Death of Rev Professor Anthony Thiselton FBA

The College is sad to hear the news of the death of Rev Professor Anthony Thiselton FBA who was Principal of St John’s from 1988 to 1992.

He was one of the leading biblical scholars of his generation, where his main contribution was in the area of hermeneutics but he had a wide range of interests with contributions in systematics, philosophical theology and ethics.  He was ordained a deacon in 1960 and priest 1961, and served the Church England in both parish ministry and at General Synod.  In addition to being Principal of St John’s Durham, he had also been Principal of St John’s Nottingham and head of theology at the University of Nottingham.  As well as a number of honorary degrees he was a Fellow of the British Academy.

The Principal, Rev Professor David Wilkinson paid tribute, ‘Anthony Thiselton was a well loved Principal of this College.  I owe him a great deal.  During my time as Principal he was encouraging and supportive as a friend and counsellor.  As a biblical scholar his work was foundational to the development of the subject not just in universities but also in the mission and ministry of the church.  For evangelical Christians his approach was at times provocative but always faithful to the text.  His work and commentaries on 1 Corinthians have had a profound impact on my own thinking, not least in articulating the Christian hope of resurrection of the body in new creation.   It is in the light of that hope that we assure Rosemary and the family of our thoughts and prayers at this time.’

The funeral will take place on Saturday 4 March at 2.00pm in:

St Mary’s Church

Attenborough

NG9 6AS

The Service of Thanksgiving will be streamed online and can be accessed on St Mary’s Church Attenborough YouTube site on 4th March at 2pm from here: https://m.youtube.com/live/pEA4Xz9KUlg

 

The Principal will be there representing the College and will be giving a brief tribute to Anthony’s scholarship.

    Subscribe to newsletter

    By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy

    Other news

    St John’s Student to present Chemistry Research in Parliament

    Rob Ives, a current St John’s PhD student, has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious STEM for BRITAIN competition where he will present his scientific research in the field of chemistry in Parliament.

    STEM for BRITAIN is a major scientific competition and exhibition which has been held in Parliament since 1997, and is organised by the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee. He will be joined by other finalists to present his work to a panel of judges and parliamentarians on 6th March at Portcullis House in Westminster, London.

    Rob, originally from East Yorkshire, progressed to obtain his first degree from the University of York, has undertaken international research experience at the Institute of Organic Chemistry & Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague and is currently a PhD candidate in Organic Chemistry at Durham University. He was shortlisted from numerous applicants to make it to the final of the STEM for BRITAIN competition 2023.

    Rob said: “I’m delighted to be selected as a finalist for STEM for BRITAIN 2023. It’s a unique opportunity to present and discuss my research with MPs and policymakers. Moreover, I’m very privileged to be representing St John’s College and Durham University. I cannot wait to network with some of the very best early-career researchers in Great Britain.

    STEM for BRITAIN exists to raise the profile of Britain’s early-career researchers by engaging with Members of both Houses of Parliament at Westminster with current science, technology, engineering and mathematics research being undertaken in the UK. Rob will discuss his current research which focusses on shapeshifting molecules as a new method in chemical sensing, with potential applications in drug discovery.

      Subscribe to newsletter

      By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy

      Other news

      Jolyon Mitchell joins us as visiting fellow

      We are delighted to announce that Professor Jolyon Mitchell will be joining us on 31 January as a Visiting Fellow in Residence.

      Professor Jolyon Mitchell specialises in Religion, Violence and Peacebuilding, with particular reference to the arts and media. Educated at the Universities of Cambridge (Selwyn), Durham (St John’s) and Edinburgh, Jolyon worked as a Producer and Journalist with BBC World service and Radio 4 before moving to the University of Edinburgh. He is currently Director of CTPI (the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at the University of Edinburgh), and a former President of TRS-UK (2012-2018 – the national association for Theology and Religious Studies in the UK).

      He is author of many books, chapters and articles, including Promoting Peace and Inciting Violence: The Role of Religion and Media (Routledge, 2012); Martyrdom: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2012); Religion and War: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2021) and Media Violence and Christian Ethics (CUP, 2007). His most recent edited book is The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Peace (2022). He is currently finishing a book on Theatre (Passion Play: The Mysterious Resurgence of Religious Drama, OUP, 2024) and editing Picturing Peace: Photography, Conflict Transformation, and Peacebuilding (Bloomsbury, 2024). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a life member of Clare Hall, at the University of Cambridge. Ordained within the Scottish Episcopal Church, he has served as an NSM at a number of churches for nearly three decades, including St James, Leith and currently St John’s, Edinburgh.

      Jolyon has also served on international film juries at the Cannes, Berlin and Venice film festivals. He directs a number of projects on Peacebuilding, including one which led to the widely used co-edited volume on Peacebuilding and the Arts (Palgrave MacMillan, 2020). He has recently been working with Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious leaders, as well as Palestinian and Israeli journalists, on a peace building project in Jerusalem, the West Bank and beyond. A former marathon runner, he loves teaching and has supervised and worked with numerous PhD students, Post-Doctoral fellows and Ordinands, and lectured all over the world.

        Subscribe to newsletter

        By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy

        Other news

        College Council member Nigel Robson receives MBE

        The College was delighted to hear that Nigel Robson was honoured by an MBE in this year’s New Year’s Honours.

        Nigel is a Member of Council of St John’s College, and is Chair of the Estates Committee. He has been a constant source of support and encouragement to the College not only in its estates strategy but also in reforms of the College’s governance structure, HR practices, and in the mission of Cranmer Hall. Without Nigel’s wisdom, legal expertise and large time commitment, these reforms would not have been possible.

        We are thrilled to hear of this well-deserved honour!

          Subscribe to newsletter

          By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy

          Other news

          An Announcement from Principal David Wilkinson

          David Wilkinson will be leaving his role as Principal of St John’s College from August 2023. After 16 years, it seems now is the right time to move on. Having got through many of the challenges of the pandemic, the College will benefit from fresh leadership which sees new opportunities and challenges.

          Dear all,

          I write to share with you my decision to move on from my role as Principal of St John’s from August 2023. For the last 16 years it has been an extraordinary privilege to serve in such a role in such a wonderful College. Staff, students and alumni have been amazing colleagues to work with. Being Principal has been and continues to be a gift of joy and grace. I have learnt so much through the role and have only been able to do it as a result of the encouragement, support and prayer of so many. I am so grateful for your partnership in the work of the College.

          After 16 years, it seems now is the right time to move on. Having got through many of the challenges of the pandemic, the College will benefit from fresh leadership which sees new opportunities and challenges. In addition, an expanded new phase of our science theology project, Equipping Christian Leadership in Age of Science (ECLAS) means that I will not be able to continue to do justice to the part-time role of Principal. The John Templeton Foundation have agreed a new five year project based in the College with me in a full time role. Council has agreed to me staying within St John’s as full time Director of ECLAS, although of course I will be not be around day to day in College in a way that inhibits my successor.

          By continuing as Principal until August 2023 I hope this will give good time for the appointment of my successor and a smooth transition in leadership.

          I write this with a sense of sadness of leaving a role which I have enjoyed so much. Yet I also feel excitement for a new phase in the life of the College. Most of all I am thankful to be part of such a generous and transformative community.

          Yours sincerely,

          David

          Revd Professor David Wilkinson
          Principal

            Subscribe to newsletter

            By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy

            Other news

            Angela Reith joins us as visiting fellow

            We are delighted to announce that music director, singing workshop leader, composer, vocal arranger, songwriter, pianist, singer, music therapist, tv/video producer and writer Angela Reith is joining us as a visiting fellow.

            Angela has been making music since she started piano lessons at age 8. As a
            teenager in the 1960s, she and her sister Meriel performed as a folk duo, singing and playing guitars.

            After studying music at Birmingham University, her first career was writing, producing and directing for award-winning video and TV programmes, including commissions for Channel 4 Schools TV and charities including Tear Fund, Scripture Union, Salvation Army, Action Aid and Oxfam.

            Since 2000, she has divided her time between playing the piano and guitar, composing, singing, vocal arranging, song-writing, accompanying instrumentalists and music directing. In 2006, she qualified as a registered Music Therapist after training at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

            As well as composing, Angela leads community singing groups and choirs for health, well-being and the enjoyment of group singing, and is comfortable in a wide range of musical genres.

            Her choral settings of David Adam’s Celtic prayers have been published in a number of hymnbooks, and her setting of Rite A Communion – Urban Mass (1984-6, 1998) – composed while Music Director in two churches in inner London, is now used in churches throughout the UK, and is available as a recording on CD and in digital outlets. Her carol, This Night, was ‘highly commended’ in the Bach Choir’s first David Willcocks Carol Competition in 2017, and was performed in the choir’s Cadogan Hall Carol Concert.

            Angela sang with the Anam Cara vocal trio for ten years along with Maggie Newlands and Judith Silver. The trio performed their arrangements of folk, jazz, world songs and originals. The trio’s two CDs are Live at St George’s (2001) and Seize the Moment (2009).

            Angela has released four albums of her own music: Sometimes the Sun (1997) – settings of Celtic prayers and other songs; Behind Us! (2002) – songs from St George’s Church Tufnell Park community musicals; Improvisations (2012) – solo piano for reflection and meditation; and Music To Mend The Heart (2019) – a collection of choral pieces from the past 30 years. All CDs except Behind Us! are available on iTunes and other digital outlets.

            [email protected]
            https://angelareith.net
            https://naturalvoice.net/practitioner/angelareith
            https://angelareith.hearnow.com

              Subscribe to newsletter

              By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy

              Other news

              Statement on the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen

              On the day of the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen the College will be closed, allowing our staff to join in the televised service if they wish. We are grateful for the work done by staff to move events to later times during the week.

              On the day of a state funeral, we acknowledge that there will be many different responses. For staff and students, can I remind you that our College Chaplain, Rev Dr Liz Kent and the rest of the College staff are here to talk and support.

              As a College we continue to give thanks for the life, service and faith of the Queen and we will pray regularly for King Charles and the family as grieving will continue beyond the time of national mourning. As a learning community there will also be time in the future for us to reflect together on the life of a special person, the extraordinary response of the public to her death and the nature of monarchy in contemporary Britain.

              David Wilkinson – the Principal

                Subscribe to newsletter

                By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy

                Other news

                Message from the Principal on the news of the death of Her Majesty the Queen

                The College receives the news of the death of Her Majesty the Queen with sadness but also with thankfulness for a life of leadership, service and humility. The Queen’s long reign through changing times has demonstrated a life sustained by Christian faith and deep personal sacrifice in response to a sense of calling. Her dignity, grace and joy transcended cultural differences and bound a family of nations together both in the Commonwealth and beyond.

                 

                As a College we have had a long relationship with the Royal Family through the Bowes family whose house now comprises the College and generations of the Queen’s ancestors buried in the College chapel, St Mary the Less.  As an Anglican foundation which continues to train leaders for the Church of England we are particularly grateful for her role within the Church.

                We assure our new King and all of the family of our prayers and sympathies at this time of mourning.

                There will be those within our College for whom this death touches their own lives in various ways.  Our new College Chaplain, Rev Dr Liz Kent and the rest of the College staff are here to talk and support, and the Cathedral and other Durham churches will be open for prayer.

                David Wilkinson

                The Principal

                  Subscribe to newsletter

                  By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy

                  Other news

                  New Chaplain appointed at St John’s College

                  We are delighted to announce that Revd Dr Liz Kent has been appointed as the new Chaplain at St John’s College, Durham. Liz read law at Liverpool University before training for ordained Methodist ministry at the Wesley Study Centre in St John’s College. Since ordination she has served in local churches across the North East and has undertaken doctoral study on the church and eating disorders.

                  For the last five years Liz has combined local church ministry with being part-time Director of the Wesley Study Centre at St John’s, and Liz will continue in this role alongside her new Chaplain responsibilities.

                  Welcoming her appointment, Dr Rebecca Bouveng, Vice Principal of St John’s College, commented, ‘I am delighted that Liz is taking on this new role and look forward to working with her.  The panel of staff and students were all impressed with her ability to engage with all ages, particularly young adults, and we believe her combination of lively faith and deep compassion will make her an effective Chaplain across our whole College community.’

                  Revd Dr Philip Plyming, Warden of Cranmer Hall, added, ‘It has been very good to work with Liz over the last five years in her role at the Wesley Study Centre and I am so pleased she is taking on this additional role of Chaplain.  As well as being an ordained Methodist, Liz also brings strong experience and understanding of the Anglican tradition, and I know she will make an excellent contribution co-ordinating the worshipping life of our College as well as offering support to staff and students alike.’

                  Liz Kent said, ‘St John’s College is a very special community and I am delighted to have been appointed to serve as Chaplain. I am excited about this new chapter and I look forward to working across the whole College with staff and students, offering pastoral care and encouraging the rich worshipping life of the College.’

                  Liz will be taking up the post on 1 September 2022, subject to the usual checks being completed.

                    Subscribe to newsletter

                    By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy

                    Other news

                    Law Book Scholarship Fund

                    We are delighted that alumnus and SCR President Richard Roberts has pledged a foundation gift towards a new scholarship fund to support Law students with the purchase of textbooks.

                    Richard comments:

                    “When I came to St John’s in 1976 to study law and politics I was faced with buying a sizable number of textbooks. Law textbooks are notoriously expensive as they go out of date quickly and print runs are not huge. I was fortunate to have grants to help me, without which I could not have bought copies of the required texts over the three years of my study. 

                    Having personal copies of texts is ideal because you can reference them whenever and wherever you want, and yet this could cost a law student around £250 for each year of study.  Changes in the law or hand annotated texts often mean that second-hand copies are unsuitable.  

                    I am delighted that John’s is creating the Law Books Scholarship fund, and I am making an initial pledge of £500 this year, which I will double in 2023, treble in 2024 and maintain thereafter.  

                    There can be no better way in helping our current Johnian students than with the gift of books.”  

                      Subscribe to newsletter

                      By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy

                      Other news

                      Search