Undergraduate Divinity 2026-2027

The course will introduce you to the first five centuries of Christian life and belief. It traces the rise of Christianity from its origins as a Jewish sect to a position of cultural and religious dominance in the Roman Empire. It also looks at the development of central themes in early Christian theology and spirituality. The course consists of a series of lectures on key topics, and tutorial seminars on researching and presenting your work, and on various early Christian texts. The course also requires your own reading and research.

What do Christians believe? Why do they believe it? Can it (despite everything!) possibly be true? And if so, what difference does it make? Taking an 'insider's view' of Christian belief, this course asks what it means to think and to speak Christianly--about God, Jesus, creation, religion, human community and responsibility, death, life and other little things.

What do Christians believe? Why do they believe it? Can it (despite everything!) possibly be true? And if so, what difference does it make? Taking an 'insider's view' of Christian belief, this course asks what it means to think and to speak Christianly about God, Jesus, creation, religion, human community and responsibility, death, life and other little things.

The European Reformation was a time of immense ecclesiastical, social, intellectual and political transformation that changed the religious and cultural landscape of the West forever. By way of regular seminars, this course draws students into detailed exploration of critical events, developments, ideas and debates of this tumultuous period in history to consider the nature of the transformations which it bequeathed to subsequent centuries up to and including our own.

Across two millennia, Christian theology has been advanced by contributions of leading theologians who have reflected upon substantive claims of the Christian faith, developed accounts of their interconnections and meaning, and engaged with the intellectual challenges raised in their era. This course invites students to detailed engagement with the work of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), one of the most significant and influential theologians from the history of the Christian tradition, by way of sustained study of primary texts in the context of lively seminar discussion and debate.

The European Reformation was a time of immense ecclesiastical, social, intellectual and political transformation that changed the religious and cultural landscape of the West forever. By way of regular seminars, this course draws students into detailed exploration of critical events, developments, ideas and debates of this tumultuous period in history to consider the nature of the transformations which it bequeathed to subsequent centuries up to and including our own.

 

Across two millennia, Christian theology has been advanced by contributions of leading theologians who have reflected upon substantive claims of the Christian faith, developed accounts of their interconnections and meaning, and engaged with the intellectual challenges raised in their era. This course invites students to detailed engagement with the work of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), one of the most significant and influential theologians from the history of the Christian tradition, by way of sustained study of primary texts in the context of lively seminar discussion and debate.