Going Beyond Belief Highlights

Public resource. Has Judaism Updated the Word of God? Alex Samely explores the issue of how ancient religions transmit their content, practices, and ideas to a new generation on his Beyond Belief page. He discusses whether the commandments given in sacred scriptures are received as immutable and what effect such debates have on contemporary Jewish practices. This page, aimed at RS A-level students, is based on Alex’s research on the development of Jewish thought and is complementary to Radio 4’s Beyond Belief programme on ‘Why Religions Change’

Islamic Society and Christian Union Event

Student event. For the first time, Manchester Islamic Society and Manchester Christian Union are co-hosting a joint event to learn, discuss and understand each others' faiths in an open, friendly environment. Wednesday 4th February, 7-9pm in Academy 3, Student Union.

Sherman Conversation in Jewish Studies

Jewish studies event. Prof. Susannah Heschel (Dartmouth) and Dr. Roy Bar Sadeh (Manchester) in conversation "Muslim-Jewish Modernity: Towards an Entangled History?" Chaired by Dr. Tom Woerner-Powell (Manchester). Wednesday 18th February 2026, 5.30-7.00pm, on campus and online. Venue TBA via registration, which is required - tickets here.

Holocaust Memorial Day Event

Event. All students and staff welcome and encouraged to join the Holocaust Memorial Day Event led by the Jewish Society. Includes talks from Michael Newman, CEO of the Association of Jewish Refugees, and Stuart Ferster, son of Holocaust survivor Chaim Ferster. Tuesday 3rd February, 2pm-3pm, in Club Academy, Basement Floor, Steve Biko Students' Union Building, Oxford Road, M13 9PR. Admission free but tickets needed. Get tickets here.

Grant Success

Biblical studies. Colleagues in the Centre for Biblical Studies have been awarded a Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Arts and Languages (CIDRAL) Grant for the project "Encountering Biblical Bodies". Led by Holly Morse, Siobhán Jolley, and Peter Oakes, they are working with Dr Gillian Redfern and other colleagues across the School to host an exhibition in March the Creative Manchester Glass Corridor gallery in Samuel Alexander and also a symposium later in the semester. Further updates to follow.

New Publication

Biblical studies. Honorary research fellow Helen R. Jacobus has published "A Response to the Alleged Fallacy of Jaubert's Hypothesis: The Question of Biblical Calendars and the 364-day Year in the Qumran Flood Calendar," Harvard Theological Review 118.4 (2025): 617-639. It's open access so read it here. Helen presented this paper in the Ehrhardt seminar a few years ago.

PhD Success

Biblical studies. Congratulations to Rachel Miller who has successfully completed and defended her PhD titled "Of Metaphors and Men: An Intersectional Analysis of Women’s Agency, Men’s Violence, and Victim-Blaming in the Hebrew Bible". Rachel was supervised by Holly Morse and Todd Klutz.

New Publication

Dead Sea Scrolls. Emeritus Professor George Brooke has published a short essay: “The Dead Sea Scrolls as Archaeological Artifacts,” in A Voice from the Desert: The Great Isaiah Scroll, ed. Marcello Fidanzio (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2026) pp. 14-19.

Career Spotlight: Public Relations Officer

For students. Enjoy writing, relationship-building, and shaping how organisations are seen? Public relations officers help manage reputation, create engaging content, and communicate key messages to the public and the media. Your RELT degree develops excellent communication skills, cultural awareness, and the ability to analyse complex issues, all highly valued in PR and communications roles. Check out the Prospects page for more detailed information on this role and book a careers meeting to discuss your career ideas further. 

Ehrhardt Seminar in Biblical Studies

 

Biblical studies. 9th February: Professor Peter Oakes (University of Manchester), "A New Approach to Use of Manuscripts in Commentary Writing", 3-5pm, University Place 5.209 and Teams. For further information and/or Teams link, please email Lynne Potts.

Samuel Ferguson Lecture 2026

Public Theology Event. Peter Scott writes: ‘I’m delighted to announce that the 2026 Ferguson lecturer is Prof. Maureen Junker-Kenny (Trinity College, Dublin). Among other topics, Prof. Junker-Kenny has made a distinctive and widely acknowledged contribution to public theology. She will give the Ferguson Presentation at Manchester Cathedral at noon. The title of the presentation is “Conceptions of the Biblical God and the Hope for a Responsive Humanity”. At 4 PM, she will give the Ferguson Lecture at the University of Manchester—the lecture title is “Frameworks for Social Theology: Habermas and Ricoeur on Agency, Ethics, and Religion". Please do come and hear Prof. Junker-Kenny at either or both these events.’ Both lectures take place on Thursday 5th March. Further details, including a description of the Presentation and the Lecture, may be found here. The Presentation will be followed by lunch; the Lecture will be followed by a drinks reception. The venue at the University for the Lecture is the Ellen Wilkinson Building, Room C1.18. Both events are free and without ticket. Contact: peter.scott@manchester.ac.uk.

YouTube interview for European project

Biblical Studies. The ECCLESIAE Project of the Universities of Bern and Bonn interviewed fifteen academics from around the world who specialise in understanding early Christianity in its historical context, to produce videos for the project’s Early Christian Centers YouTube channel. From the UK they interviewed Tom Holland, N.T. Wright and Peter Oakes. Peter’s interview is online here. He considers why Philippi was special and, more broadly, argues that ‘questions arising from the textual sources of the early Christ movement can only be adequately answered when they are embedded in the lived reality of people in the first century. Archaeological and epigraphic evidence opens up access to this world.’ The channel also includes a one-hour video, Christ and the Gods: How a Jewish Sect Swept the Cities of Rome.

Pizza Party

Event. Everyone from Religion and Theology and Liberal Arts are invited to a Pizza Party, Weds 4th February, 5–7pm, Lime Cafe (bottom floor Samuel Alexander South Wing).

New Publication

Ecotheology. A special issue, Ecotheology in Asia and the Pacific, has been published in the Indonesian Journal of Theology. Co-editor Seoyoung Kim (UoM honorary research fellow) explores what she calls “ecotheology beyond adjective,” bringing together voices from Asia and the Pacific that reflect the region’s lived ecological realities. Contributors come from Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Sri Lanka. Further information.