Professor Philip Ziegler

Professor Philip Ziegler
Professor Philip Ziegler
Professor Philip Ziegler

BA (Hons.), MA, STL, MDiv, ThD; SFHEA

Personal Chair

About
Email Address
p.ziegler@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 272378
Office Address
KCF17 King's College
Old Aberdeen Campus
King's College
AB24 3UB

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School/Department
School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History

Biography

Born and raised in southwestern Ontario in Canada, I was educated at the Royal Military College of Canada and the University of Toronto, before undertaking postgraduate studies in theology in Toronto studying systematic and historical theology, ecumenics, and the philosophy of religion at several member colleges of the Toronto School of Theology; during my final year of doctoral studies I was a Junior Fellow of Massey College. I graduated with my doctorate from the University of Toronto / Victoria University in 2002.

After holding a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Princeton University's Center for the Study of Religion, I taught for several years at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Canada as Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology. I joined the faculty of the University of Aberdeen as Lecturer in Systematic Theology in January 2006. In 2016 I was appointed to a personal chair as Professor in Christian Dogmatics. 

Ordained to the Order of Ministry of the United Church of Canada since 1996, I am an associeted elder of the cathedral Church of St Machar, in Old Aberdeen and currently serve as Trustee of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

I am a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships
  • Convenor of the Hay of Seaton Lectureship Committee (2023-)
  • Co-Director of the Aberdeen Centre for Protestant Theology (2017-)
  • Past Chair of the Gifford Lecture Committee of the University (2009-2020) 
  • Previously, Director of Undergraduate Programmes (Divinity) (2009-10), Deputy Head of School (2007-09), Head of the School (2009-12), School Director of Research (2014-17), School Director of Taught Postgraduate Programmes (2018-19; 2020), Undergraduate Admissions Selector for Divinity (2006-8, 2018-22), and most recently School Director of Postgraduate Research (2022-23) as well as an elected member of the University Senate (2014-18); Acting Master of Christ's College (2019-20)
External Memberships
  • Society for the Study of Theology (UK)
    • Member of the Executive Committee (2012-15)
  • Society for the Study of Christian Ethics (UK)
    • ex officio member of the steering committee (2023-)
  • Society for Biblical Literature
    • Pauline Theology Unit, steering committee (2024-)
  • American Academy of Religion
  • Karl Barth Society of North America
    • General Secretary (2001-)
  • International Dietrich Bonhoeffer Society
    • Member of the Board of Directors, English Language Section (2013-)
  • Assembly Trustee, Church of Scotland
  • Council of Christians and Jews (UK)
Research

Research Overview

My research interests comprise core topics in Christian dogmatics with particular interest in Christology; the doctrines of justification, election and revelation; the Christian life and the theological bases of Christian ethics and politics; as well as the history of modern Protestant theology generally, and within it particularly the living theological legacies of Søren Kierkegaard, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth.

My research also concerns the significance of contemporary biblical exegesis for the practice of theology, in particular the consequences of readings of Paul for the reform and renewal of fundamental doctrines.

 

Research Areas

Current Research

I am currently writing on topics including: the construal of divine and human identity and the Christian life within an apocalyptic theological vision; the relation of the doctrine of scripture and the practice of Sachkritik; the motif of the 'victory of Christ' in the history of soteriology; trajectories in theology in Western Europe in the latter half of the 20th century; the contemporary significance of Bonhoeffer's Ethics; the fate of the devil as a theme in modern European theology.

I have recently edited the newest volume of the Edinburgh Critical History of Christian Theology which treats of the 20th century (EUP, 2022). Together with Kaitlyn Dugan, I've also recently edited The Finality of the Gospel: Karl Barth and the Tasks of Eschatology (Brill, 2022). At present, I am working with R. David Nelson to oversee a substantive new Handbook of Modern Theology for T&T Clark due to published in 2023.

Past Research

For a list of my research publications to date see here: https://theologiaborealis.wordpress.com/selected-publications/

 

 

Collaborations

Together with Pieter Vos, I am Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Reformed Theology .

I am Editor-in-Chief of Brill's Companions to Modern Theology series.

Together with Ian MacFarland and Ivor Davidson, I edit the T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology series.

Together with Jenny McBride and Michael Mawson, I edit the new T&T Clark New Studies in Bonhoeffer's Theology and Ethics series.

I collaborate with Douglas Harink in the leadership of a working group, 'Explorations in Theology and Apocalyptic' investigating the contemporary relevance of New Testament apocalyptic modes of discourse for the work of Christian dogmatics and ethics.

Supervision

I welcome enquires from potential PhD research students, particularly those looking to pursue their studies on-campus here in Aberdeen. We have a limited number of places each year for new research students in the Systematic Theology area and admission is necessarily selective.

For information about docotral study with us in Divinity here at the Unviersity of Aberdeen follow this link.

Supervisees

  • MS PALOMA HERRERA
  • MR KYLE MCCRACKEN
  • MR ARTHUR WONG
  • MRS ELAINA MAIR
  • MR MATTHEW ARONEY
  • MR COREY TUTTLE
  • MR CHRISTOPHER LANE
  • MS VANESSA PLATEK
  • MR MINGZHI CHEN
  • MR MATTHEW JONES
  • MS LAUREN LARKIN
  • MR DAVID REDFERN
  • DR JAMES HARVEY
  • MR JEFF MORRIS
  • MRS CLAIRE FENNER CRAWLEY
  • REVEREND DAVE ABNEY
  • MR WILLIAM TOLLISON
  • MR TONY WONG
  • MR BRUCE PEARSON
  • MR DAVID MAU
  • DR TE-EN TSAI
Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

I regularly teach, contribute to, and/or co-ordinate the following courses:

  • Topics in Systematic Theology I: God, Christ, Salvation
  • Major Themes in Christian Theology
  • Reformation, Reason and Revolt: Church and Theology in the 16th century
  • Introduction to Christian Theology 
  • Introduction to Philosophy of Religion
  • Classic Texts in Philosophy of Religion