually to the student with 'the highest grade for a master's dissertation in Jewish Studies' at the University of Manchester. It honours the Centre's second co-director Bernard Jackson. For 2021 it was awarded to Emily Warner for a thesis on 'Levinas and the Feminine Other: What is the significance of the feminine within the face-to-face encounter?’ (Supervisor: Professor Alexander Samely).

Hassé Memorial Prize 2021

Postgraduate prize. This prize of £250 is awarded annually for the best MA dissertation in the area of the study of Religions and Theology. For 2021, it was awarded to Emily Warner for a thesis on 'Levinas and the Feminine Other: What is the significance of the feminine within the face-to-face encounter?’ (Supervisor: Professor Alexander Samely).

Postgraduate Thesis Prize for Religious Studies and Social Responsibility 2021

Postgraduate prize. This prize of £60 is awarded annually to for the best PG thesis in R&T that explores a social or ethical challenge at the intersection of religion and social responsibility. For 2021 it was awarded to Amina Ansari for 'Women and Islam in Contemporary Arabic Literature: An Investigation of Two Short Stories' (Supervisor: Dr Dalia Mostafa).

Brandon Memorial Prize 2021

Postgraduate prize. This prize of £100 is awarded annually for the best MA dissertation in the area of Comparative Religion. For 2021, it was awarded to Adam North for 'The Performance of Telling the Truth: The Foucauldian Reconstruction of Parrhesia and its Contemporary Significance' (supervisor: Dr Michael Hoelzl).

Panel discussion, COP26

Christian Theology. As part of the series created by the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Glasgow to mark COP26, Peter Scott discussed 'Theologies of Environmental Justice' with David Clough and Doug Gay.  Watch on YouTube.

BBC Radio 4, Beyond Belief

Jewish Studies. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz appeared as part of a panel discussion on 'Orthodox Jewish women'. 4.30pm, 29 Nov 2021. Listen again.

Public debate, Al-Mahdi Institute

Interfaith studies. David Law gave a paper at an inter-religious symposium at the Al-Mahdi Institute in Birmingham, a Shiite theological college. The topic of the symposium was 'Redemption in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity'. 25 Nov 2021. Further information.

Blog, The Conversation

Jewish-Christian relations. CJS fellow Tony Kushner, ‘The Church of England is apologizing for medieval antisemitism – why now?’, The Conversation, 16 July 2021. Further information.

Research paper, Romania

Holocaust Studies. CJS fellow Ion Popa gave a presentation (in person) entitled 'Jewish Dissidence in Romania and the Persecution of Zionists in the First Decade of Communism (1945-1955)' at the Federation of Jewish Community of Romania/Centre for the Study of Romanian Jewish History. 25 November 2021. Further information.

Conference paper, Austria

Holocaust Studies. CJS fellow Ion Popa gave a presentation (online) entitled "Forgotten Archives, Forgotten Stories – The Persecution of Zionists in Communist Romania in the Context of Jewish Dissidence (1945-1955)" at the conference "Precarious Archives, Precarious Voices: Expanding Jewish Narratives from the Margins" organised at the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies. 19 November 2021.  Further information.

Church of England, consultation

Biblical Studies. CBS fellow Loveday Alexander works as a theological consultant for the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England, identifying critical biblical resources to inform decision-making on a range of practical issues in the day-to-day life of the church, including: part of a team advising the House of Bishops on liturgical aspects of the church’s response to the Covid pandemic; on-line interdisciplinary conference on Deliverance Ministry in January 2022.

New publication

Biblical Studies. CBS fellow Loveday Alexander, ‘The Gospel according to Celsus: Celsus’ Representation of Christianity’ in James Carleton-Paget and Simon Gathercole (eds), Celsus in his World: Philosophy, Polemic and Religion in the Second Century (Cambridge: CUP 2021), 254-86. Further information.

New publication

Biblical Studies. CBS Fellow Loveday Alexander, ‘What is a Gospel?’, ch.1 in the revised second edition of Stephen Barton and Todd Brewer (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels (Cambridge, CUP 2021). Further information.

New publication

Dead Sea Scolls. George Brooke, 'Dead Sea Scrolls' in Walfish BD, Furey C, Römer T, editors, Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (Berlin: de Gruyter, Walter GmbH & Co. 2021). Further information.

Post-doctorate opportunity, Jewish Studies

Call for proposals for post-doctoral fellowship. The Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe offers a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Jewish Studies for two years. The Foundation only allows one application per institution, and so there will be an internal selection process for The University of Manchester. Internal deadline: 1 Dec 2021. Further information.

Sherman Community Lecture 2021

Jewish Studies. Prof George Brooke (University of Manchester) will give the next Sherman Community Lecture entitled "Questioning Qumran: Judaism and the Dead Sea Scrolls". Thu 9 Dec 2021 8pm (online). Further information.

Hebrew manuscripts

Jewish Studies. Over a hundred Hebrew manuscripts have been added to the Manchester Digital Collections at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library. The internationally-renowned Hebrew collections are astonishingly diverse, covering all aspects of Jewish life as lived in Europe, North Africa and further afield. These manuscripts have been digitised and catalogued as part of an ongoing project led by Philip Alexander and Alex Samely. For the first time, expert catalogue descriptions by Research Associate Zsófia Buda, developed from previous work by Alex Samely and Stefania Silvestri, are available alongside ultra-high-quality images of the items themselves. Further information.

BBC Radio 4, Thought for the Day

Religion and the media. Hon. research fellow Rt Revd Dr David Walker has been on the Today Programme delivering the 'Thought for the Day', a faith-based reflection on some aspect of current news. Recent examples include the fall of Kabul to the Taliban (15 Nov) and the racism scandal in cricket (22 Nov). Further information.

Blog entry, Jewish Book Council

Jewish Studies. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz, "‘You Mean Superstitions?’: Exploring the Customs of Orthodox Jewish Women". "'Oh — you mean superstitions?'. This was how most of my interviewees reacted when I asked them about Orthodox Jewish women’s customs and practices..." Further information.

Public panel, Muslim Chaplain

Islamic Studies. 'Being Muslim at UoM: Islamophobia Awareness Month 2021.' "Please join us as we discuss our experiences of what it is like to be a Muslim at our University and how we navigate the various challenges and opportunities within the university setting. The event will be hosted by Mohammed Ullah, Muslim Chaplain for The University of Manchester...' Mon 29 November at 12:30pm. Further information.

Research seminar, AMES

Islamic Studies. Dr Hasnaa Mokhtar (Rutgers University’s Center for Women’s Global Leadership): 'Empowering Muslim Women in History, Literature and the Arts', as part of the Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies programme.Wed 1 Dec 2021, 17:00 GMT on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/94322283750

New publication

Political theology. Michael Hoelzl and Ute Leimgruber, 'Ressentiment als pastoraltheologische Herausforderung' in Weiter Gehen. Eine Roadmap ins Offene. Hrsg. u.a. von Maria-Elisabeth Aigner (Wuerzburg: Echter, 2021). Further information.

Guest lecture and masterclass, University of Graz

Political Theology. Michael Hoelzl presented on the topic of pastoral power: 'Das Grundproblem der Pastoraltheologie und seine politische Relevanz.' He also conducted a postgraduate masterclass on philosophy and ethics of decisionism: 'Was heisst es, sich zu entscheiden?' 15-16 November 2021.

Conference paper, Poland

New Testament Studies. PhD student Mateusz Krzesinski read a paper entitled 'The Identity of ἔθνη in Rom 2.14-16' at the conference '"Own" or "Outsider" (Jews - Christians - Muslims)' organised by the Institute for Cultural Text Research at the Polish Senior College of Theology and Humanities (Wyższa Szkoła Teologiczno-Humanistyczna). 25 Oct 2021. Further information.

Scriptural Encounters

Reading challenging sacred texts. Scriptural Encounters bring together different faiths to debate and discuss controversial topics. This is a new series on Gender Diversity. This session will be led by Prof. Susannah Cornwall of Exeter University as the presenter of Christian texts. 1200-13:30 on zoom. Thu 18 Nov 2021. Further information.

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

New Testament Studies. Dr Dominika Kurek-Chomycz (Liverpool Hope University) 'Teaching, Just Not ex cathedra: Women from the Letters of Paul in Patristic Literature’. 14:00 - 16:00 16 December 2021. The Centre for Biblical Studies weekly seminar series. All sessions will take place in a hybrid format - attendance is possible in person or online via Zoom. To register to attend online, please email siobhan.jolley@manchester.ac.uk.

New publication

Christian studies. Angelia Wilson (Dept of Politics) & Djupe, P., 'Communicating in Good Faith? Dynamics of the Christian Right Agenda' IN Politics and Religion, 13(2) 2020, 385-414. Further information.

Church Times, interview

Jewish Studies. "When I started the ordination course three years ago, I knew there’d be problems... Sure enough, a week or so before my graduation, I was banned by the Chief Rabbi from teaching..." 'Interview: Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz, rabbi,' Church Times, 12 Nov 2021. Further information.

Religions & Theology Research Seminar

Christian Studies. Dr Katie Cross (University of Aberdeen) "Nones or Dones? A Theological Consideration of Church Leavers". 16:00 - 17:30 09 December 2021. The Religions & Theology research seminar takes place on alternate Thursdays. This is an online-only session. Please register to receive the Zoom link by emailing andrew.boakye@manchester.ac.uk. Seminars last 90 minutes including a 30 minute Q&A session.

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

Race and Bible. Dr Samuel J Rogers (Montreat College) ‘Nostalgic Nationalism, Political Ideologies, and the Bible: Quoting the Bible in American Black Lives Matters Discourse’. 14:00 - 16:00 09 December 2021. The Centre for Biblical Studies weekly seminar series. All sessions will take place in a hybrid format - attendance is possible in person or online via Zoom. To register to attend online, please email siobhan.jolley@manchester.ac.uk.

Funding, Social Responsibility

Creative Manchester. Holly Morse has been awarded £3000 from the SALC Social Responsibility Funding scheme, as a contribution towards the ongoing development of a collaborative initiative between Religions & Theology and BBC Radio 4's Beyond Belief programme, working with teachers, students and curriculum developers.

Research impact

Dead Sea Scrolls. Here we highlight a research project in our Dept that has had impact in wider society. This one focuses on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Since the first discoveries in 1947 we have been in the forefront of research on and analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls... Further information.

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

Biblical Studies. David Bell (University of Manchester) ‘Mortality Patterns and Bereavement Language in 1 Thessalonians: The Impact of Children in the Community of the Text’. 14:00 - 16:00 02 December 2021. The Centre for Biblical Studies weekly seminar series. All sessions will take place in a hybrid format - attendance is possible in person or online via Zoom. To register to attend online, please email siobhan.jolley@manchester.ac.uk.

Careers Service update

For Religions and Theology students. The Careers Service is here to support you now, throughout your time at Manchester and for two years after you graduate. I’m the link Careers Consultant for Religions and Theology and have recorded a short careers presentation for level 1 students and levels 2 and 3 students on Blackboard. In this I explain how studying Religions and Theology can lead to many different careers and how the skills you’re developing are really valued by employers. I also give a quick tour of our website so you can do your own careers research and benefit from the terrific material that will help you no matter what stage you’re at. For instance, if you’re feeling clueless about what to do next, check out a section called ‘I don’t know what I want to do’. A key resource is our online portal CareerConnect. It’s your one-stop shop for booking appointments, accessing resources, searching for opportunities (vacancies) and registering for Careers Events. Log-in using your student details and register your Careers Readiness stage so you can receive personalised daily or weekly job and event alerts. You can also learn with Pathways – a resource that will help you Get Ready to apply for internships, placements and graduate jobs. Look out for a weekly email we send via the School’s student support team, which includes information on careers service initiatives, resources and events that are listed on CareerConnect. If you’d like to contact me directly, my email is louise.sethi@manchester.ac.uk – I’d love to hear from you!

Reading group, Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt's Lectures on Kant's Political Philosophy. All meetings will take place on Wednesdays, at 5pm via zoom. Please contact Professor Alex Samely (alex.samely@manchester.ac.uk) for a zoom invite. Next meeting: 1 Dec 2021. Further information.