Biblical Studies research seminar

Biblical Studies Faculty host weekly research seminars each semester. Postgraduates, faculty, and visiting scholars meet to discuss research on a chosen theme. Papers last between 45 and 60 minutes and are followed by discussion. After seminar, participants and presenters often continue conversation in a local pub.

In Semester 1, the seminar covers Hebrew Bible, Ancient Judaism, New Testament, and Early Christianity. In Semester 2, Hebrew Bible and New Testament Faculty each host their own weekly seminars.

2026-2027 – Semester 1

Seminars will take place on Thursdays from 2:30-4:00 pm and will be a mix of in-person (College Hall, St Mary’s College) and online on Microsoft Teams. Contact Dr Madhavi Nevader for the Teams link.

17 September – Welcome Tea
24 September – Prof David Moffitt (St Andrews), “Putting Sin in Its Place: Jesus’s Death and Echoes of the Scapegoat in Romans, Hebrews, and Beyond”
1 October – Dr Logan Williams (Aberdeen), “The Conflict in Romans 14: Idol-Food and Love after the Ascension” (n.b. this seminar will begin at 3.00pm)
8 October – Prof Dan Machiela (Notre Dame), “First-person Narration and the Use of Aramaic in the Qumran Scrolls: Further Thoughts”
15 October – Prof James Davila (St Andrews), “Aramaic Fantasy Babylon”
22 October – No Seminar (Independent Learning Week)
29 October – Dr Madhavi Nevader (St Andrews), “Dethroned Goddesses and Bloodied Women: Reading Female Violence in the Hebrew Bible”
5 November – Prof Francis Watson (Durham), “Manuscript Cultures and the Creation of ‘the Bible’: A Material Approach to Canon Formation”
12 November – Prof Katharina Pyschny (Graz), “More Than Meets the Eye: Cultural Semantics of Naked Bodies in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Iconography” (Online)
19 November – Dr Ethan Knudson (St Andrews), “Punning and Literary Allusion in Daniel 8”
26 November – Prof Michal Beth Dinkler (Yale Divinity), “Framed Narratives: Levels of Telling in New Testament Narrative”
3 December – Dr David Reimer (St Andrews), “Forgiveness and OT Law”

For previous seminars, see the Biblical Studies research seminar archive.