"The women of the Bible, so often flattened into symbols of purity, motherhood, or sin, become fleshy, unruly humanity." Just recieved: My exhibition review of 'Encountering Biblical Bodies' featuring Sarah Lightman's works (curated by @siobhanjolley.bsky.social & Holly Morse) in Art+Christianity.

Looking forward to listening to this especially after the York mystery plays this last fortnight.

Grad students and early career scholars, nominate your work for the NASSCAL Sisters of Sinai prize for outstanding scholarship in Christian apocrypha. Nominations close Sept. 1. Details here: www.nasscal.com/the-sisters-...

Ignatius had good legs.

New job: Postdoc in Coptic Studies in Vienna. Join me and my colleagues in the ERC-CoG CLAIM project!

🎉 New book day! It’s been available early in National Gallery shops for a couple of weeks now but yesterday was official publication day for Saints. Available now at all good book shops and the billionaire bad ones too.

Many belated thanks to @jeremiahcoogan.bsky.social for hosting a really great event in San Francisco & editing this special issue where I could point out just some of things that were wrong in my previous work & start a discussion about Early Christian genres with Beyoncé.

🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 A must-see if you're anywhere near Austin, TX! John Rylands Library is loaning star objects for an exhibition opening this month. 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 #ClassicsBlueSky #AncientBlueSky #Egyptology aboutmanchester.co.uk/the-john-ryl...

We've launched the website for our 'Coptic in Manchester: Connecting Manuscripts and Communities' UKRI-funded project ('26–28) with @thejohnrylands.bsky.social ! Please share! sites.google.com/view/coptici...

Now exhibiting in the Samuel Alexander Glass Corridor: Encountering Biblical Bodies – Sarah Lightman’s Biblical Women 📅 Until 26 March 2026 📍 Samuel Alexander Glass Corridor Join us for a research café with the artist Sarah Lightman on 16 March: https://ow.ly/FFTl50YotOl

My musings on the extent to which the idea that Perpetua & co were executed at Carthage stems from Christian/colonial fantasies are finally out in JECS. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...

We're excited to be collaborating with the Harry Ransom Center on their next exhibition Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt. The exhibition brings to life the voices of Greco-Roman Egyptians through rare papyrus manuscripts rarely seen by the public. Opening 11 April in Austin, Texas.

Very much looking forward to this!

Fun to see this as the first NASSCAL First Friday after joining the board!

Just published my first piece for the Conversation! It’s on Thecla and her reception within Christianity. theconversation.com/thecla-the-b...

So many of my recent pieces for National Geographic would have suffered were it not for my ability to link to the amazing resources supplied by @nasscal.bsky.social. If you are interested in early Christian literature you must check out this invaluable site. www.nasscal.com

I will be doing a live interview via Zoom Dec. 22 on apocryphal Christmas traditions. Join in and ask me some skill-testing questions! See the image and link below for information.

NEW FOR 2026 | Essays in Long Late Antiquity A new Open Access journal in first millennium studies, enticing interdisciplinary and superregional approaches to research in the second to the ninth centuries & broader Afro-Eurasian region: bit.ly/4f7BXZC @calthalas.bsky.social @sihonglin.bsky.social

The second is earmarked for research on ancient Christian ascetic and monastic literature from its emergence to the 6th century CE. www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...

Two fully paid PhD positions at Lund University! One in Hebrew Bible and the other in Jewish studies, focus late antiquity. Gorgeous location and gorgeous colleagues. Don't sleep on this! (Set filter to HT to access these two in particular.) lunduniversity.lu.se/vacancies

Check out Tony's list, and then check out these titles related to Christian Apocrypha you won't see at SBL 2025 (because I self-publish them and won't be there). Greek reader editions for 1st Apocryphal Apocalypse of John: amzn.to/4pc0guC & Acts of Pilate: amzn.to/4oPWbge

CFP: “Shaping the Word: the Form and Use of Biblical Manuscripts in the Early Medieval West” at Durham University in July 2026. We are interested in a wide range of papers exploring ways in which scriptural texts (produced roughly c. 500-1000) were presented and used.

our "signature" session this year is a celebration of the work of elizabeth a. castelli. we're lucky to get some stellar panelists *and* prof. castelli as a respondent. we're sending a special invite to our late ancient besties at NAPS; please join us for all our panels, but this one's for you!

The first two books of our 'Coptic Gospels & Associated Texts' series with @universitypress.cambridge.org are now available to read online. The series provides thematic introductions & new translations to non-canonical gospels. www.cambridge.org/core/series/...

Announcing the launch of the open-access Journal of Christian Apocryphal Literature (JCAL). Sign up if you are interested in being a contributor or reviewer! journals.aperio.press/jcal/submiss...

3 more weeks to apply for this... please continue to share widely.

I will be teaching a Coptic intro course starting 10/27 with The Religion Department. Come for some accessible + fun philology! All materials authored by me and based on my 12+ years of daily reading and expertise. DM for any questions. Sign-up here: www.religiondepartment.com/learning-cop...

We are looking for a one-year full-time Research Associate to work on Coptic manuscripts in Manchester as part of a wonderful project that connects mss with local communities. Requires strong skills in Coptic, English, & Arabic. Deadline 31/10. Please share! www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

A very pleasant couple of days @chesterbeatty.bsky.social for our @researchireland.ie New Foundations project on 'home' and late antiquity. @mbinzurich.bsky.social @sarahparkhouse.bsky.social @kelsbot.bsky.social

Really looking to going to Dublin to think about home in monastic and martyr works soon and hearing all the fab ideas of the others involved.

I’m at the airport en route to #EABSBL, so it feels like the perfect time to send a copy of my book, Reimaging the Magdalene, on a journey too! 💛 like and 🔁 RT and I’ll draw a winner on the feast of Mary Mag (22/07, heathens) Let’s see where it ends up… #Giveaway

Some thoughts on women retelling the gospel story. theconversation.com/cynthia-eriv...

For my sins, I've finally given in and joined instagram. Please give me a follow @drsarahparkhouse. Next up, Tiktok.

An incredibly well preserved 1700 year old sock which was discovered in a Roman period cemetery at Oxyrhynchus (modern day Al-Bahnasa) in Egypt. Part of the collections at Manchester Museum. 📷 My own. #ManchesterMuseum

📣 Booking is now open for our 2025 meeting, hosted by @uomreligion.bsky.social - online and in person options available now. estore.manchester.ac.uk/conferences-...

It's not too late to sign up for this summer Coptic course! www.religiondepartment.com/coptic Begins July 8th. Available Asynch. or Synch. Lectures live Tuesdays at 10:00am Atlanta/EDT (3:00pm London/BST, 4:00pm Amsterdam/Zurich/CEST, 5:00pm Cairo/EEST, and 12:00am July 9th Australia/AEST).

This was fantastic! Would highly recommend anyone working in environmental humanities to apply for the next year.

Peter Oakes and I have written about our Coptic Manuscripts & Community pilot project @thejohnrylands.bsky.social, where we share initial insights on how the manuscripts came to be in Manchester & how we might connect these ancient artefacts with folks today. rylandscollections.com/2025/06/13/f...

$175 for 8-week Coptic course focused on learning to read the Gospel of Thomas. Access to weekly 90-minute lecture (available synchronous or asynch.), learning materials authored by me, and weekly office hours. #Coptic #DigitalPhilology #NagHammadi #Apocrypha #BiblicalStudies

Very interesting new study dating the Dead Sea Scrolls. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Important for US researchers: Norway has committed a large sum of money to attract US scholars to join any of its nationally funded projects with a priority to the projects that won Research Council of Norway FRIPRO grant. I hold this fund for my project starting in 2026 [1/2]

New RFB guest lecture coming this week! Did environmental disasters help bring down the Roman Empire and boost the rise of Christianity? Join us for a deep-dive with friend of the show and scholar of early Christianity Dr. Travis Proctor. Register here: www.religiondepartment.com/offers/o2NGS...

Was the 'Mary' instructed not to touch Jesus in the garden, Mary his friend or Mary his mother? Which Mary was who, and which Mary was where? Were these two Marys separate Marys at all? New linked article on how late-antique gospel retellers used the muddle of the Marys in various and creative ways.

Looks fantastic, congrats Josh!

The online seminar of the GenAut Project is now live – open to all. With @dekayra.bsky.social @angelnarro.bsky.social @chancebonar.bsky.social @janetspittler.bsky.social off Bsky, and others. Do get in touch if you'd like to be added to our email list. genaut.univie.ac.at?page_id=671