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Dr Sara Parks introduces an important group in Second Temple Judaism. This group, whose most famous member is probably Paul, is seemingly familiar from the Christian scriptures – but they…

Why are Christians interested in the End of the World once again? Michael Burdett argues that the rise in interest in eschatology is linked to our current concern with the future – forced on us…

Dr Sara Parks looks at what resurrection meant within Second Temple Judaism in order to shed light on what was at stake in resurrection discourse among early Jesus movements. The thumbnail for this…

Dr Marian Kelsey examines how the memories of the Hebrew Bible are structured, using the memory of the patriarch Jacob as an example. The thumbnail image for this video is used under the CC0 licence…

Professor Alison Milbank argues that Gothic novels – for example, Dracula by Bram Stoker – are part of religious discourse. This discourse arose in the aftermath of the Reformation and…

Dr Michael Burdett introduces constructive theology and argues that ‘systematics’ – that one can make a coherent statement about the whole of Christian faith – is back in…

Dr Marian Kelsey answers the age-old question; "Why Study Theology?" with an argument that Biblical Studies is actually far more interesting than Theology! The image used in the thumbnail…

Professor Frances Knight introduces the Research Methods and Resources module which is intended to support MA students with some basic skills of research and scholarship. The image n the video…

Professor Alison Milbank discusses her Distance Learning MA module and what students taking the module will be studying.

Dr Tim Hutchings describes his research into the new phenomenon of on-line churches and, with Thomas O’Loughlin, discusses what this phenomenon means for the traditional understanding of…

Professor Judith Mossman (Coventry University), an expert on Greek tragedy, explains how the religious ritual of the city of Athens and its annual cycle of dramatic performances were interlinked. She…

In 1917, at the height of the First World War, F.B. MacNutt edited a collection of 17 essays entitled The Church in the Furnace. These essays were written by Anglican army chaplains who reflected on…

Prof. Richard Bell looks at how the work of Richard Wagner (1813-83), the famous German composer of operas such as The Ring, has been an inspiration for many physicists including Stephen Hawking…

Prof. Richard Bell looks at a work of Richard Wagner (1813-83) that never reached the operatic stage. In the late 1840s, Wagner was planning an opera on the life of Jesus but, while still far…

Dr Tarah van de Weile examines the Genesis story of the aftermath of Noah’s flood. She shows us the complexity of the storyteller’s design and how he want to convey the goodness and order…

Dr Ali-reza Bhojani one of the key questions about morality that confronts theists: is the Good what God commands, or, is what God commands ‘the Good’?

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) made the theme of finitude, human finitude, central to his philosophy: humans have ‘being towards death.’ In this video Prof. Agata Bielik-Robson challenges…

Dr Ali-reza Bhojani introduced the notion that the basis of morality is not simply based in the acts of divine revelation, but is inherent in the moral order that human beings find within themselves.

Prof. Thomas O’Loughlin discusses with Dr Sara Parks the origins of the Christian notion of a ‘gospel’ and how it moved from being a political notion in the Roman Empire, to being a…

Professor Frances Knight introduces the two distance learning MA programmes run by the department: the MA in Church History; and the MA in Systematic and Philosophical Theology. All details in this…

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…

2017 marks the five-hundred anniversary of the beginning of the European Reformation. As part of a series of events to commemorate this event which has done so much to share modern Europe and…

Kevin McGinnell and Tom O’Loughlin discuss the challenge of creating an incarnational liturgy fifty years after the close of the Second Vatican Council.

Kevin McGinnell and Tom O’Loughlin discuss the complexity of how liturgy is perceived / received / celebrated in contemporary multi-ethnic urban Britain. An underlying assumption of most…

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,…

Martin Luther (1483-1546) is the most famous of the sixteenth-century reformers who began his attach on the practices of the Catholic Church five centuries ago in 1517. Here Dr Simeon Zahl looks at…

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…

Tables are a part of everyday life, but they also have significance in many religious rituals which are connected with food / eating. Here Prof. Tom O’Loughlin looks at a range of meanings…

The Eucharist is a central ritual of Christians, and a central to that ritual is the use of a cup of wine for which thanks have been offered to God. But what is often forgotten is that in this…

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…

Dr Frances Knight explores some of the religious dimensions of the life and works of Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) and in particular his Ballad of Reading Goal and De Profundis. She also examines…

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…

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…

Dr Simeon Zahl describes his experience, as an American, of celebrating a relatively modern festival: Thanksgiving in the United States of America.A similar video from the Sacred Calendars…

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. Most also have a sacred month or a sacred…

Dr Francisca Rumsey looks at the importance of liturgy in Christianity. She takes her starting point on its importance the fact that human beings are ritual animals. We constantly communicate with…

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;…

Dr Francisca Rumsey reflects in the significance of the Second Vatican Council (1963-5) in conversation with Prof. Tom O’Loughlin

Prof. Tom O’Loughlin examines what is meant by the word ‘word’ and its complex uses in Christian theology Other videos in the A-Z of Theology series can be found here;…

Prof. Tom O’Loughlin examines what is meant by the word ‘myth’ when used by theologians and he argues that myths are sets of symbols that are transparent for transfinite…

Prof. Tom O’Loughlin examines what is meant by the word ‘codex’ and how this was the characteristic book-form in early Christianity.Other entries in the A-Z of Theology playlist…

Rabbi Mendy Lent explains the significance of the festival of Rosh Hashanah to the Jewish people. This festival represents the start of the Jewish New Year. Other videos you may wish to watch…

Professor Tom O'Loughlin and Rabbi Mendy Lent discuss the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement when Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and…

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…

Every religion has – whether they are proud of it or not – special things and places. Most human beings – whether they are proud of it or not – have objects of special…

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…

Anyone who has heard of the Marriage Feast at Cana (Gospel of John 2:1-11) has heard of ‘the six stone jars, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty…

Prof. Roland Deines explores the ways that the study of ancient Galilee, around the time of Jesus, can throw light on the historical Jesus and the origins of his movement as we hear of it in the…

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…

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…

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…

Plutarch (A.D. 46 – c. 120), from Chaeronea in Boeotia, was one of the most prolific Greek writers of antiquity and his work is exactly contemporaneous with the period of the earliest writings…

Plutarch (A.D. 46 – after 120), from Chaeronea in Boeotia, was one of the most prolific Greek writers of antiquity and his work is exactly contemporaneous with the period of the earliest…

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…

Dr Christina Lee, Associate Professor of Viking Studies in the School of English, looks at how disability and disease were viewed by Christians during the Middle Ages. She uses evidence that comes…

Mr Neil Smyth (the Senior Librarian for the Faculty of Arts) discusses with Professor Tom O’Loughlin (Department of Theology and Religious Studies) the importance of the library in…

Mr Neil Smyth (the Senior Librarian for the Faculty of Arts) discusses with Professor Tom O’Loughlin (Department of Theology and Religious Studies) how the library can help those who are…

Mr Neil Smyth (the Senior Librarian for the Faculty of Arts) discusses with Professor. Tom O’Loughlin (Department of Theology and Religious Studies) how Undergraduates can make the best use…

Dr Alison Milbank and Professor Tom O'Loughlin talk with Joe Scales, an undergraduate student in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, about the enjoyment they get from teaching…

Professors Alan Ford and Tom O’Loughlin look at the problems today – both for society and religion - that the legacy of older disputes between Catholics and Protestants throw up. They ask…

Prof. Tom O’Loughlin introduces the document known in studies of the gospel as “Q”. Q refers to the material that is common to the gospels of Matthew and Luke (apart from the…

Prof. Tom O’Loughlin reminds us that one can think of religion in terms of the activities of the study, the library, of a temple: books, ideas, philosophy, and formal historical narratives.…

Professor Tom O’Loughlin points out a complexity in the use of the word ‘eucharist.’ It is usually thought of as just a technical name for a ritual – the ritual practiced…

Professor Tom O'Loughlin discusses the various meanings of the word 'creed' in Christian discourse. #a2zoftheology

Rabbi Mendi Lent, who lives in Nottingham, describes the origins of the feast of Hanukkah and how it commemorates the time of the Maccabees and what it means for Jews today: lighting a flame is a…

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…

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…

Monsignor Kevin McGinnell discusses with Professor Tom O’Loughlin one of the most remarkable, but least remarked upon, developments among Christian churches working together in recent decades:…

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.

Professor Tom O'Loughlin examines the various meanings of the word 'agrapha' in Christian discourse. Another video you want want to watch is; Why Study Jesus Christ with Roland Deines…

Professor Tom O'Loughlin discusses the various meanings of the word 'blessing' in Christian discourse. #a2zoftheology Other videos that may be of interest to you include: Why Study…

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…

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…

Dr Christina Lee, Associate Professor of Viking Studies in the School of English, looks at what we know about the role of women in the Anglo-Saxon church. Other similar videos you may wish to watch…

Monsignor Kevin McGinnell discusses with Professor Tom O’Loughlin the statement produced by a meeting of liturgists from across a wide spectrum of English-speaking churches knows as the Reims…

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'…

In the final video discussing Arthur Schopenhauer (1788- 1860), Professor Richard Bell starts this conversation by looking at Schopenhauer's main work "The World, as Will and…

Dr Frances Knight describes a ‘map of salvation’ produced by the founder of the Salvation Army in 1890 that encapsulates his religious vision.

Prof. Richard Bell introduces the life and thought of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). The video gives an account of his epistemology – and how he was influenced by Kant – as a basis for…

2015 is the eighth centenary of Lateran IV – often described as the most important western church council between the Council of Nicea (325) and the Reformation. Dr Claire Taylor of the Dept of…

Professor Tom O’Loughlin looks at the name ‘Jesus Christ.’ Most people think this is just a forename-plus-surname and hence we speak of ‘what Christ said’ or the…

Dr John McDade explores Friedrich Nietzsche’s (1844-1900) notion of a ‘ladder of cruelty’ within the development of religion. McDade argues that this is, in some way, a secular…

Dr Harith bin Ramli describes the annual celebration of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, known as 'the Milad'. It is a time of joyful celebration, but also a time for recalling the…

Dr David Monkton looks at the place of the Eucharist in Methodism from the time the Wesley’s in the eighteenth century until. He does this by taking us through one of the eucharistic hymns of…

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.…

Dr David Monkton looks at how there has been a renewal of Eucharistic understanding in contemporary Methodism. This has come about from a variety of sources such as a rediscovery of Methodism’s…

Christians use a vast library of Jewish writings from the time before Jesus in their worship, reflection, and study – and they call this library ‘the Old Testament.’ In this video…

Christians use a vast library of Jewish writings from the time before Jesus in their worship, reflection, and study – and they call this library ‘the Old Testament.’ In this video…

Dr Musharef Hussain, an Iman in Nottingham, explains what happens during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. During this month one of the most obvious practices is that of fasting during the hours of…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

Dr Dominic Erdozain argues that when one studies the words of Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) in the context of the religious life of seventeenth century Amsterdam and the people with whom he was in…

Dr Harith bin Ramli explains the origins of the two main branches of Islam and how they have different views of the nature of Islam. Dr bin Ramli points out that while today, many think of these…

Dr Harith bin Ramli introduces a tradition of theology and religious practice that arose in the third century after the Prophet (circa 9th Century AD) which is known as Sufism. Sufism represents an…

Prof. Thomas O’Loughlin discusses the place of the meal – later, in the second century called ‘The Eucharist’ – among the early communities of Christians. There is an…

Professor Richard Bell looks at how Paul viewed the significance of the death of Jesus Christ for himself, other Christians, and the whole of creation. Paul took over the notion of the sin-offering…

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…