New publication

Christian history. Peter Nockles, Book review: 'Daniel Reed (ed), Methodism & Monasticism: Papers from the Methodist Studies Seminar on 5 December 2020 (Oxford, Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History, 2021), pp. 113. Hardback £9.99' in Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society, volume 63 Part 4 (Spring 2022), 177-179.

Review of Religion in Britain

Christian history. Frances Knight has written a book review of William Gibson and Geordan Hammond (eds), Religion in Britain 1660-1900: Essays in Honour of Peter B. Nockles. Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, special edition, 97, no. 1 (Spring 2021), pp. 214. £32.50', in Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society, volume 63 Part 4 (Spring 2022), 179-181.

Presentation, Edinburgh Jewish Literary Festival

Judaism and Gender. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz is giving a presentation on her recently published book at the Edinburgh Jewish Literary Festival. 20 March 2022. Further information.

Research paper, Brandeis University, USA

Judaism and Gender. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz gave a presentation on "Galleries, Guilds, and Graves: British Orthodox Jewish Women" for the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Seminar Series. Drawing on interviews as well as on her own experience, Rabba Dr. Taylor-Guthartz shares her findings of how new norms of lived religion have emerged among British Orthodox women, influenced by the rise of feminism, the backlash against it, and by an evolving understanding of women’s religious roles. 12:30-1:30 pm EST, 28 Feb 2022. Further information.

Religion in the Media

Religion and belief stories. The Religion Media Centre's experienced journalists and affiliated academics provide insight and analysis on current religion and belief stories in the news. 'Christian Zionism' is the topic of this month's featured factsheet.  Further information.

Symposium, Orion Center, Hebrew University

Dead Sea Scrolls. George Brooke is the round-up respondent to the papers at this symposium to mark 75 years since the first scrolls were discovered, “(Con)textual Perspectives on the Dead Sea Scrolls.” 28 Feb - 3 March 2022. Further information.

Conference paper, EABS

Biblical Studies. PhD student Sherry Ashworth is amongst those contributing to the European Association of Biblical Studies' Graduate Symposium in Prague, with a paper entitled 'It's complicated: The relationship between Esther and Mordecai in the Book of Esther, mediated by Charles Dickens' novel, Bleak House'. 30 March 2022.

Religions & Theology Research Seminar

Churching. Dr Dawn Llewellyn (University of Chester) “Churching: Reviving a Ritual for Mothers in the Church of England”. [Zoom Only] 16:00 - 17:30 31 March 2022. The Religions & Theology research seminar takes place on alternate Thursdays. This is a hybrid session and can be attended in person or online. 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, Centre for Biblical Studies

Translation of Mark. Richard Burridge, University of Manchester, ‘The Rough Mark: Attempting a Literal Verbatim Translation’ 14:00 - 15:30 31 March 2022. The Centre for Biblical Studies weekly seminar series. 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.

Public Lecture, University of Chester

New Testament Studies. Hon. Research fellow Stephen Barton will give a lecture on ‘The Gospel of Matthew for Today’ at the Chester Theological Society. 10 March 2022. Further information.

Parliamentors scheme for students

Working with an MP on religion. ParliaMentors is a UN award winning interfaith leadership programme, run by the Faith and Belief Forum, which has been running at the university of Manchester for about 10 years. Each year 5 students of different faiths and beliefs are given training on interfaith and social action, they then run a project in the community to address local issues. They are also mentored by a local MP to help them continue their leadership journeys. Applications will close 4 April 2022. Further information.

Call for student participants for Museum project

Holocaust galleries. The Manchester Jewish Museum is working with the Imperial War Museums on a partnership project to celebrate the opening of their new Second World War and Holocaust Galleries. They are looking at how to creatively commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day and are currently recruiting for the second phase of this project, where student participants will be able to shape their own creative response, working with professional artists and gaining skills that will be useful for future careers. See the short project brief. Contact dara@manchesterjewishmuseum.com for further information.

Ehrhardt Seminar, Centre for Biblical Studies

Shape of history. Daniel J. Atkins, Nazarene Theological College, ‘Paul and the Shape of History: Narrative, Invasion, or Correspondence?’ (Zoom only). 14:00 - 15:30 24 March 2022. The Centre for Biblical Studies weekly seminar series. 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.

Distinguished Scholar Lectures, Holy Trinity, Florida, USA

New Testament Studies. Andy Boakye is giving the Distinguished Scholar Lectures at Holy Trinity as part of the Alfred A. Ring Theological Lecture Series. 24-25 March 2022. Further information.

R&T social media

New instagram account. Your student reps have created an R&T Instagram page on which they will post information on: Departmental socials; Weekly updates on what’s happened in the department; Events (academic and non-academic) that may be of interest to students; Popular queries that students may be struggling with. The idea is to use the page to interact with students and to develop a stronger student community within the department. So: please do give us a follow and help spread the word: @Uom_relt_official

Public lecture, Holland Park Synagogue

Biblical archaeology. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz gave a lecture at Holland Park Sephardi Synagogue on Fakes & Forgeries in Biblical Archaeology. 23 Feb 2022.

Social responsibility, OxNet

Widening participation. Kamran Karimullah presents on 'Religion and Science (with a focus on Islam)' seminar 3, 1st March (6-7pm) as part of the OxNet evening seminar series. For 2022, this Oxford-Manchester series for A-level students of religious studies and theology was co-ordinated by Michael Hoelzl and entitled ‘Beyond Belief'. Contact sonja.bernhard@manchester.ac.uk for details of this zoom series held at the University of Manchester.

Careers - Operations manager, CCJ

Jewish-Christian Relations. A key role within the national working of the Council of Christians and Jews, the Operations Manager will enable the CCJ team to stay organised, act as first point of contact for members and the general public, and assist the CCJ Director as they shape the future of the charity together with the Trustees. On a day-to-day basis their work will involve engaging with CCJ members; office management and administrative responsibilities; and management of CCJ’s databases, payments, and memberships. This person will enjoy working with diverse groups of people, problem solving, organising, working as part of a goal-oriented team in the charity sector, and will have an appreciation for the diverse contributions of Jewish and Christian communities to the UK. The pay rate for this role is £26-£30K p.a., based on experience. This role is full-time, but could be scaled back to 4 days/week if appropriate. Due to the on-site requirements of this role, the role needs to be based at our Westminster office and is not compatible with home-working. CCJ is an equal opportunity employer. Please send a CV and a covering letter of no more than one side of A4 to CCJ Operations Manager Rob Wadsworth on cjrelations@ccj.org.uk by noon on Monday 14 March 2022. Interviews will be scheduled in the following week. For any enquiries about the role please contact CCJ Operations Manager Rob Wadsworth on cjrelations@ccj.org.uk

Religions & Theology Research Seminar

Holocaust theology. Prof. David Tollerton (University of Exeter) “The Religious Challenges of Linking Holocaust Memory with Colonial Violence”. 16:00 - 17:30 17 March 2022. The Religions & Theology research seminar takes place on alternate Thursdays. This is a hybrid session and can be attended in person or online. 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, Centre for Biblical Studies

Destiny of Nations. J. Thomas Hewitt, University of Aberdeen ‘The Destiny of the Nations in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature and the Pauline Epistles’ 14:00 - 15:30 17 March 2022. The Centre for Biblical Studies weekly seminar series. 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

Japanese religion. Erica Baffelli (Japanese Studies), “Living Aum: Austerities, Emotion, and the Feeling Community of Former Aum Shinrikyō Members” in Nova Religio (2022) 25(3): 7-31. Further information.

PhD completion

Philosophy and theology. Congratulations to Darius Samadian on the successful defence of his doctoral thesis entitled "The Apophatic Philosophy of Karl Jaspers". His supervisors were David Law and Michael Hoelzl, and the external examiner was George Pattison (Glasgow). See other recent completions in the Dept.

Conference Paper, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Religion and science. David Law gave a paper at an online conference on 'Progress in Theology' organized by the Abraham Kuyper Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The paper was entitled 'The Philosophy of Science and the Wissenschaftlichkeit of Christian Theology.' 28 Jan 2022. Further information.

Events programme, Nazarene Theological College

Christian theology. The Nazarene Theological College is one of our partner institutions and is located in nearby Didsbury. Associated with the Church of the Nazarene, which emerged in the nineteenth-century, NTC belongs to the World Methodist Council. Their research seminar programme of activities this semester includes papers on The Voice of Moses and the Rhetoric of Covenant in Deuteronomy 5:1-5; Black British Womanist understandings of discipleship; Biblical Theology as a Lens on Practical Theology; Destruction, Curses, and Punishment: Exodus 32 Compared to Ancient Egyptian Execration and Magic Rituals. Further information.

Conference Paper, Erlangen-Nürnberg

Jewish Studies. Philip Alexander and Daniel Langton have co-authored a paper on origins/creation in Judaism, focusing on Gen 1-3, for an online conference on 'The Concept of Protology in Judaism, Christianity and Islam'. Bavarian Research Center for Interreligious Discourses, Friedrich Alexander University, Erlangen-Nürnberg. This project involves a workshop paper and a book chapter in Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses (de Gruyter). 16-17 Feb 2022. Further information.

Podcast, The New Arab

Islamic Studies. Alan Williams speaks about Rumi, the medieval mystical poet of love, on The New Arab just in time for Valentine's Day. Programme title: 'The Second Battle', beginning at 30 mins 46 secs. 14 Feb 2022.  Listen again.

Careers Service news

Opportunities and events. Our First Insights Conference (16 March, 1-5pm) gives first year students the chance to hear from employers in sectors that interest them whilst our Asia Career Insight Series (7-10 March) allows all students to learn about career opportunities and recruitment market information across Asia, the UK and globally. Applications for our paid, summer Student Experience Internships (for penultimate year undergraduate students) are now open, and if you are graduating in 2022, check out Manchester Graduate Talent, our programme that sources graduate-level jobs with a range of Greater Manchester organisations, including the University.

International Woman's Day

Film showing. To mark International Women’s Day (8 March), R&T will be hosting a screening of the film Wall - Winner of Best Israeli Film Award at the 2017 Docaviv festival - in University Place 2.220 at 5pm. “You lack inner peace, I can see it in your eyes…” With this abrupt remark thrown at her by a woman visiting Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, filmmaker Moran Ifergan is reminded of the religion she left in her late teens, when she used to frequent this holy site. While her marriage falls apart, Moran takes us on an around-the-clock journey to the women’s side of the Wall; mixing between private and public, sound and image, God and His absence… We’ll be providing drinks, snacks, and the opportunity to chat about the film following the screening. We look forward to seeing you there! To register, see further information.

Darwin Day

Religion and science. To celebrate Darwin Day (12 Feb) we highlight Daniel Langton's work on Judaism and evolution, including: Reform Judaism and Darwin: How Engaging with Evolutionary Theory shaped American Jewish Religion (de Gruyter, 2019) and articles on "Elijah Benamozegh and Evolutionary Theory: A Nineteenth Century Italian Kabbalist's Panentheistic Response to Darwin" in European Journal of Jewish Studies (2016);  "Isaac Mayer Wise, Cosmic Evolution, and the Problem of Evil" in Chance or Providence: Religious Perspectives on Divine Action (2014); "Jewish Evolutionary Perspectives on Judaism, Anti-Semitism, and Race Science in Late 19th Century England: A Comparative Study of Lucien Wolf and Joseph Jacobs" in Jewish Historical Studies (2014); "Jewish Religious Thought, The Holocaust, and Darwinism: A Comparison of Hans Jonas and Mordecai Kaplan" in Aleph: Historical Studies in Science and Judaism (2013);  "Abraham Isaac Kook's Account of 'Creative Evolution': A Response to Modernity for the Sake of Zion" in Melilah: Journal of Jewish Studies (2013); and the Online reader: Darwin’s Jews (2016).

Social responsibility, OxNet

Widening participation. Holly Morse presents on 'Same-Sex Marriage (with a focus on Christianity)' Seminar 2, 15th February (6-7pm) as part of the OxNet evening seminar series. For 2022, this Oxford-Manchester series for A-level students of religious studies and theology was co-ordinated by Michael Hoelzl and entitled ‘Beyond Belief'. Contact sonja.bernhard@manchester.ac.uk for details of this zoom series held at the University of Manchester.

Scriptural encounters

Reading challenging sacred texts. Scriptural Encounters bring together different faiths to debate and discuss controversial topics. In this series on Gender Diversity Dr Shanon Shah of Kings College London will present from an Islamic perspective. 1600-17:30 on zoom. Thu 3 March 2022. Further information.

Social responsibility, OxNet

Widening participation. Michael Hoelzl presents on 'Religion and Popularism' Seminar 1, 8th February (6-7pm) as part of the OxNet evening seminar series. For 2022, this Oxford-Manchester series for A-level students of religious studies and theology was co-ordinated by Michael Hoelzl and entitled ‘Beyond Belief'. Contact sonja.bernhard@manchester.ac.uk for details of this zoom series held at the University of Manchester.

Ehrhardt Seminar, Centre for Biblical Studies

Reputations. John Applegate, ‘Hopeless leaders? Hopeful texts? Demolishing and building reputations in deutero-Jeremianic and cultural perspectives.’ (Zoom only) 14:00 - 15:30 03 March 2022. The Centre for Biblical Studies weekly seminar series. 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.

Workshop, Antisemitism and Islamophobia

Teacher training. PhD student Rob Kanter led a workshop at MMU to a range of PGCE Secondary students on antisemitism and islamophobia and how to address these issues in KS3/4 PSHE lessons. The session covered contemporary incidents of hate crime against Jews and Muslims in Britain together with inspiring examples of Jewish-Muslim partnership to overcome these negative events. There was a brief historical overview of how different forms antisemitism and islamophobia have developed and mutated over time, and this focused on practical classroom approaches to humanising the victims of hate crime in contemporary Britain, using a cross-curricular approach to tackle stereotypes and encourage modes of conflict prevention and resolution. 2 Feb 2022.

Colloquium, Lincoln Theological Institute

Christian theology. The LTI hosted the colloquium “Resistance, Survival, Remaking: ‘The Everyday’ in Practical, Liberative, and Constructive Theologies”. As part of Wren Radford’s postdoctoral research project, this saw 10 scholars gather to discuss various theological approaches to engaging with everyday embodied experiences as a frame for developing theologies of activism, liberation, and resistance. 28-29 January 2022.

Research paper, Oxford

Religion and poverty. LTI postdoc Wren Radford Paper at Regent’s Park College, Oxford and the Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture on ‘Embodying Resistance: Creativity and Care in Theologies of Anti-Poverty Practice’ for their seminar series on Alternate and Differing Models of Liberation in Religion and Cultures. 17 January 2022.