Edinburgh Passion Play Panel

Biblical studies. Sarah Parkhouse is speaking on a panel about the Edinburgh 2025 Passion Play, "Behold the Man"; University of Edinburgh, 9 May, 2pm. Further information.

Historical Association Conference Presentation

Jewish studies. On 9 May, PhD student Rob Kanter will present an interactive session at the annual Historical Association conference in Liverpool. The session: 'Exploring multiple Arab and Jewish voices to understand the background to the Arab-Israeli conflict, c1917-38'. This session will explore the background to and the main developments and events during the Mandate period. Rob has develop a conference style activity to explore with educators which investigates multiple Arab and Jewish perspectives on the Peel Partition Plan and aims to draw lessons for interacting with contemporary debates surrounding the current phase of the conflict. Further information.

International Conference Paper

Asian Religions. Erica Baffelli will be presenting at the XXIII IAHR Congress in Kraków in August 2025 as speaker on a roundtable on “Recentring Fear in the Study of Religion: Theorising from Asia” and as discussant for the panel “The Religious Aesthetics of Intense Devotion in the Ancient World”. Further information.

East Asian Religion Seminar Paper

Buddhist Studies. The East Asia Research Seminar invites you to "Extraordinary Lives: Illustrated Hagiographies in Ming Book Culture" by Dr Noga Ganany (University of Cambridge), May 14th, 16.00-18.00pm, Sam Alex A112. For more information on the research seminar, please feel free to send your queries to Zhaokun Xin.

National Gallery Video

Bible and Arts. The National Gallery’s Picture of the Month for April is Savoldo’s Mary Magdalene, and they’ve released a short film where Siobhán Jolley explains how we can identify her in the work. Watch it here.

Buddhist Studies Keynote

Buddhist studies. Erica Baffelli will deliver a keynote for the annual conference of the UK Association for Buddhist Studies (UKABS) on June 28, 2025 (SOAS, University of London). Her keynote address will be titled: “Buddhism at the Margins: Crisis, Community, and Vulnerabilities”.

BBC Breakfast

Christian studies. Siobhán Jolley appeared on BBC Breakfast on 27 April to talk about Pope Francis' legacy and funeral.

Yom Hashoah Commemoration, Manchester

Jewish studies. PhD student Rob Kanter used aspects of his PhD research on Jewish-Muslim relations in Britain to write and present some of the programme at Manchester's Yom Hashoah commemoration which was attended by 900 people in Central Manchester on Wednesday 23 April. The theme of this year's event was 'Untold Stories'. Rob explored the under told experiences of Jewish communities in Iraq and Tunisia during the period of the Holocaust to broaden the audience's understanding on the 'long reach' of the Holocaust into the Middle East and North Africa. Further information.

New Publication

Biblical studies. Todd Klutz has published "Justinus’s Book of Baruch" in Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, vol. 2, edited by James R. Davila and Richard Bauckham (Eerdmans). The work includes an article-length introduction, a new translation, bibliography, and scholarly annotations. Further information.

From the archive... TV documentary on Crucifixion

Easter treat. Andy Boakye has contributed to a TV documentary on the topic of 'The Crucifixion Mystery'. The episode was aired as part of the series Secrets on the Smithsonian Channel (US) at 8pm on 23 Dec 2019, and of the series on Channel 5 Select (UK) at 8pm on 11 April 2020. 

New Booklet Publication

Buddhist studies. The Jodoshu Research Institute has published a booklet on LGBTQ+ and Inclusion to be distributed in temples and Buddhist high schools. Erica Baffelli was part of their research group on sexuality and inclusion that developed the publication and she has contributed to the booklet with a short column. The booklet is available online here. 

International Symposium Paper

Biblical studies. On 2–3 April George Brooke took part in a symposium at KU Leuven in honour of Professor Eibert Tigchelaar on his retirement. Prof Brooke presented a paper on “Probing the Principles of Principal Editions.”

International Research Paper and Lectures

Biblical and Jewish studies. On the week of 7th April, Siobhán Jolley visited Radboud University in the Netherlands to give a research paper, "Apostle to the Church: Reimaging the Resurrection Magdalene", and visiting lectures on the New Testament and Visual Exegesis and Judaism and Visual Art.

Religion & Theology Research Seminar

 

Religion & Theology. 8th May, Ben Quash (King's College London), "What's Going On When Theology is Done with Visual Art?: First Steps Towards a Hermeneutic". 4-6pm, in University Place 5.205 and online. For online access, please email Siobhán Jolley or Scott Midson.

Conference Paper

Religion and disaster. On March 12 2025, Erica Baffelli participated on a panel on Religion and Spirituality in Times of Crisis as part of the two-day event The Art of Recovery: Legacies of the Fukushima Triple Disaster at the University of Bristol. Erica's paper title was “Whose Crisis? Response Networks, Calamities, and Enduring Precarities”. Further information.

British New Testament Society at Manchester

Biblical studies. The University of Manchester will host the British New Testament Society annual meeting 2025, Monday 1 September - Wednesday 3 September 2025. Andy Boakye chairs the "Paul" section and Siobhán Jolley is co-chairing a new session on "Reception, Critical Theory, and Interdisciplinary Studies". Please check the website for the call for papers of all groups, which closes on Monday 21 April 2025. Registration for the conference will open soon.

New Book Publication

Biblical studies. Siobhán Jolley has published Reimaging the Magdalene: Feminism, Art, and the Counter-Reformation with Bloomsbury. The book offers a new, intersectional feminist approach to utilising and interpreting the visual reception of Mary Magdalene. Through employment of Liberative Reception Criticism, which develops traditional reception theory in line with liberative hermeneutics, via the insights of intersectionality as critical theory, Siobhán Jolley provides a novel means of analysing how women, and particularly the Magdalene, are imaged in Christian tradition. It stems from a Manchester PhD supervised by Holly Morse and Peter Oakes. Further information.

Workshop presentation, Oxford

Religion and science. Daniel Langton presented on "Darwin in the Jewish Imagination" at a workshop of the Abrahamic Theistic Origins Project (ATOP) at Oxford, funded by the Templeton Religion Trust, which explores the question of how the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and the evolutionary sciences meet. 4 April 2025. Further information.

Sherman Community Lecture 2025

Jewish studies. The annual Sherman Lecture returns on the 20th May 2025 in the stunning Reading Room at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library. Professor Philip Alexander FBA is Emeritus Professor of Postbiblical Jewish Literature at the University of Manchester, and a founder and former director of its Centre for Jewish Studies. Many of his scholarly interests overlap with those of Gaster, and since 1992 he has worked intensively on the Gaster Collection of manuscripts at the John Rylands Library – the largest single collection of its kind in the world. He will critically survey Gaster’s vast range of interests and activities, and assess his scholarly legacy and his place in Jewish history. 5–6.30pm. Tickets and further information here.

New position - Lecturer in Biblical and Early Christian Studies

Biblical Studies. Applications are invited for the post of Lecturer in Biblical and Early Christian Studies (teaching and research), which is tenable from 1 September 2025. The post is fixed term (12 months). Deadline for application: 28 April 2025. See further information.

SALC Research Showcase: Healthier Futures

Social Responsibility. Wren Radford will be speaking on 'Caring Hurts: Everyday Embodiments, Inequality, and Activism' at the SALC Research Showcase 'Discovering Pasts, Creating Futures', in the session on Healthier Futures on 22 May 2025, Kanaris Theatre, Manchester Museum. Further information and tickets.

Active Bystanding Blog Post

Social responsibility. Biblical studies PhD student Rachel Miller has written a post for the university's Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion blog on the theme of active bystanding. The post can be found here.

Ehrhardt Seminar

 

Biblical studies.  George Brooke, "How Hellenistic is the Pentateuch? Reading Backwards from the Dead Sea Scrolls", 1st May, 4pm, University Place 5.205 and online. This will be a special celebration to celebrate Prof George Brooke winning the British Academy Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies. For further information and Zoom link, please email Lynne Potts.

Studying Judaism through Artefacts

Experiential Learning. A selection of religious material objects in the archives of the John Rylands Research Institute and Library was presented to students on RELT71152 Jews among Christians and Muslims and RELT20572 Interpreting Religion. The study visit was led by Centre for Jewish Studies Fellows Prof Philip Alexander and Dr Katja Stuerzenhofecker in collaboration with curators at the John Rylands, Dr Zsófia Buda and Dr Tereza Ward. The objects highlighted global migrations and inter-religious encounters, aesthetic forms and ritual functions, what counts as religious, and the ethics of curatorial practices.

New Publication

Biblical studies. Sarah Parkhouse has published "Mary and/or Mary: The Changing Traditions of the Marys at the Cross and the Tomb in Early Christian and Late Antique Gospel Retellings" in Narratives of Jesus's Passion and Resurrection between the Second and the Seventh Centuries, edited by Tobias Nicklas and Konrad Schwarz (Mohr Siebeck, 2025) pp.169–93. Further information.

Editorial Board Appointment

Biblical studies. Peter Oakes will be joining the editorial board for the Journal of Theological Studies. Further information.

Trafford Faith Action Network Gathering

Social responsibility. On 25 February, in her capacity as Community Cohesion Lead for Trafford, Eve Parker led a gathering of the Trafford Faith Action Network that gave focus to the best start for children and young people. The event included representatives from various faith communities across Greater Manchester, as well teachers, community police officers, and youth groups, it gave focus to addressing hate crime, mental health, education and family support, and critically centred the voices of children and young people in helping to shape the agenda.

ArtWay Interview

Religion and arts. An interview with Siobhán Jolley, Ben Quash (KCL) and Roberta Ahmanson discussing the importance of art and religion has been published on ArtWay. Read it here.

New Book Publication

Religion and the arts. Samuel O'Connor Perks has published Off-Modern Catholic Aesthetics: Rethinking the Role of Religion in Twentieth-Century Art and Architecture in the series 'Studies in Religion and the Arts' with Brill. Further information.

Postgraduate Research Officer Appointment

Students Union elections. Religions & Theology PhD candidate Rachel Miller has been elected as Postgraduate Research Officer in the 2025/2026 Lead MCR elections. Every year, University of Manchester students vote for the 8 Executive Officers they want to represent them. This team shapes what university experience looks like and campaigns on the issues most important to students. As Postgraduate Research Officer, Rachel will represent the voice of PGRs and hope to build a thriving PGR community. More information can be found here.

New Book Publication

Islamic studies. Tom Woerner-Powell has published his new book Pacifism and Nonviolence in Contemporary Islamic Philosophy with Cambridge University Press. Further information.

Abrahamic Theistic Origins Project, Contributor

Religion and science. Daniel Langton discussed Rabbi Jonathan Sacks' view of Darwinism as an invited member of the Abrahamic Theistic Origins Project (ATOP) at Oxford, funded by the Templeton Religion Trust, which explores the question of how the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and the evolutionary sciences meet. 19 March 2025. Further information.

Keynote at Church of England Conference

Theology. On 13 March, Eve Parker was the keynote speaker at the Church of England’s conference for theological education institutes on ‘Classism’. Eve’s paper entitled ‘The Working-Class and the Future of Theological Education’ called on the church to give focus to class consciousness in and through theological education. The talk built on the research published in her book Trust in Theological Education: Deconstructing Trustworthiness for a Pedagogy of Liberation (SCM, 2022), and the conference was part of the CofEs strategy for encouraging the ministry of people from working-class backgrounds.

Religion & the Arts Conversation Video

Religion and arts. Siobhán Jolley's "Unexpected View" video with Jessie Jones is now online. Unexpected views are conversations between curators and some of the most important cultural practitioners of today. Discussions focus on a selected masterpiece from the National Gallery Collection, exploring its relevance to the artist’s work, or more broadly to current social and cultural issues. By allowing for new discussions of old works, the series aims for critical, counter-intuitive and joyful approaches to our collection, which reflect the breadth of contemporary artistic practice. In this film the artist and educator Jesse Jones talks to Siobhán about why she is drawn to Savoldo's 'Mary Magdalene' and why, given her love of film and cinema, it strikes her as a modern image. Watch it here.

New Publication

Biblical studies. CBS HRF Stephen C. Barton has published ‘Christ and Creation in the Synoptic Gospels’, in Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 47/3 (2025), 355-375. Further information.

Public Talk

Biblical studies. PhD candidate Lev Eakins gave a talk on his thesis topic "The Gospel of Mark: Earlier Than We Thought" at Providence Church New Mills on 12th March. Further information.

Book Launch

Event. To celebrate the publication of two fabulous new books by department members, Sin and the Vulnerability of Embodied Life: Towards a Catholic Theology of Social Sin by Charlotte Bray and Reimaging the Magdalene: Feminism, Art, and the Counter-Reformation by Siobhán Jolley, join us in Kro Bar on 27th March from 6pm. Any questions? Feel free to email Siobhán or Charlotte in advance.

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

 

Biblical studies. James Crossley (CenSAMM/University of Cambridge) on "Meeting Old Quests Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus among British Dissenters, Radicals, and the Working Class, 1790-1850". 27th March, 4pm, University Place 5.205 and online. For further information and Zoom link, please email Lynne Potts.

New Publications

Biblical studies. George Brooke and Holly Morse both have chapters in Understanding the Hebrew Bible: Essays by Members of the Society for Old Testament Study, edited by John Barton and published with Oxford University Press. George has written "Biblical Canons" and Holly has co-authored "Reception of the Hebrew Bible in Music, Visual Art, Literature, Theatre, and Film". Further information.

Spotlight on Adam North, alumnus & PhD Success

Academic success. A massive congratulations to Adam North who has recently completed a PhD. His thesis title was “The Human Body as Object and Performance. Socio-Political Critique of Structural Racism Through Bodily Performance”, which was supervised by Michael Hoelzl and Alexander Samely and examined by Andrew Boakye and Judith Gruber. Adam also studied for a BA in Theology, Philosophy and Ethics (2020) and a MA in Religions and Theology (2021) with us at Manchester. Reflecting on his academic journey so far, Adam tells us: "Manchester has been an incredible place to study. Staff in R&T and throughout SALC have been amazing mentors in my academic career and I have learnt a lot from them. I have thoroughly enjoyed my studies, and I attribute this partly to being given the freedom to pursue my research interests. From early on in my UG degree I was encouraged to investigate my interests, and this was pivotal for developing my desire to inquire into the questions that really interested me. I’ve become obsessed with the importance of the body as a means of communicating and performing the truth and this has been the driving force behind my research. I have also had a great experience teaching students across SALC and R&T who show so much promise and have been a pleasure to teach. My hope is that I can inspire some students to find their research interests, just as I was inspired by the staff who have taught me at UoM. If any students want advice on pursuing an academic career or their work then please get in touch - I will always be available, even if I am not based in Manchester. What's next for me? I intend to continue my academic path, and I am currently applying for postdoctoral fellowships. I want to develop a project focusing on how populist politicians utilise humour to appeal to voters which is a continuation of my interest in truth-telling and performativity."

National Student Survey (NSS)

Help your department! The National Student Survey is completed by final-year undergraduates at universities across the UK. It's open now and will run until 30 April 2025. Share your views on university life and we’ll add £2 to charity, and you’ll also have a chance to enter a prize draw. Universities and students' unions use student feedback to see how we can keep delivering high quality teaching, and future students can see the results to help them make degree choices. Please take the survey!

Royal Society of Edinburgh Collaboration Award

Biblical studies. Sarah Parkhouse is part of a team of scholars from Australia, Denmark, England, Scotland, and Wales that have been awarded a Royal Society of Edinburgh Collaboration Grant for the project "Crafting Lives of Jesus: Ancient and Modern Retellings" with  Helen Bond (Edinburgh) as PI. Further information.

International Paper

Science and Religion. Scott Midson gave an online talk on 24 Feb as part of a seminar series, ‘Théologie et technique’, organised by Collège des Bernardins, Paris. Scott's talk was on love and lovotics (love + robotics). Further information.

From the Archive... Podcast, 50 Jewish Objects performance

Jewish Voices: Songs from the collections. Stefania Silvestri presented her work on the 50 Jewish Objects project at the John Rylands Library this was followed by a performance by the Menorah Synagogue Choir directed by Ruti Worrall on 7 Nov 2019. Further information.

Peake Lecture, NTC

Biblical studies. The Peake Lecture will be given at the Nazarene Theological College on Saturday 22 March by HRF Loveday Alexander and Emeritus Professor Philip Alexander. The title is "Sacrifice and Salvation: Reading Hebrews Today", and the event is scheduled to run from 9.30am-4.00pm. Drinks provided, but bring your own lunch. Register here.

Trustee Appointment

Christian studies. Siobhán Jolley has joined the board of Art+Christianity as a trustee. Further information.

St Paul's Study Day

Theology. Siobhán Jolley is leading a study day at St Paul's Cathedral on 15th March, "Bearing Witness: Mary Magdalene and the Art of Easter". Further information.

Associates of Kings College Lecture

Religion and Theology. MA graduate, Yehudis Fletcher, Founder of Nahamu, delivered the Associates of Kings College lecture "Shoulders to Lean On, or Sharp Elbows: Who Controls the Narrative of Lived Experience in High Control Communities?" on 24 Feb 2025.

New Publication

Biblical studies. Siobhán Jolley has published "Max and the Magdalene: On Violence, Grief, and Trauma Under Patriarchy" in Religion, Theology, and Stranger Things: Studies from the Upside Down on Evil, Ethics, Horror, and Hope, edited by Andrew J. Byers and Adam J. Powell. She has talked about the work on a podcast and there will be a hybrid book launch on 19th March.

NTC Research Seminar

Biblical studies. Siobhán Jolley is giving the NTC Research seminar on 19th March, ‘Reimaging the Magdalene: Feminism, Art, and the Counter-Reformation”, 4pm, contact Samuel Hildrebrandt to join in person or online.