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‘Woodbine Willie’ – the Anglican World War I padre who gave cigarettes to the troops and wrote poetry - is well known. But the man himself, G.A. Studdert-Kennedy is not nearly so…
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Dr Stuart Bell argues that the early twentieth-century Anglican writer, G.A. Studdert-Kennedy (better known as ‘Woodbine Willie’), is the first modern British theologian in that he…
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Dr Sara Parks introduces the text that lies behind the gospels of Matthew and Luke – to which we give the name ‘Q’. In turn, this allows her to study what this text says about women…
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Dr Sara Parks introduces the text that lies behind the gospels of Matthew and Luke – to which we give the name ‘Q’. This notion of Q was put forward to explain a literary problem:…
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What makes a good liturgy? Many approaches are taken to this question – and it is a question everyone asks, at least implicitly, after every act of participation. In this video Professor Thomas…
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Every two years the University of Nottingham appoints an eminent theologian to deliver the Firth Lectures which comprise of two public lectures (since 2012 these are available on YouTube) and a…
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In this video, John Barclay, the Firth Lecturer for 2018, presented a fresh reading of grace and gift in Paul's theology – and especially what is found in 2 Corinthians. This shows us that…
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Despite the passing of 500 years, the ideas of the Reformation are still exerting their influence on theology today. So argues Dr Simeon Zahl in this video where he notes that while these ideas are…
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How has the memory of the Reformation been an important element is the creation of English identity? In this video, Prof. Frances Knight argues that for an older generation – perhaps brought up…
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How ever remember the past is related to how we see what is happening in our present. In this video Dr David Gehring – of Nottingham’s Department of History – looks at how our…
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The reformers were faced with many challenges, but one that is often forgotten was the need to justify their actions historically. How did it come about that the church needed reform? To what image…
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Dr Simeon Zahl explores what are the distinctive characteristics of Protestant theology. In years gone by this would have been expressed as the proposition ‘it is acceptance of the doctrine of…
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Famous to the British soldiers of the Great War as ‘Woodbine Willie,’ the Revd G.A. Studdert Kennedy (1883-1929) is also a great forgotten theologian. In this video, Dr Stuart Bell…
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The First World War was the single most important event is shaping modern European society. In this video Dr Stuart Bell discusses how the experience of the war had a long lasting affect on Christian…
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The First World War was the single most important event is shaping modern European society. In this video Dr Stuart Bell discusses the experience of one man from Derbyshire in the Great War and how…
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The First World War was the single most important event is shaping modern European society. In this video Dr Stuart Bell discusses the myths that grew up about the Great War and religion.
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Dealing with the body of someone who has died – generically referred to as ‘disposal’ – is a crucial intersection of social custom, religious practices, human ritual,…
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Prof. Frances Knight, an expert on the religious history of the late nineteenth century, examines the religious dimension of the cultural movements we associate with the term ‘Fin de…
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Walter Walsh (1857-1931) published a book called The Secret History of the Oxford Movement in 1897. The book is examined in this video by Prof. Frances Knight, an expert on the religious history of…
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One of the major developments in Christianity in recent years has been the growth of ecumenical approaches to liturgy. Here one of the leaders of those conversations in the English-speaking world,…
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There are many definitions of theology and in this video Dr Simeon Zahl shared his view of what he does as a theologian and why he thinks it important. He sees himself as engaging in a formal manner…
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Footwashing has been part of the ritual inheritance of Christians since at least the time John composed his gospel, but it has also been a much misunderstood and avoided ritual. Here Thomas…
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Edward Gibbon (1737-94) published his most famous work, The
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in 1776. Famous or notorious in
presenting the rise of Christianity as the cause of the decline of…
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Until very recently the standard model for assessing the place of religion in the Enlightenment was one of simple opposition: Religion represented the superstition and darkness that the rational…
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Professor Jeremy Gregory examines the case that the history
of religion is as close as we can get to ‘total history’: looking at all
aspects of individuals in societies in the past in the…
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Joe Scales – and undergraduate in the department – asks two of his teachers why they study theology. There are as many definitions of theology as there are theologians – and here…
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Joe Scales – and undergraduate in the department – asks two of his teachers why they consider it so important for people in general (not just a few experts) to have a basic religious…
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Prof. Tom O’Loughlin examines what is meant when theologians refer to ‘the analogy of being’ (analogia entis). Other videos that look at the same topic include; Why Study the…
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In discussion of ethics and morality one can often hear someone say that ‘the bible says … .’ But this video explores how what ‘the bible says’ is far from a simple…
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Archbishop James Ussher (1581-1656) is now known, almost exclusively, for his dating the creation to 4004 BC. But far from being an obscurantist, he was a model scholar of his time – and in…
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For over forty years the question of why the Reformation did not gain significant traction in Ireland in the sixteenth century has fascinated historians. In this video Prof. Alan Ford introduces the…
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Watch the video to find out about Student Services at The University of Nottingham. Familiarise yourself with how and where to get help with issues related to your course and to the wider University…
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Identity is an important topic in seeking to understand a
religion. It expresses itself in culture, rules about food, marriage, dress,
and views of the divine. In this video Dr Carly Crouch looks at…
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Dr Francisca Rumsey discusses the book know as the ‘maryrology’ with Prof. Tom O’Loughlin You can find other videos in the Sacred Calendars series here;…
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Dr Doug Ingram and Dr Peter Watts look at one short and enigmatic biblical text: the Book of Ecclesiates – sometimes also called Qoheleth – and at the questions is poses not only to…
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Dr Doug Ingram and Dr Peter Watts look at the value of studying that diverse library of books that go to make up the Old Testament. This has a value as an exploration of people quite apart from its…
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Prof. Tom O’Loughlin examines how the use of ‘X’ in everyday discourse is similar to the way that the word ‘god’ is used in Christian theology. Other videos in the…
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Rabbi Mendy Lent discusses with Prof. Tom O’Loughlin a precious item found in many Jewish homes: a copy of the biblical Book of Esther in its original form as a scroll. Mendy Lent gives an…
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Rabbi Mendy Lent explains the significance of attached to the festival of Shavuot which takes place 50 days after the celebration of Passover. It was this celebration which was continued by the early…
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Rabbi Mendy Lent tells the story behind the festival of Purim when Jews still celebrate their deliverance at the time of Queen Esther – as found in the Book of Esther in the bible
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All religions use time as a central element
in the way they celebrate. They have a sacred year – a sequence of festivals
arranged in an annual cycle. Here Rabbi Mendy Lent introduces one of the…
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Watch the video to find out about Student Services at The University of Nottingham. Familiarise yourself with how and where to get help with issues related to your course and to the wider University…
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Archbishop Kevin McDonald discusses with Prof. Tom O’Loughlin how the Catholic Church understands the historic phrase extra ecclesiam nulla salus. McDonald argues that it must not be understood…
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The Firth Lectures take place every other year in the University of Nottingham, and it is the custom to ask the lecturer to conduct a post-graduate seminar on some aspect of her/his work. In 2016 the…
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Prof. Philip Goodchild introduces the thought of Simone Weil
(1909-1943) who has been described as a philosopher, a religious thinker, a
mystic, and linked with any number of philosophers from Plato…
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Archbishop Kevin McDonald discusses with Prof. Tom
O’Loughlin how the Catholic Church sees the challenges facing ecumenism today:
there has been real progress on many of the historic issues…
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Conor Cunningham looks at the intimate connection between Goodness, Truth, and Beauty as these are studied by theologians. Together these are known as the transcendentals because they are…
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Conor Cunningham introduces one of the great movements in twentieth-century philosophy – phenomenology – which is playing an ever more significant role in theology today. He dos this by…
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Conor Cunningham introduces the work of the French philosopher Michel Henry (1922-2002) and the contribution that he made to theology. Henry’s work, he argues, can be seen as an attempt to draw…
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Conor Cunningham introduces the issue of theism as
confronting ‘deep’ materialism and nihilism. The question that theologians must
address is not the traditional ‘is there life…
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Archbishop Kevin McDonald discusses with Prof. Tom
O’Loughlin what the Catholic Church sees as the nature of ‘the church’ and how
the notion of ‘the church’ relates to…
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Archbishop Kevin McDonald discusses with Prof. Tom
O’Loughlin the self-perception of the Catholic Church, in the aftermath of the
Second Vatican Council (1962-5), of Judaism, Islam, Buddhism,…
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Philip Goodchild, the Professor of Religion and Philosophy, notes
that in both our ordinary thinking, and in formal philosophical reflection,
that love, death, and existence are connected. He…
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Philip Goodchild, the Professor of Religion and Philosophy,
explores the notion that human beings have to come to terms with living within
limits if they are to live well. Only when we confront our…
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John Milbank and Simon Oliver discuss the significance of
the work of Blessed Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464) for the way we do theology
today. Nicholas, in challenging the role of the Principle of…
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Augustine was born in Roman North Africa in 354
and died as Bishop of Hippo, also in North Africa, in 430. He was one of the
most prolific Christian writers of all time and all western Christian…
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Dr Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, looks at modern drama to explore how they describe the religious person and how within those stories there is a portrayal of holiness. This is…
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Dr Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, looks at three piece of contemporary fiction to explore how they descibe the religious person and how within those stories there is a portrayal of…
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All religions use time as a central element in the way they celebrate. They have a sacred year – a sequence of festivals arranged in an annual cycle. Here Rabbi Mendy Lent introduces the…
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Why bother with the study of theology in a university? Why bother with the study of religion – if you do not consider yourself religious? These are the questions address by two theologians…
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Dr Conor Cunningham tells the story of the ways we can look at an apple. A piece of fruit, a quick healthy snack, but also the starting point for a more involved understanding of the universe and why…
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Professor Judith Mossman (Dept of Classics, University of
Nottingham), and expert on Greek tragedy, introduces one of the most powerful
of the plays of Euripides: The Bacchae. This gives us…
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Archbishop Kevin McDonald discusses with Prof.
Tom O’Loughlin the significance of the Roman Catholic statement on that
church’s view of other religions, and especially how the Catholic…
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Dr Christina Lee, Associate Professor of Viking Studies in
the School of English, examines the central role played by religion in medieval
societies, and argues that an understanding of the religion…
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Prof. Tom O’Loughlin examines the various meanings of the word ‘disciple’ in early Christian discourse. #a2zoftheology
Other videos you may wish to watch include;
Why Study...the…
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Agata Bielik-Robson, Professor of Jewish Studies, looks at the notion of human finitude and offer a challenge to the views of Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) and his notion of ‘being towards…
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Professor Alan Ford examines the origins of sectarianism in Ireland seeing it as an interesting example of how religions relate to identity and how that can easily mutate into extremist and…
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Professor Tom O'Loughlin examines the various meanings of the word, 'apocrypha' in Christian discourse - and how it can never be used in a neutral sense.
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Prof. Tom O’Loughlin examines the various meanings of the word ‘apostle’ in Christian discourse. #a2zoftheology
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Dr Christina Lee, Associate Professor of Viking Studies in the School of English, looks at what we know about the religion of the Vikings. She introduces their mythology and explored the fact that we…
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Professor Alan Ford discusses the origins of sectarianism in Ireland by linking it to the Reformation's self-understanding of being in an apocalyptic struggle with the Antichrist - understood as…
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Agata Bielik-Robson, Professor of Jewish Studies, uses the term ‘philosophical Marranos’ of a group of moderns thinkers, such as Levinas and Derrida, whose common Judaism may be a key to…
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Agata Bielik-Robson, Professor of Jewish Studies, looks at the tradition of speculation that can be traced by to Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-72) – and especially the notion of 'tsimtsum'…
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James Ussher (1581 - 1656) is best known for his dating of the creation, but this tends to parody the man and his scholarship. In this conversation, Professor Alan Ford introduces the range and depth…
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This statue – barely 170mm high – is of the goddess Tanit, an important deity, of the Phoenicians. It is over 2000 years old and reminds us of the domestic, private dimension of religion.…
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Professor Johannes Hoff – from Heythrop College in London – gave the 2013 Bonaventure lecture and proposed the case that modern theology needs to radically re-examine its assumptions…
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In all human quests for understanding - be they religious, theological, philosophical, or literary - the intertwined themes of love and death keep returning to challenge us. It is an endless…
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Dr Musharraf Hussain, the Chief Imam in the Karimia Institute in Nottingham, describes the significance of the first month of the Islamic Year: Muharam. During it Moslems remember the migration of…
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A small lamp was bought for a few pennies in Roman north Africa. Soon after it was first used, a fault in its manufacture led to its being discarded in a rubbish pit where it remained until uncovered…
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Rogationtide is the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Thursday: it was, and to some extent still is, a time when God’s blessing was asked upon the springtime and the work in the…
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Lammas – from ‘Loaf Mass’ – is the original harvest thanksgiving feast when the first loaf, baked from the newly harvested grain, was presented in the local church. Because it…
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Most of the time of most humans for most of history has been spent obtaining and preparing food for our survival. So for theists, food is both the gift of God and the work of human hands, and each…
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In a world where we think of work as being a Monday to Friday affair, where food comes from a shop, and where ‘work’ and ‘religion’ belong in separate compartments, a festival…
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Dr Rob Lutton introduces an important aspect of contemporary historical studies: the study of religion as a force that shapes lives. Religion, like it or loathe it, has not disappeared from the human…
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All the documents of Christianity - such as those that are found in the collection known as 'the New Testament' - were written in the common Koine Greek language of the Mediterranean world.…
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Dr. Peter Watts points out that embedded in many of the earliest Christian documents, such as the letters in the New Testament, there are pieces of poetry that were probably originally hymns sung by…
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Dr. Peter Watts draws attention to the number of songs and hymns that can be found in the books of the Hebrew Bible. The most famous collection of these is the Book of Psalms, but there are many more…
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The Firth Memorial Lectureship was founded by the Reverend John d'ewe Evelyn Firth in memory of his father, John Benjamin Firth, Historian of Nottingham and his mother Helena Gertrude Firth. The…
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The Firth Memorial Lectureship was founded by the Reverend John d'ewe Evelyn Firth in memory of his father, John Benjamin Firth, Historian of Nottingham and his mother Helena Gertrude Firth. The…
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Dr. Rob Lutton introduces the value to the historian of studying groups and individuals who were given the label of ‘heretics’ in the later middle ages. These groups point to diversity in…
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Dr John McDade questions the nature of modern unbelief. He sees is as generated from within an approach to the question of God which grew up among Christian theologians in the early modern period. In…
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Dr Peter Watts explores the range of approaches to the Bible that are encompassed in the term ‘biblical studies.’ He brings out that while the study of the Bible exists as part of…
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Dr Rob Lutton of the Department of History in The University of Nottingham describes the origins of an important social and religious movement in fifteenth-century England: Lollardy. This movement,…
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Peter Watts explores why it is valuable for someone studying
theology to gain a working knowledge of the Hebrew language. It sees it as a
key tool in the theologian’s toolkit. You might also…
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