Ecclesiastical History Society

Professor Crawford Gribben (Queen's University Belfast) joins us for July's episode. Crawford is an historian of early modern religion, and we discuss the politics of dispensationalism, crafting book reviews, and podcasting platforms.

To learn more about Crawford's research, pick up a copy of his most recent book, J.N. Darby and the Roots of Dispensationalism (Oxford University Press, 2024).

In this episode, we are joined by Dr Alison Knight. Dr Knight is Senior Lecturer in Early Modern Studies in the English Department at Royal Holloway University of London. We discuss her expertise in various understandings of the Bible in the early modern period and her best advice on how to apply for academic fellowships.

Her first monograph The Dark Bible: Cultures of Interpretation in Early Modern England (OUP, 2022), co-winner of the Ecclesiastical History Society's 2023 Book Prize, explores approaches to biblical obscurity in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England.  

In this month's episode, we are joined by Professor Hilary Carey. Professor Carey is Professor of Imperial and Religious History at the University of Bristol with expertise in the history of global empires. In this episode, we discuss her current projects related to British imperialism and her advice on putting together applications for academic projects.

Her most recent book Empire of Hell (CUP, 2019), winner of the Kay Daniels prize, provides a religious history of the campaign to end the transportation of British and Irish convicts.  

In this episode, we talk with Professor Giles Gasper ⁠⁠(Durham University) about his recent research and advice on academic projects.

Giles is principal investigator on the inter-disciplinary Ordered Universe project to edit, translate and contextualise the scientific works of Robert Grosseteste (c.1170-1253).

In this episode, we talk with ⁠Professor Catherine Rider ⁠(University of Exeter) about her recent research and public outreach.

Catherine Rider's recently co-edited the book ⁠Magic in Malta: Sellem bin al-Sheikh Mansur and the Roman Inquisition, 1605⁠ (2022). She is also the author of numerous books and articles, including ⁠Magic and Religion in Medieval England ⁠(2012) and ⁠Magic and Impotence in the Middle Ages⁠ (2006).

This episode's guest is Professor Christopher Bellitto (Kean University). He is Professor of History at Kean University in New Jersey and a specialist in the Middle Ages, church history and reform. He serves as series Editor in Chief of Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition and Academic Editor at Large for Paulist Press.

His publications include Humility: The Secret History of a Lost Virtue (Georgetown University Press, 2023), Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible (Paulist Press, 2016), and 101 Questions and Answers on Popes and the Papacy (Paulist Press, 2008).

In this episode, we talk with Professor Craig Harline (Brigham Young University) about his recent research and how to start on a new research project.

Craig Harline's most recent book is A World Ablaze: The Rise of Martin Luther and the Birth of the Reformation (OUP). He is the also author of numerous other books, including Miracles at the Jesus Oak and A Bishop's Tale: Mathias Hovius Among His Flock in Seventeenth-Century Flanders.

In this episode we speak with Professor David Maxwell (University of Cambridge) about his research on African Christianity, the advantages of visiting fellowships, and how to get editorial experience in academia.

To read more about David Maxwell's research, see his latest book, entitled ⁠Religious Entanglements.  Central African Pentecostalism, the creation of cultural knowledge, and the making of the Luba Katanga⁠ (2022).

In this episode, we talk with Professor Alexandra Walsham (Cambridge) about her recent research, how to prepare for the job market after doing a PhD, and how to write an impactful academic article.

Alexandra Walsham's most recent book Generations: Age, Ancestry and Memory in the English Reformations is now available from Oxford University Press.

In this episode, we speak to Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch on everything from the importance of church history to how he chooses the subjects for his books, his thoughts on Tudor mania, and even how he really feels about Thomas Cromwell.

Dairmaid MacCulloch is Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University. He is a prize-winning author, with such book as History of Christianity: the first three thousand years (2010) , which won the Cundill Prize; Silence: A Christian History (2013); All Things New: Writings on the Reformation (2016); and Thomas Cromwell: A Life (2018). He was knighted in the UK New Year’s Honours List of 2012 and was awarded the Historical Association's Medlicott Medal in 2023.