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About the Department | Undergraduate Study | Postgraduate Study | Staff Directory | News & Events
A Brief Introduction
Our undergraduate students enjoy the facilities of the Divinity Library. The School is also two minutes walk from the main University Library. Postgraduate students are normally allocated accommodation in study rooms by the Faculty of Arts and Divinity. Students also have access to a common room nearby in the Chaplaincy centre, where coffee is regularly served. For those seeking to balance study with sport, the School is directly adjacent to the King's College Sports Pavilion and Swimming Pool, and Old Aberdeen itself has a variety of shops and restaurants. The DRSC (Divinity and Religious Studies Students' Council) organises a wide range of sporting and social activities for students and members of staff. At present, over 230 students study in the School. This number includes around 60 postgraduate students. Our students come from all over the British Isles and from overseas. The countries currently represented include Canada, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Korea, Nigeria, Taiwan, Uganda and the USA. Our graduates go on to practise a wider range of professions than ever before. These include ministry, teaching, nursing, social work, the armed forces, journalism, and law. The Place and its Outlook
The University of Aberdeen is an ancient campus university at the very hub of Scotland's beautiful Grampian region. A short drive from some of Scotland's most majestic mountain ranges, as well as the quiet beauty of Royal Deeside, Aberdeen itself is one of the most dynamic small cities in Europe. The city is at the heart of Scotland's North Sea oil development, combining in one place the old and the new. Students to both enjoy the nightlife of Aberdeen's vibrant city-centre, and relax and study in the tranquil splendour of ancient Old Aberdeen. Those with more active interests can enjoy Aberdeen's extensive beaches and sports facilities, as well as unrivalled opportunities for skiing, hillwalking and mountain-climbing. Other centres of Scottish culture and history, such as Edinburgh, Inverness and St. Andrews are also within easy reach by both road and rail. Travel to Europe is easy, with direct flights to London and Amsterdam from Aberdeen airport. As a university, it glories in the wonderful surrounding countryside, its tradition of scholarship and a genuinely friendly campus.
The history of North Sea trade has always tied Aberdeen to the Baltic ports. The development of oil has made it an international community. The internationalism of the city is matched by the vitality of its 500 year-old university. It has created a superb conference centre among the ancient buildings of King's College. Theological conferences on P.T. Forsyth in 1993 and William Robertson Smith in 1994 brought contributors from all over the world. There has since been a conference on the philosophy of John Macmurray, and the International Dialogue between the Reformed and the Orthodox Churches met in Aberdeen in 1996. In 1999 Baroness Warnock was a keynote speaker at an Aberdeen conference on Bioethics for the New Millennium. Most recently, major conferences have been hosted on the Future of Ecumenism and the Doctrine of Providence.
All four of Scotland's ancient universities benefitted from the endowment of annual Gifford Lectures. In the past, such figures as Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Gabriel Marcel, Michael Polanyi, Richard Swinburne, Ian Barbour and Jaroslav Pelikan gave Gifford Lectures here. In recent years, we have been privileged to play host to Anthony Thiselton, Stanley Hauerwas, David Ford, Kathryn Tanner, George Hunsinger, Oliver O'Donovan, Nancey Murphy, Richard Bauckham, Oliver Davies, Joseph Mangina--just some of those who have visited Aberdeen to deliver Scottish Journal of Theology Lectures (recently renamed the T.F. Torrance Lectures). As a School, we have a great deal to offer and we look forward to welcoming further students and scholars from Britain, Europe and the rest of the world.
From the Past to the Present
In Aberdeen, theological study and learning go back to the foundation of this, the third oldest university in Scotland. The Foundation Bull, granted by Pope Alexander VI in 1495, states that one of the main purposes of the newly founded university was to provide well-educated clergy for the northern part of the Kingdom of Scotland.
The present School of Divinity and Religious Studies derives from three institutions: the original University sited at King's College in Old Aberdeen and founded by William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen; Marischal College, the Presbyterian University, founded after the Reformation by George Keith, Earl Marischal, in 1593; and Christ's College, the modern name for the College founded after the Disruption of 1843 by the Free Church of Scotland for the training of its ministers. The two ancient universities of King's College and Marischal College were united to form the University of Aberdeen in 1860. Christ's College was linked with the Faculty of Divinity after the Union of the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland in 1929. Thus the university was in the unique situation of being able to celebrate its 400th anniversary in 1993 and its 500th in 1995! From the foundation of King's College, the Principal was required to teach theological subjects. The oldest separate Chair of Divinity was founded in Marischal College in 1616, to be followed closely by a similar foundation in King's College in 1620; these Chairs are now assigned to Church History and Systematic Theology, respectively. The Chair of Hebrew and Semitic Languages was founded in King's College in 1673, while the Chair of Biblical Criticism (now New Testament) was founded after the union of 1860, and lately renamed the Kirby Lang Chair in New Testament Exegesis in honour its major benefactor. A Chair of Practical Theology was established in Christ's College in 1934. More recently the School has expanded by the establishment of a number of lectureships in all the major areas of study and secured a 6th-Century Chair in Religious Studies. Each of the various traditions has produced notable scholars and theologians, such as John Forbes, George Campbell, William Milligan, William Robertson Smith, David S. Cairns and G.D. Henderson. Christ's CollegeThe principal role of Christ's College is to oversee the preparation and formation of ministerial candidates for the Church of Scotland. From its offices on the High Street, the College collaborates closely with the divinity faculty to ensure candidates receive appropriate academic training for the ministry, funding a lectureship in Practical Theology, organizing extramural lectures and seminars, and hosting an annual lecture at the beginning of each academic year. In addition, the College maintains the Divinity Library, which serves all undergraduates within the department. It also contributes to the spiritual life of the university, organising a weekly Chapter Service during each academic term. Working with the Master and administrative staff of the College, the Financial Board administers the various bequests, legacies and funds held by the College, providing financial support to the University in its provision of appropriate courses and library resources; to candidates, especially in emergency situations; and to ministers of the Church studying for the joint Aberdeen-Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Doctor of Ministry degree (for information about financial support for this degree contact the Master at christs-college@abdn.ac.uk). The Board also distributes bursaries and prizes to outstanding students through the department's exam board. More information on the history and mission of the College is available here. This page was last modified on: Monday, 28-Jan-2013 09:53:33 GMT School of Divinity, History and
Philosophy |
The Department is attractively
situated at the heart of the Old Aberdeen campus. It maintains a tradition
of teaching and learning which dates back to the university's foundation
over 500 years ago. It is the only School which is now based in King's
College quadrangle, and occupies accommodation beside the ancient chapel
and the modern Visitors' Centre.
