New publication

Religion and Science. Daniel R. Langton, 'An Historical Overview of Jewish Theological Responses to Evolution', Theology and Science 21:4 (2023), 617-641. Further information.

Religions & Theology Research Seminar

 

Religion & Theology.  12th October, 4–5pm, Stephen Joseph 1.1 and Zoom. Raj Patta (LTI / Stockport Methodist Church), "Subaltern Public Theology". For Zoom access, please email: wren.radford@manchester.ac.uk or scott.midson@manchester.ac.uk.

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

 

Biblical Studies. John Applegate, Former Principal, Emmanuel Theological College '“Do not pray for this people …”: Disaster, Trauma and Prayer (Jer. 7:16; 11:14; 14:11; 15:1).' 5th October, 4–6pm, Stephen Joseph Studio, room 1.1 and Zoom. Please contact lev.eakins@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk if you are interested in joining.

Didsbury Lectures

Christian theology. The 2023 Didsbury Lectures "Jesus in Cartographic Perspective: Mapping Christian Practice, Thinking, and Feeling after Pentecost" are presented by Dr Amos Yong, Professor of Theology and Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary. 9th – 12th October 2023, 7:30pm – 8:45pm.The lectures will be held on NTC campus in Maclagan Chapel and livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook. Registration is free of charge but mandatorty: bit.ly/NTCDidsbury23. The official hashtag is #NTCDids23. More information about this lecture and previous Didsbury Lectures can be found here. For further inquiries, please contact info@nazarene.ac.uk.

New Publication

Theology. David Law has published a chapter (number 43) entitled 'Divine Suffering and the Communicatio Idiomatum' that has just appeared in the T&T Clark Handbook of Suffering and the Problem of Evil, edited by Matthias Grebe and Johannes Grössl. Further information.

Summer Programme, Edinburgh

Jewish studies. CJS HRF Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz taught at the first ever Azara Beit Midrash, held at New College in Edinburgh in July and designed to provide cross-denominational access to high-level Jewish text studies for anyone from the UK or Europe. 18 participants were there for a month, plus an additional 20 for the Open Week. Lindsey taught one course on the book of Ezekiel, and one on the Targums and presented a community lecture on the history of the Kaddish prayer. Further information.

Conference Paper

Jewish-Christian Relations. On 11 October, HRF Ion Popa will present a paper at the International Conference "New documents from the Pontificate of Pope Pius XII and their Meaning for Jewish-Christian Relations: A Dialogue Between Historians and Theologians," held at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. The title of my paper: "Shades and Shadows: Vatican Diplomacy and the Holocaust in Romania." More details here.

Online Publication

Religion and art. HRF Siobhán Jolley wrote an entry for the Religion, Collections and Heritage Guidebook about altarpieces at the National Gallery, which can be read here.

New LTI Appointment

Postdoctoral Research Associate of the Lincoln Theological Institute. Dr Charlotte Bray has joined the Religions and Theology department as a postdoctoral research associate with the Lincoln Theological Institute. Her research project aims to develop a theological basis for anti-racism, EDI, and 'decolonising development' work within the UK’s international development and humanitarian aid sector. Through dialogue with Catholic practitioners, this project seeks to better resource Catholic organisations to make connections between the practical realities of EDI and anti-racism work and their values and identities as faith-based organisations. It will critically engage with Catholic social teaching and various political and liberation theologies to constructively develop a theological response to the structural racism and inequitable power dynamics present within the sector. Charlotte has recently completed a PhD at Durham University with the Centre for Catholic Studies. Her thesis constructively developed the idea of social sin within Catholic theological and social thought. She drew on a diverse range of thinkers from various disciplines including Judith Butler, Thomas Aquinas, leading figures in Catholic social thought, and Latin American Liberation Theologians such as Jon Sobrino, Ignacio Ellacuría, and José Ignacio González Faus. Her thesis has recently been accepted for publication. Her upcoming book will be titled ‘Sin and the Vulnerability of Embodied Life: Towards a Catholic Theology of Social Sin’.

Conference Paper

Theology. R&T PhD student Sunkyo Park presented a paper at the Society for the Study of Theology (SST) PG Conference at the University of Edinburgh on 5 September 2023. The title of the paper was “The Division of the Korean Peninsula and Hopes of the South Korean Church: Focusing on the Relationship Between Hopes and Eschatologies.” The conference theme was “Hope.”

New Publication

Biblical Studies. Adrian Curtis has co-edited and contributed to: Rebecca S. Watson and Adrian H.W. Curtis (eds), Conversations on Canaanite and Biblical Themes: Creation, Chaos and Monotheism, de Gruyter: Berlin/Boston 2022. Adrian's contributions were: ‘”Churning the Mighty Waters”: Opening a Dialogue on Habakkuk 3’ (13-27); ‘Response to Rebecca Watson’ (85-91); ‘Some Observations on Rebecca Watson’s Response’ (95-98); ‘Some Joint Concluding Reflections on Habakkuk 3’ (107). Further information.

New Publication

Christian history. Peter Nockles, Book review: "Samuel Wesley and the Crisis of Tory Piety, 1685–1720, by William Gibson (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021)," The English Historical Review. Further information.

Workshop Presentation

Research on reading. Alex Samely will will contribute a paper to the workshop "The Researcher as Reader: The Inclusive Potential of a Phenomenological Approach to Reading for Scholars with Specific Learning Difficulties" in an EDI workshop at St Mary's College, University of St Andrews, on 22 September 2023. Further information.

Teaching

Manchester Jewish Museum. Students taking RELT10311 Introduction to the Study of Religions and Theology can look forward to a Shabbat-themed visit to the Manchester Jewish Museum. Holly Morse and Katja Stuerzenhofecker are organizing a guided tour and challah baking workshop with support from the Student Enhancement Fund.

Wingate Literary Prize Judge

Literary award. Centre for Jewish Studies Honorary Research Fellow Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz is serving as one of 4 judges for the Wingate Literary Prize for 2023. Further information.

Public Conference

Religion and art. On 5th September, HRF Siobhán Jolley organised a public conference to mark the culmination of the 2022-23 National Gallery Art and Religion network theme, The Art of Creation. Scholars, artists, theologians, faith leaders and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines were invited to participate in this one-day conference exploring the intersection of art, theology, and ecology. The programme included short papers that explored the relationship between art, theology, and ecology in relation to at least one of three works of art from the National Gallery’s permanent collection – Monet’s Flood Waters; Van Gogh’s Long Grass with Butterflies; Ruysch’s Flowers in a Vase. It also featured a reflection on our summer exhibition, Saint Francis of Assisi from co-curator Joost Joustra. The sold-out event was well attended (approximately 160 in the room and online) and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

New Publication

Jewish studies. Centre for Jewish Studies Hon. research fellow Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz has published and co-edited 'Transmission, Mimesis, and Gender: Jewish Women’s Kashrut Practices', in Nicola Slee, Dawn Llewellyn, Kim Wasey, and Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz (eds.), Female Faith Practices: Qualitative Research Perspectives (Routledge). Further information.

Seminar Paper

Biblical studies. Alex Samely will present a paper at the Biblical Studies seminar of the University of St Andrews' School of Divinity on 21 September 2023, on the topic of "Imagining (Self-) Critical Reader Contexts and Encountering Otherness in Reading". Further information.

International Panel Presentation

Jewish studies. On September 11, Centre for Jewish Studies Honorary Research Fellow Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz will be presenting reflections on the Jewish understanding of revelation for a panel on 'Interreligious Questions: Contrasting Perspectives on Revelation', at 'Resistant Revelation: Conference of the Working Group on Catholic Dogmatics and Fundamental Theology', at Frankfurt-am-Main.

Research funding, BA/Leverhulme

Early Christianity. Sarah Parkhouse has been awarded a BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grant to run an international and interdisciplinary event on "Lived Religion in Late Antique Egypt: Places, Objects, Bodies" with a resulting publication.

Conference Paper

Jewish Studies. Alex Samely delivered a paper at the 12th congress of the European Association for Jewish Studies in Frankfurt on 19 July 2023, on the topic "Experiencing the Mishnah as an Open or Controlling Text in Antiquity". Further information.

Conference Paper

Jewish-Christian Relations. On 7 July, Ion Popa presented a paper at the Conference of the Association for the Study of Nationalities, Cluj, Romania. The title of my paper: "A 'Latent Civil War': National and Transnational in the Interwar Holy See/Catholic Anti-Secularism, Anti-Communism, and Antisemitism." Further information.