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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

In the event you cannot make the @abdngiffords.bsky.social, we will have 'our man on the ground' covering the series for the journal. Stay tuned. Thanks for following and for sharing. More soon.

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Afternoon friends, A new Gifford Lectures series commences next week, hosted by one of our partner institutions: @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social Jeremy Begbie (Duke Divinity School) will be speaking on the theme of Rhythms of Life in God and Music, including live music!

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Evening all, Our next edition of the journal - on migration, displacement, and belonging - is advancing through the editorial process. Something else to look out for this autumn is the annual New College Festival of Books and Belief, hosted by @uoedivinity.bsky.social.

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Evening all, We are delighted to announce the publication of our latest edition on the theme of Mental Health. As always, our digital edition is open access. Enjoy. Thank you for following and for sharing: ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk/index.php/TI...

ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk

Vol. 33 No. 1 (2026): Theology and Mental Health | Theology in Scotland

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Wednesday 13 May – When does Christianity become Christianity? Access link: youtube.com/live/vBTnAOq...

youtube.com

Gifford Lectures 2026 - Lecture 5

YouTube video by The University of Edinburgh

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Tuesday 5 May – Israel Abroad: Jews among the Gods Access link: youtube.com/live/nu3iCtZ...

youtube.com

Gifford Lectures 2026 - Lecture 2

YouTube video by The University of Edinburgh

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

The Gifford Lectures with Prof Paula Fredriksen are now finished, but if you missed any, were unable to make it, or would like to watch them again, the good news is that they're all online! All six are linked in this 🧵⬇️ #Giffords2026

Flyer: THE GIFFORD LECTURES / THE CONVERSIONS OF CHRISTIANITY / WITH PROF. PAULA FREDRIKSEN

Background of image is the 3rd C. 'Christus-Sol' mosaic from tomb of the Julii in the Vatican.

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

In the sixth and final lecture, Prof Fredriksen traced how a marginal Jewish sect transformed into an imperial state religion; she charted this development across centuries, but memorably summarised it in her statement: ‘𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧, 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧.’ #Giffords2026

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Some more photos, before and during lecture five:

Prof Fredriksen in the Informatics Forum, at lectern.

Small tangled trees, in George Square Gardens; across from the Informatics Forum.

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

In the fifth of her Gifford Lectures, Prof Fredriksen challenged any neat ‘parting of the ways’ between Judaism and Christianity, arguing instead for diversity and long entanglement; as she puts it, ‘The parting of the ways was more like a snarl.’ #Giffords2026

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

A reminder of the venue for those of you in the area: 📍Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton St, Edinburgh (5–7pm).

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Join us for our sixth & final Gifford Lecture: 'The Conversions of Christianity' -- Prof Fredriksen traces how Christianity reshaped ideas of God, humanity, and the cosmos across the ancient world. Can't make it person? You can still join online here: 🔗 cahss.ed.ac.uk/20252026-pro...

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

In the 'Gifford Seminar', Profs Paula Fredriksen, Helen Bond, & Paul Foster (from @uoedivinity.bsky.social) at @royalsoced.bsky.social explore how a small Jewish movement became a religion that reshaped the ancient world, engaging questions about belief, culture, & power. #Giffords2026 📺⬇️

youtube.com

The Conversions of Christianity

YouTube video by The Royal Society of Edinburgh

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Reposted by Theology in Scotland

Matt Thiessen @mattthiessen.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Never in my life did I think I would get a mention in the freaking *GIFFORD LECTURES*! (OK, for over half of my life I didn't know what the Giffords were, but still...)

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

This Ancient Mediterranean Paul radically defamiliarises a foundational figure, especially for the Reformed perspective. Yet, regarding those expecting an imminent return today, Fredriksen quipped: ‘Paul would be surprised by how long it has taken, but not by the fervour.’ 4/4

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

This explains Paul’s rhetorical handwringing over Gentile circumcision. In their impending pneumatic transformation, the groups remain distinct; baptism was a mystical rite that marks the beginning the ‘rehabilitation of Gentile physis’. 3/4

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Paul didn't envision a flesh-&-bone resurrection, but a change to pneumatic ‘stuff’. Crucially, Gentiles remain Gentiles in the eschaton. With a nod to @mattthiessen.bsky.social, she notes circumcision is ‘mere cosmetic surgery’ compared to the ‘gene therapy’ of the pneuma of Christ. 2/4

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

In Lecture 4, ‘The End, and New Beginnings’, Prof Fredriksen provocatively argued ‘Paul was an ethnic essentialist’, dividing the world into Jews and non-Jews. But this came with a difference: Gentiles could ameliorate their ‘physis’ for pneumatic bodies. 1/4 #Giffords2026

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

We’re back in less than 30min for the 2nd week of the Gifford Lectures. Today, Prof Paula Fredriksen explores the apostle Paul in the context of Jewish apocalypticism and ancient ethnography. Join us in person or online. 🔗 cahss.ed.ac.uk/20252026-pro...

Gifford Lectures poster; Image: fresco Paul from 6th century (Bülbül Dag, above the ruins of ancient Ephesus)

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

While not uncontroversial for those used to a confessional, harmonising reading of the NT, Fredriksen compels us all to read these texts afresh w/in their 1st C contexts, accounting for the evidence. #Giffords2026 Sign up here for next week: 🔗 cahss.ed.ac.uk/20252026-pro...

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

She also argues that Paul and the Gospels disagree regarding the ‘stuff’ of the resurrected body: Paul’s ‘spiritual body’ (sōma pneumatikon) differs from the emphasis of the Gospels on the tangible, flesh-and-bones (sarx), of the risen Jesus. 5/6

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Her proposed solution is twofold. First, Rome crucified Jesus alone as an example to the exuberant Passover crowd, an act of brutal ‘crowd control’. Second, the followers remained in Jerusalem due to apocalyptic expectation, awaiting the coming Day of the Lord. 4/6

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Fredriksen highlights a twofold historical conundrum in the narratives. First, when Jesus was crucified, why were his followers not executed alongside him, per standard Roman practice? Second, why did these followers subsequently choose to settle in Jerusalem? 3/6

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

In Thursday’s lecture, she reverses the trajectory of the Gospels, which retrospectively project the theological claim of ‘Christ’ onto Jesus. Fredriksen starts with the historical Jesus and traces how he came to be understood as ‘Christ’ in early Christian tradition. 2/6

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Prof Fredriksen’s Gifford Lectures have progressively narrowed the lens on the Ancient Mediterranean: from a wide-angle view of divine cosmologies, to a focus on the Jewish ethnos participating in that milieu, & now Jesus of Nazareth as a historical individual. #Giffords2026 1/6

Prof Fredriksen lecturing inside the Informatics Forum.

Down Cockburn Street, Edinburgh (taken during my walk to the lecture).

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David A. Burnett @davidaburnett.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

I really wish I could be there in person at my academic home away from home, the University of Edinburgh, to hear one of the finest scholars of early Judaism and Christianity, Paula Fredriksen, give the 2026 Gifford Lectures. I’m honored and elated that Paula is my external examiner for my PhD.

eventbrite.com

Gifford Lectures 2026 | Prof Paula Fredriksen | Conversions of Christianity

How did Christianity become global? Join Paula Fredriksen for six fascinating lectures on its early rise.

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Reposted by Theology in Scotland

Ryan Collman @ryancollman.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Almost exactly 5 years to the day, I finally got a “post-viva” picture with my examiners.

A photo of me with Paula Fredriksen and Philippa Townsend.

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Another fascinating #Gifford2026 lecture; the next lecture’s title is ‘From Jesus to Christ.’ Also, great to have Prof Emma Wild-Wood from @cswcedinburgh.bsky.social introducing the event. #GiffordLectures ed.ac.uk/events/lectu...

Inside the Edinburgh Informatics Forum, Prof. Wild-Wood (left) and Prof. Fredriksen (right).

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Monotheism in the ancient world, Prof Fredriksen argues, is ‘an expression of competition… megatheism’. Not the denial of the existence of other gods, but the elevation of one within ‘the congested cosmos of antiquity’. 4/

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

In the Diaspora, ‘Jews did not live in a bell jar.’ Jews interacted with their pagan neighbours, as well as their gods. Did you know Heracles has a ‘Jewish girlfriend’? This bound the Spartans and the Jews as one genos (1 Macc 12:21). 3/

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

‘Release yourselves from the knowledge that we already have.’ Prof Fredriksen calls us to appreciate the ancient evidence on its own terms, and to take seriously the diversity of Jewish thought and practice in the ancient Mediterranean, especially in the Diaspora. 2/

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Lecture 2, #Giffords2026 Israel Abroad: Jews among the Gods ‘To understand Roman-era Christianities, we need to understand Roman-era Judaisms.’ Prof Fredriksen orients us to the diversity of ancient Judaisms. A few quotes from the lecture: 1/

Outside the Edinburgh Informatics Forum; "Davy Forsyth Bite Book is a stainless steel hardback book placed on the so-called nano stage, a homage to bookshop owner Jim Haynes’ involvement in the Festival Fringe and Traverse Theatre."

Inside the Edinburgh Informatics Forum, Prof. Fredriksen at lectern.

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

...Fredriksen's first lecture orientated us in this unfamiliar landscape. She presents a world dense with divine beings, the setting in which multiple 'Christianities', rather than a singular 'Christianity,' emerged. 4/

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

The lecture problematised the language we use when approaching the ancient Mediterranean. Terms like 'religion' and 'monotheism' do not map neatly onto antiquity... 3/

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Fredriksen opened with 2 striking images: the heelbone of a young Jewish man (pierced by a nail in crucifixion) & a 6th C mosaic of Christ in Roman garb, dressed like a Roman ruler. How do we get from the 1st image the 2nd? This is the 'story arc' of the lectures to come /2

Prof Fredriksen; Heelbone of Yehochanan son of Hagkol, pierced by a nail bent on the by a knot in wood of a cross, and a sixth century mosaic of Christ in imperial purple, dressed like a Roman ruler or soldier.

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

It was glorious sunny day here in Edinburgh, but the 2026 Gifford Lectures were able to draw everyone into the University of Edinburgh's Informatics Forum for Prof Paula Fredriksen's opening lecture. 1/ If you're attending, do join the conversation with #Giffords2026

Bluebells; University of Edinburgh's Informatics Forum in the blurred background.

University of Edinburgh's Informatics Forum.

Bluebells and tree in a park; University of Edinburgh's Informatics Forum in the background.

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

A reminder that tonight marks the first lecture in this year’s Gifford Lectures series, 'The Conversions of Christianity' with Prof Paula Fredriksen. It runs from 5pm–7pm (BST). If you can’t make it to Edinburgh in person, do join us online! 🔗 cahss.ed.ac.uk/20252026-pro...

QR Code. Background image: Mosaic of the Judgment of Paris, 115 - 150 CE, from Antioch on the Orontes (Antakya, Turkey), Louvre Museum

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Lecture 1 takes place on Monday 4 May, titled “A World Full of Gods” 🕔5–7pm | Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton St, Edinburgh 🎟️Free to attend (in person or online), but registration is required. Scan the QR code use the link: cahss.ed.ac.uk/20252026-pro... Join us for a drinks reception afterwards!

cahss.ed.ac.uk

2025/2026: Professor Paula Fredriksen - The Conversions of Christianity | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

The University of Edinburgh are delighted to host Professor Paula Fredriksen as our 2026 Gifford Lectures speaker. Join us this May as Professor Paula Fredriksen, one of the world’s leading historians...

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

📢 The Gifford Lectures are just around the corner! Prof Paula Fredriksen will begin with an exploration of how ancient Mediterranean societies understood gods, humans, & the cosmos. This opening lecture sets the stage for a fascinating series on the origins & evolution of early Christianity.

‘Gods and humans were conceived as forming family groups ... peoples were linked by tradition and history to the gods that they worshipped. The people group - what we call “ethnicity” - was another expression of cultic identity, a people’s worship of their own particular gods.’ Professor Paula Fredriksen, Ancient Christianities (p. xiv).

Background image: Mosaic of the Judgment of Paris, 115 - 150 CE, from Antioch on the Orontes (Antakya, Turkey), Louvre Museum

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

📍& 🗺️ Gifford Lectures venue: Informatics Forum 10 Crichton Street Edinburgh EH8 9AB *Note that the RSE seminar takes place at a different location from the other Gifford Lectures* RSE Gifford Seminar: The Conversions of Christianity 6pm–7.30pm 22–26 George Street Edinburgh EH2 2PQ

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

• Mon 11 May, 5–7pm — The End, and New Beginnings • Tue 12 May, 6–7.30pm — RSE Seminar: The Conversions of Christianity • Wed 13 May, 5–7pm — When does Christianity become Christianity? • Thu 14 May, 5–7pm — The Conversions of Christianity

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Theology in Scotland @theoscot.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

📅&🕰️ for the Gifford Lectures: • Mon 4 May, 5–8pm — A World Full of Gods • Tue 5 May, 5–7pm — Israel Abroad: Jews among the Gods • Thu 7 May, 5–7pm — From Jesus to Christ

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