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Latin: Collegium Sanctae Mariae | |||||||||||||||||||||
Motto | Latin: IN PRINCIPIO ERAT VERBUM (In the Beginning was the Word) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Type | College | ||||||||||||||||||||
Established | 1538 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Principal | Oliver D. Crisp | ||||||||||||||||||||
Students | 98 [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Undergraduates | 60 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Postgraduates | 50 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Location | , , 56°20′21″N2°47′40″W / 56.3391°N 2.7945°W | ||||||||||||||||||||
Teaching staff | 20 [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Colours | |||||||||||||||||||||
Affiliations | University of St Andrews | ||||||||||||||||||||
Website | www.st-andrews.ac.uk/divinity/ |
St Mary's College, founded as New College or College of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the home of the Faculty and School of Divinity within the University of St Andrews, in Fife, Scotland.
The college was founded in 1538 by Archbishop James Beaton, uncle of Cardinal David Beaton on the site of the Pedagogy or St John's College (founded 1418). [2] [3]
St Mary's College was intended to preserve the teachings of the Catholic church against the Protestant teachings of the reformers. It was dedicated to a revival of learning on the Continental trilingual model and from the outset laid emphasis on the knowledge of Latin, Greek and Hebrew. In 1579, nineteen years after the Reformation brought fundamental changes to the religious life of the Scottish nation, St Mary's College was reconstituted, under the influence of Andrew Melville, as the Faculty of Divinity of the university. [4]
At its foundation in 1538 St Mary's was intended to be a College for instruction in Divinity, Law, and Medicine, as well as in Arts, but its career on this extensive scale was short-lived. Under a new foundation and erection, confirmed by Parliament in 1579, it was set apart for the study of Theology only, and it has remained a Divinity College ever since. From 1580 onwards each Principal has acted as primarius Professor of Divinity, or first Master. [5]
St Mary's College retains much of its original sixteenth-century buildings, specifically the north and West ranges. The Quad contains a thorn tree said to have been planted by Mary, Queen of Scots, during her many visits to St. Andrews. The Quad also contains the historic King James Library founded by King James VI & I in 1612. [6] In addition, the College has The Roundel, a 16th-century building dedicated for doctoral students studying divinity at the University of St Andrews.
The college is one of five approved centres for the training of Church of Scotland ministers. Graduates include the Very Rev Dr Finlay Macdonald, the immediate past Principal Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and a former Moderator. [7]
Beginning May 2018, the Principal of St Mary's College was Rev. Dr. Stephen Holmes, also Head of the School of Divinity, who replaced Ian Bradley (Professor Emeritus). [8] [9] Since January 2022 Oliver Crisp has taken up the Principal and Head of School positions, [10] [11] previously having been Acting Head of the School of Divinity since October 2021.
As of May 2015, the Faculty and School of Divinity forms an academic community of some 131 persons: 16 members of staff; 55 postgraduate students; and 60 undergraduates. According to The Complete University Guide 2016, the School of Divinity is placed first in the United Kingdom for undergraduate studies ahead of Durham in second place and Cambridge in third. [12] In the 2016 Guardian University Guide, it is also ranked first in the United Kingdom in religious studies and theology. [13]
The college has four research centres.
The Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts (ITIA) was founded within the college by professors Trevor Hart and Jeremy Begbie (currently Thomas A. Langford Research Professor at Duke Divinity School) in 2000. It "aims to advance and enrich an active conversation between Christian theology and the arts – bringing rigorous theological thinking to the arts, and bringing the resources of the arts to the enterprise of theology." [14] The current director is Dr Gavin Hopps.
The Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics (CSRP) was founded in November 2004 by a group of academics attached to the Schools of Divinity, International Relations, Modern Languages, and Philosophical and Anthropological Studies. The need for a centre of learning to consider the role of religion and politics was highlighted by the support garnered from a diverse range of scholars and religious and political figures who endorsed the Centre's establishment. These supporters who have continued as Patrons of the Centre include Gustavo Gutiérrez, Cardinal O'Brien, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Carole Hillenbrand, Ian Linden, Julian Filochowski, J.D.Y. Peel, Rev Joel Edwards, Professor George P. Smith II [15] and Dr. P.T.W. Baxter. [16] [17] [18] The current director is Professor Mario Aguilar
The Institute for Bible, Theology & Hermeneutics (IBTH) was established in 2009 to give formal identity to the long-standing project of research into Scripture and theology that has been associated with the work at St Mary's School of Divinity. The institute introduces its aims as seeking, "To overcome the sense of fragmentation within the field of Divinity that burdens many within the Academy, promoting intra-disciplinary conversation between Biblical Studies and the various fields of Theology, thus providing a core identity for a more integrated discipline competent to engage in inter-disciplinary research. With the study of general hermeneutical theory and practice at its centre, it will be outward-looking and keen to engage with issues arising from the contemporary world." [19] The current director is Dr Mark Elliott.
The Logos Institute for Analytic and Exegetical Theology [20] was founded in 2016 by Professor Alan Torrance and Dr Andrew Torrance. [21] The Institute "is committed to scholarship that reflects a concern for: transparency; simplicity in expression; clear, logical argumentation; and rigorous analysis. It also reflects a radical commitment to interdisciplinary engagement, particularly between the fields of philosophy, theology, biblical studies, and the sciences. Its faculty [22] consists of world-leading scholars in the fields of biblical studies, theology, and philosophy." [23] The current director is Professor Oliver Crisp.
The University of St Andrews is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the third-oldest university in the English-speaking world. St Andrews was founded in 1413 when the Avignon Antipope Benedict XIII issued a papal bull to a small founding group of Augustinian clergy. Along with the universities of Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh, St Andrews was part of the Scottish Enlightenment during the 18th century.
Anthony Charles Thiselton was an English Anglican priest, theologian, and academic. He wrote a number of books and articles on a range of topics in Christian theology, biblical studies, and the philosophy of religion. He served on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, appointed by the Minister of Health.
Thomas Forsyth Torrance, commonly referred to as T. F. Torrance, was a Scottish Protestant theologian and minister. He was a member of the famed Torrance family of theologians. Torrance served for 27 years as professor of Christian dogmatics at New College, in the University of Edinburgh. He is best known for his pioneering work in the study of science and theology, but he is equally respected for his work in systematic theology.
New College is a historic building at the University of Edinburgh which houses the university's School of Divinity. It is one of the largest and most renowned centres for studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the United Kingdom. Students in M.A., M.Th. and Ph.D. degree programmes come from over 30 countries, and are taught by almost 40 full-time members of the academic staff. New College is situated on The Mound in the north of Edinburgh's Old Town.
John Baillie was a Scottish theologian, a Church of Scotland minister and brother of theologian Donald Macpherson Baillie.
The history of the University of St Andrews began with its foundation in 1410 when a charter of incorporation was bestowed upon the Augustinian priory of St Andrews Cathedral. The University grew in size quite rapidly; St Salvator's College was established in 1450, St Leonard's College in 1511 and St Mary's College in 1537. Some of the college buildings in use today date from this period as does St Salvator's Chapel. At this time much of the teaching was of a religious nature and was conducted by clerics associated with the cathedral.
A Church of Scotland congregation is led by its minister and elders. Both of these terms are also used in other Christian denominations: see Minister (Christianity) and Elder (Christianity). This article discusses the specific understanding of their roles and functions in the Scottish Church.
Iain Richard Torrance, is a retired Church of Scotland minister, theologian and academic. He is Pro-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, Honorary Professor of Early Christian Doctrine and Ethics at the University of Edinburgh, President and Professor of Patristics Emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary, and an Extra Chaplain to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland. He was formerly Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, and Dean of the Order of the Thistle. He is married to Morag Ann, whom he met while they were students at the University of St Andrews, and they have two children.
Alan Torrance is professor of systematic theology at St Mary's College of the University of St Andrews. Previously he lectured at King's College London from 1993–1998, where he was also Director of the Research Institute in Systematic Theology. During this time he served as Senior Research Fellow at the Erasmus Institute, University of Notre Dame. He previously lectured at Knox Theological Hall and the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Academic dress at the University of St Andrews involves students wearing distinctive academic gowns whilst studying at the University of St Andrews. Undergraduate gowns in Scotland were once common at all the ancient universities of Scotland, with each having its own distinctive style. St Andrews undergraduates wear either a scarlet gown if they are part of the United College and studying in the Faculties of Arts, Medicine and Science, or a black gown if they are part of St Mary's College and studying in the Faculty of Divinity.
Sarah Anne Coakley is an English Anglican priest, systematic theologian and philosopher of religion with interdisciplinary interests. She is an honorary professor at the Logos Institute, the University of St Andrews, after she stepped down as Norris–Hulse Professor of Divinity (2007–2018) at the University of Cambridge. She is also a visiting professorial fellow at the Australian Catholic University, both in Melbourne and Rome.
Jeremy Sutherland Begbie, BA, BD, PhD, LRAM, ARCM, is Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Research Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School, Duke University, where he is the McDonald Agape Director of Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts. He is a systematic theologian whose primary research interest is the correlation between theology and the arts, in particular the interplay between music and theology. He is also an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Music at the University of Cambridge.
Mario Ignacio Aguilar is the Chair of Religion and Politics at the School of Divinity of the University of St Andrews, Scotland.
David Alexander Syme Fergusson is a Scottish theologian and Presbyterian minister. Since 2021, he has been Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge.
The Torrance family includes several well-known modern Scottish theologians and clergymen, primarily associated with the Church of Scotland. The patriarch of the Torrance family of theologians is Thomas Torrance (1871–1959), a Scottish missionary to China and father of Mary, Thomas F., Grace, Margaret, James, David.
Oliver D. Crisp is a British theologian who currently works as Professor of Analytic Theology at the University of St Andrews, and was formerly a professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
Karla Pollmann is the President at the University of Tübingen in Germany, an office she has held since October 1, 2022. Previously she was the Dean of Arts at the University of Bristol, where she worked in both the department of Classics and Ancient History and the department of Religion and Theology. Her research covers Classical to Late Antiquity, patristics, the history of exegesis and hermeneutics, and the thought of Augustine of Hippo and its reception.
Analytic Theology (AT) refers to a growing body of primarily Christian theological literature resulting from the application of the methods and concepts of late-twentieth-century analytic philosophy.
In February 1537/8 Archbishop James Beaton (died 1539) founded 'the College of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary' on the site of the pedagogy of the University of St Andrews in South Street.
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