Latest news
Find out what's in the news at New College.
Postgraduate virtual open week 2020
The School of Divinity will host an online information session for prospective postgraduate students, 3-4pm Thursday 19 March 2020, as part of the University’s virtual open week.
Winners! New College Student Recognition Awards 2019
Students Jo Thor, Rachel Frost, Sofanit Abebe and Jessie Fubara-Manuel have been recognised for their contributions to our School, community or subject area.
Launch of Jātaka Stories database
Dr Naomi Appleton and Dr Chris Clark have developed a free online searchable database of jātakas - stories of the Buddha’s past lives - in Indian texts and art.
Issachar Fund Art Prize
The School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh and The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) are pleased to announce the recipient of the Issachar Fund Art Prize.
Professor Larry Hurtado
It is with tremendous sadness that we pass on the news that our friend and colleague Professor Larry Hurtado has died.
“Great moment” for Fraser Prize winner James Thieke
As the deadline for Theology in Scotland’s 2019 Fraser essay competition approaches, we ask last year’s winner why he took part.
Students called to SERVE
A group of Divinity student volunteers called SERVE has been supporting local people through social action and mission.
Diary of a Dean of the Chapel Royal
The Very Rev Professor David Fergusson has started his new duties as Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland and Dean of the Order of the Thistle.
New! Scottish Network for Religion and Literature
The School of Divinity is launching a Scottish Network for Religion and Literature with a symposium, 22 January 2020.
Josep’s Youth Column in Life and Work
Josep A Martí i Bouis has shared his passion for Christian mission in this month’s edition of the Church of Scotland's magazine.
Lifetime award for the study of death in society
The Revd Dr Peter Jupp has been given a lifetime achievement award by the Association for the Study of Death in Society (ASDS).
NEW! New College Student Recognition Awards
The School of Divinity is introducing three new awards to recognise students who have contributed the most to New College, the city of Edinburgh, or the promotion of Theology and Religious Studies, outside their academic work.
My PhD in a poster
Work by PhD candidates, Nico Brice-Bennett, Nuam Hatzaw, Alec Simpson, Jo Thor and Dingjian Xie has been captured online in a poster blog.
Awards for faith-based groups in Bradford and Leeds
Our ‘Gratitude: Christian and Muslim Perspectives’ project is offering £500 to each of the two grassroots charities in Bradford and Leeds that can best demonstrate how gratitude is central to their work.
W T Stead: Nonconformist and Newspaper Prophet
Professor Stewart J Brown has written a religious biography of pioneering 19th century journalist William Thomas Stead, whose editor's desk was his pulpit.
Teaching Fellow success 2019
Dr Ulrich Schmiedel has become a Fellow (FHEA), and Dr Naomi Appleton and Dr Anja Klein have become Senior Fellows (SFHEA) of the Higher Education Academy, demonstrating their commitment to teaching, learning and the student experience.
Student volunteers wanted: Holyrood Harvest and Soul Food
New College students already play a lead role in the community gardening project - now the Church of Scotland seeks volunteers to support homeless people, too.
Launch of Edinburgh Buddhist Studies network
An interdisciplinary group of Edinburgh academics has launched a research network which focuses on Buddhism in different contexts within culture and society.
Re-opening of the Rainy Hall
The first lecture of the School’s academic year will be followed by a reception to mark the re-opening of the Rainy Hall following eight months of restoration.
Social Bite Café to open at New College
The School of Divinity’s historic refectory, the Rainy Hall, is opening its kitchen doors to a dynamic enterprise that’s as well known for its social conscience as its soup and sandwiches.
Art, Conflict and Remembering
In a lively panel session chaired by Professor Jolyon Mitchell, Bogside mural artists Tom Kelly and Kevin Hasson, exhibition curator Dr Adrienne Dengerink Chaplin, former Director of Mediation Northern Ireland Brendan McAllister and Law Professor Christine Bell explored the question: can art help people to process a painful and violent past?
Undergraduate prize winners 2019
Congratulations to all our students who graduated today and to all those undergraduates who have been awarded prizes by the School of Divinity.
Responding to the challenges of Big Data
In his recent paper, Big data and the Facebook scandal, Dr Michael Fuller suggests that theologians, churches and other religious institutions can help to address some of the ethical challenges arising from the mass harvesting, analysis and selling of online data.
Royal appointments for Professor David Fergusson
Rev Professor Fergusson has been appointed Dean of the Chapel Royal and Dean of the Order of the Thistle.
£2.4 million grant to explore theologies of nature
Dr Mark Harris and Dr Sarah Lane Ritchie have won funding from the John Templeton Foundation for a major international research project, God and the Book of Nature.
Jewish Orthodoxy in early 20th century Scotland
![Edinburgh Synagogue. Image: Kim Traynor [CC BY-SA 3.0]](/files/styles/panel_breakpoints_theme_uoe_tv_1x/public/thumbnails/image/edinburgh_synagogue_salisbury_road_by-kim_traynor_cc_by-sa_3.0.jpg?itok=GsD5Zonr)
Dr Hannah Holtschneider’s new biography of Rabbi Dr Salis Daiches explores a period of dynamic change for the ‘tartanised’ and incoming Jews escaping from war.
Aiming to unlock the power of Gaidinliu
A collaborative project led by Dr Arkotong Longkumer could be the first step on the road to greater understanding of the ‘magical’ notebooks of teenage Indian activist and prophetess, Gaidinliu.
Educating 'fallen women' in 19th century Scotland
In contrast to their infamous Irish counterparts, early Scottish Magdalene Asylums aimed to reform rather than punish, says PhD candidate Jowita Thor in a paper published by Studies in Church History.
Baseball ace Sam Davidson
MTheol student Sam Davidson was awarded the title of Best Pitcher in a ‘Battle for Britain’ tournament in Kent, 25-27 May 2019.
New! Theology and Religious Studies PhD by Distance
Our Distance option allows international students to study part-time for a PhD from their home country, as long as they visit Edinburgh at key stages.
Media coverage as Church agrees to Professor Fergusson’s reforms
As chair of the Church of Scotland’s Special Commission on Structural Reform, Professor Fergusson has been in the news.
Nuam Hatzaw awarded prestigious studentship
PhD candidate Nuam Hatzaw has won an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) doctoral training award through the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities (SGSAH).
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 2019
Radical new reports by Professor David Fergusson and Dr Sandy Forsyth, commissioned by the Church of Scotland, will be considered by the General Assembly when it meets at New College, 18-24 May 2019.
Postgraduates publish updated translation of Bavinck
Cameron Clausing and Gregory Parker’s version of Herman Bavinck’s The Sacrifice of Praise will be available in print 1 June 2019.
Calida Chu wins EASSSR essay prize
The East Asian Society of Scientific Study of Religion (EASSSR) has awarded its 2019 essay prize to PhD candidate Calida Chu.