Workshop in India

Religion and Theology Research. In December, Honorary Research Fellow John Zavos took part in a three day workshop on Academic Writing and Research capacity building at the Highlands Institute in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, in North East India. The event stemmed from a British Academy-funded project led by John and Hephzibah Israel (University of Edinburgh) and John Thomas (IIT Gauhati) with the idea to build research capacity in marginal areas of India by bringing together a group of international researchers to work with Early Career researchers in these areas on issues such as applying for research funding, publishing in peer reviewed journals, writing a book proposal, and so on. The event was attended by about 30 Early Career researchers, both from the North East of India and also from places as far off as Kerala in the South. One attendee commented afterwards, 'The workshop was truly invigorating because it genuinely felt like a safe space where we could discuss and talk casually but passionately about our topics. Thank you for creating this kind of environment’.

The Bible and Violence Project

Biblical Studies. Holly Morse and Kirsi Cobb, PI and Co-I of the AHRC Abusing God network, are involved in the Shiloh Project’s latest endeavour entitled, The Bible and Violence Project. The project aims to produce an inclusive two-volume reference work for those interested in Bible and violence. Holly has already written a blog post about her topic - Gender-Based Violence in Visual Art on the Bible - which you can find here. Kirsi will be writing on spiritual abuse and the post is due at the end of January so keep an eye out for it! For more information about the project generally, please click here.

Conference Paper

Jewish Studies. Hon. Research Fellow Ion Popa presented a paper at the American Historical Association Annual Conference titled "The Catholic Church in the Holocaust Era: First Findings from the Vatican Archives." Further information.

Postdoctoral fellowship opportunity

Christian theology. Religions and Theology at Manchester is pleased to advertise a postdoctoral fellowship here at the Lincoln Theological Institute, beginning Sept 2023. The closing date for applications is 27 Feb 2023. Informal enquiries are very welcome. Full details in the Further Particulars.

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

Biblical Studies. 2nd Feb, Crispin Fletcher-Louis (University of Gloucestershire) ‘The Divine Heartset and a New Reading of the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2’ at 2.00-3.30pm. The seminar will take place both in Mansfield Cooper 4.08 and on Zoom. To register to attend online, please email lev.eakins@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk. 

AHRC Colloquium, Abusing God

Biblical Studies. We are pleased to announce that the second public event for the Abusing God Network funded by the AHRC will be taking place at the University of Manchester on Saturday 22nd of April. The theme of the day is hypermasculinity. We have an amazing list of speakers booked, including our very own Dr Andrew Boakye and Anna Budhi-Thornton. The event can be attended either in-person (places are limited) or via Zoom. For more information, please go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/abusing-god-reading-the-bible-in-the-metoo-age-hypermasculinity-tickets-513040216097

Lecture, St Andrews

Religion and Politics. On 26 January, Eve Parker will be delivering the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics lecture at the University of St Andrews on “Redistributing Knowledge as an Act of Distributive Justice in Contemporary Christian Mission”.

Consultation Group

Biblical Studies and Theology. Andy Boakye has been part of a consultation group called The Spire Project which has been involved in providing critique, support, Biblical and theological contextualization and guidance to the Church Commissioners’ Fund of the Church of England as they begin to explore their culpability in the Enslavement and trade of African peoples. The Church Commissioners’ Fund was originally part of a conglomerate with the Queen Anne’s Bounty. The Bounty was originally set up to augment the salaries of poor clergy, but knowingly invested money in the South Sea Company, a shipping franchise whose sole purpose was to transport enslaved peoples to the West. The church profited from annuities which are the equivalent of £443 million in modern currency. Once all the additional dividends are collated, the total income received from all South Sea Company-related investments when it completely ceased trading in 1830 was £790,619 - this is the equivalent of £1.43 billion today. Click here for the press release or here for the full report.

Teacher CPD Event

Religion and Food. HRF John Zavos is co-delivering an event for secondary school teachers on "Food and Religion – Belonging and Identity". Saturday 4 February 2023, 9.30am to 2pm. Further information.

New Publication

New Testament Studies. CBS HRF Stephen Barton has just published ‘Matthew’s Gospel for today’, Theology, 26.1 (2023), 3-17. Further information.

Lecture, University of Groningen

Dead Sea Scrolls. Prof. George Brooke will deliver his final Smilde Lecture at the Qumran Institute, University of Groningen, on Thursday 9th February 2023 on 'The Scrolls and Comparative Studies: Issues concerning Uniqueness and Multiplicity'.

Research Seminar, Edinburgh

Early Christianity. Sarah Parkhouse will give a paper titled "Fatal Charades and the Christian Imagination" at the Biblical Studies research seminar at Edinburgh University on 2nd Feb.

Inaugural public lecture, Durham University

Jewish History. Daniel Langton will give the inaugural annual Sweeting Judeo-Christian History Lecture, organized by the university’s Centre for Catholic Studies. The topic will be 'Darwin's Jews: Evolutionary Theory, Jewish Thought, and Interfaith Relations.' Ushaw College, 6pm on Tue 21 Feb 2023.