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Department of Theology and Religion Research Seminar Schedule
Michaelmas Term
We are pleased to share the schedule of upcoming seminars across the Department's research groups. Details of seminar dates, locations, speakers, and titles are listed below.
Anglican Studies Research
| Date and Time | Location | Seminar Title and Speaker |
|---|---|---|
|
Wednesday 7 October 2026. 3pm - 5pm |
Cranmer Hall, No 3 South Bailey, St John’s College |
Church of the Empire: The Church of England and Race in Global Perspective (SCM Press, 2026) Dr Sanjee Perera (Cranmer Hall and Durham University) and contributors.
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|
Wednesday, 11 November 2026. 4pm - 5pm |
The Herbert Kelly Institute, 72 Claypath, Durham, DH1 1QT. |
'The Theological Basis of Anglican Ecclesiology’ Canon Dr Christopher Wells (Director of Unity, Faith and Order, Anglican Communion Office), ‘The Theological Basis of Anglican Ecclesiology’, |
|
Wednesday 25 November 2026. 4pm - 5.30pm |
The Herbert Kelly Institute, 72 Claypath, Durham, DH1 1QT |
‘Bread of Heaven: Eating and Drinking at a Late Medieval Priory’. Toby Donegan-Cross (Durham University).
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|
Monday 30 November 2026. 7pm - 8.30pm |
Online Only. |
‘Embattled Belief: Religion and the British Army from Korea to Afghanistan’ Canon Professor Michael Snape FBA (Durham University) in conversation with Rev Dr Brian Powers (Durham University), Please book tickets here. |
|
Tuesday 1 December 2026. 3pm - 4pm. |
Learning Resource Centre, Cranmer Hall |
‘Interpreting children’ Revd Dr Howard Worsley (Trinity College Bristol). This is a hybrid event. If you would like to attend online, the Teams link is: |
Catholic Theology Research
| Date and Time | Location | Seminar Title and Speaker |
|---|---|---|
|
Thursday 15 October 2026. 4pm - 6pm |
The Lindisfarne Room at St Cuthbert’s Society, 12 South Bailey, Durham, DH1 3EE |
The Communal Nature of Gregory of Nyssa’s Mystical Theology and the Lived Example of Macrina the Younger. Ibuki Yamane Special Research Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
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Thursday 5 November 2026. 4pm - 6pm
|
The Lindisfarne Room at St Cuthbert’s Society, 12 South Bailey, Durham, DH1 3EE |
From Nihilism to Natural Theology Fiona Ellis Professor of Philosophy, University of Nottingham |
|
Wednesday 3 December 2026. 4pm - 6pm |
The Lindisfarne Room at St Cuthbert’s Society, 12 South Bailey, Durham, DH1 3EE |
Securus Iudicat Orbis Terrarum' (Augustine): What has Newman got to do with synodality?' Nicholas Sagovsky, with a response from Jeremy Morris The Revd Dr Nicholas Sagovsky, Honorary Fellow, Durham University |
Biblical Studies and Patristics
| Date | Location | Seminar Title and Speaker |
|---|---|---|
|
Wednesday 14 October 2026 1.00pm - 2.30pm |
Abbey House, Seminar Room C and online. |
‘The Simplicity of God’ Andrew Louth, |
|
Wednesday 21 October 2026 1.00pm - 2.30pm |
Abbey House, Seminar Room C and online. |
‘Vindicating the Wisdom of the Divine Monarch: The Epistle to the Ephesians as Divine Court Narrative’ Mike Evanson ‘An Unspoken Blessing: The Silencing of Zechariah, the Departure of Jesus and the Priestly Framing of Luke’s Gospel’ Sam Hodson |
|
Wednesday 28 Ocotber 2026. 1.00pm - 2.30pm |
Abbey House, Seminar Room C and online. |
‘Phoebe reading Paul: the “body of/in Christ” from Phoebe's perspective’ Hannah Fytche (Cambridge) |
|
Wednesday 4 November 2026 1.00pm - 2.30pm |
Abbey House, Seminar Room C and online. |
‘The Didache Discoveries: Recovering the Apostolic Decree and the Missing Epistle of John’ Alan Garrow |
|
Wednesday 11 November 2026 1.00pm - 2.30pm
|
Abbey House, Seminar Room C and online. |
‘Manuscript Cultures and the Creation of 'the Bible': A Material Approach to Canon Formation’ Francis Watson |
|
Wednesday 18 November 2026 1.00pm - 2.30pm
|
Abbey House, Seminar Room C and online. |
‘Slavery and Gender in the Martyrdom of Potidiaima’ Sofia Puchkova |
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Wednesday 2 December 2026 1.00pm - 2.30pm
|
Abbey House, Seminar Room C and online. |
‘Incorporeality and Presence: Immaterial Anthropomorphism in Zechariah's Lampstand Vision' Jennie Grillo (Notre Dame) |
|
Wednesday 9 December 2026 1.00pm - 2.30pm
|
Abbey House, Seminar Room C and online. |
‘Genesis 1:1: Translation and Interpretation’ Walter Moberly |
Religion and Society
| Date | Location | Seminar Title and Speaker |
|---|---|---|
|
Wednesday 21 October 2026 1.00pm - 2.30pm |
Palace Green room 29 (POL_1001) |
Structure and Seth Kunin |
|
Wednesday 4 November 2026 1.00pm - 2.30pm |
Palace Green room 29 (POL_1001) |
Freedom of Religion and Belief in UK Universities: Planning a National Project Alongside Shifting Policy and Cultural Contexts Mathew Guest |
|
Wednesday 18 November 2026. 1.00pm - 2.30pm |
Palace Green room 29 (POL_1001) |
Film, Cinema,and Rites of Passage Stuart Foyle |
|
Wednesday 2 December 2026 1.00pm - 2.30pm |
Palace Green room 29 (POL_1001) |
Butterflies and the Dead: Revisiting Levi-Strauss Douglas Davies |
Theology and Ethics
| Date | Location | Seminar Title and Speaker |
|---|---|---|
|
Wednesday 14 October 2026 3pm - 4pm |
Palace Green room 29 (POL_1001) |
Providence, Evil & Salvation – a Thomist Perspective Rik van Nieuwenhove, Department of Theology and Religion |
|
Wednesday 5 November 2026 3pm - 4pm |
Palace Green room 29 (POL_1001) |
Returning to the Heart of the Matter. Reconceiving a Theological Anthropology of the Heart for the Digital Age Oliver Dürr, University of Fribourg |
|
Wednesday 11 November 2026. 3pm - 4pm |
Palace Green room 29 (POL_1001) |
Aristotle on self-knowledge, friendship, and the divine Giulia Bonasio, Department of Classics |
|
Wednesday 25 November 2026 3pm - 4pm |
Palace Green room 29 (POL_1001) |
Michael Ramsey, Durham and the Glory of God Nicholas Sagovsky, Emeritus Professor, Liverpool Hope University and Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Theology and Religion |
Moral Injury Webinar Series
| Date | Location | Seminar Title and Speaker |
|---|---|---|
|
Wednesday 4 November 2026 4.15pm - 5.15pm |
Confluence Building, Lower Mountjoy and Online. |
The invisibility of war trauma: Mental health, violence and literature in interwar Britain and Italy Dr Stefano Serafini (Georgetown University and the University of Padua) |
|
Wednesday 30 November 2026 7pm |
Online |
Embattled belief: Religion and the British Army from Korea to Afghanistan Canon Prof. Michael Snape (Durham University) |