Dr Ann Conway-Jones

Honorary Research Fellow, University of Birmingham

Ann specialises in biblical interpretation, early Jewish–Christian relations, and the development of Christian mysticism. She combines up-to-date scholarship with over twenty years’ experience of teaching adults.

She is actively involved in Jewish–Christian dialogue and is Chair of the Birmingham Council of Christians and Jews.

Publications

Ann’s PhD thesis was published by OUP in 2014 as Gregory of Nyssa’s Tabernacle Imagery in its Jewish and Christian Contexts.

Alongside more academic articles, she has written several accessible pieces reflecting on the complexities of Christianity’s relationship to Judaism:

‘Challenging Anti-Judaism in the New Testament: A Case Study from Luke’, Theology (forthcoming)

‘The New Testament: Jewish or Gentile?’, Expository Times 130:6 (2019), 237-242

‘Sermon Preached in the Chapel of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge: Evensong, Remembrance Sunday, 2016’, Expository Times 128:8 (2017), 385–8

‘Contempt or Respect? Jews and Judaism in Christian Preaching’, Expository Times 127:2 (2015), 63–72

Lecture titles

Biblical Responses to Crisis
Much of the Bible is a response to crisis – be it the Babylonian exile or the death of Jesus. As we struggle with a global pandemic, this lecture revisits biblical attempts to find meaning amidst cataclysmic events. There is a choice of focus: 1. The flood myth and the trauma of exile; 2. Grief, anger, and hope in the Psalms; or 3. The death of Jesus, the destruction of the temple, and Mark’s Gospel.
Moses, Mysticism and the Mountain
The Exodus narrative of Moses’ experiences on Mount Sinai fascinated early Christian mystics. Difficulties in the biblical text inspired their reflections on such topics as the unknowability of God and the state of a mind at prayer. Explore some intriguing biblical passages through their eyes.
Sibling Rivalry: Early Jewish-Christian Relations and their Legacy
Jesus was an observant Jew who was circumcised, attended synagogue, and celebrated Jewish festivals. Today, Judaism and Christianity are separate religions. How did this come about? Presenting the latest scholarship on what is known as ‘the parting of the ways’ and discussing how Jews and Christians might relate to each other today.