Professor Jane Heath

Professor

Affiliations
Affiliation	Telephone
Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion	+44 (0) 191 33 43957
Member of the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies

Biography

I came to Durham in 2011 as a lecturer in New Testament, and have always found it an immensely congenial place to study and explore the Christian tradition, both intellectually and spiritually. The students and colleagues offer a wonderful community of engaged, intelligent, thoughtful and kind people with whom to share ideas, and it is a joy for us to learn in dialogue with one another. The department is situated right next to the cathedral, and there are good connections between different churches and church traditions, which allow us to explore Christianity with greater fullness and depth. There are also opportunities for dialogue between studies in Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and between those who specialise in different approaches to the study of theology and religion, including theological, philosophical, historical, anthropological, and sociological methods among others. And so I write this in the hope of encouraging those who read it to get in touch and explore possibilities of studying here at any level, and from whatever background you come from, bringing the questions that touch you most deeply.

My own work during my time at Durham has shifted in focus over the years, as one foundation gets layered over with new interests. My first degree was in Classics, which has remained important for me, as early Christianity took shape within the Classical world. I transitioned into the discipline of Theology by taking a diploma in 2004, which is a one year course designed for those who hold a first degree in a different discipline. It was a steep learning curve at the time, and I chose courses that would help me get a grounding in biblical studies, both Old and New Testaments. My PhD was in New Testament (2009), and was eventually published in revised form as Paul's Visual Piety: Metamorphosis of the Beholder (Oxford University Press, 2013). This allowed me to connect my interest in visuality and devotional practice with my scriptural study, and to explore the relationship between faith and sight in St Paul. The approach was informed by sociological studies of modern visual piety, especially David Morgan's work, which proved fruitful in highlighting the significance of visuality in St Paul and modifying the emphasis on word-based faith in the reception of his letters.

Thereafter, although I have continued to publish research articles both in New Testament and in Christian visuality, my major research projects have focused on patristics, still drawing extensively on my background in Classics. In 2020 I published Clement of Alexandria and the Shaping of Christian Literary Practice: Miscellany and the Transformation of Greco-Roman Writing (Cambridge University Press, 2020), which situated Clement's literary project in Christian formation in relation to his contemporary literary culture in the Classical world, focusing on Pliny, Plutarch, Gellius, and Athenaeus. In my perception, the significance of Clement as a Christian author in the Classical world had fallen through the cracks between the disciplines of Classics and Theology, because they are separated within the modern university, even though they often share similar concerns in the study of the ancient world. My most recent book, Clement of Alexandria and the Judgement of Taste: Pedagogical Rhetoric and Christian Formation (Oxford University Press, 2024), continued to focus on Clement within the Classical world, but now with a much greater attention to his theology and how it helps us to offer a coherent theological response to strands in modern aesthetics that have moved away from theological thinking. In particular, I drew on Pierre Bourdieu's Distinction: A Social Critique of Judgement to interrogate Clement's approach to Christian formation in the Paedagogus. I tried to show how his training in Christian love is manifested as the formation of something a bit like what we moderns think of as the judgement of taste, but theologically grounded in sophisticated ways.

Having spent so long studying Clement of Alexandria, I am now turning my attention to a project that has a broader scope in view. I am beginning a study on the significance of imagery in the early church from Jesus to Evagrius, with a special interest in baptismal catechesis. I am keen to develop further the dialogue between modern theology and patristics, and to allow this also to renew our approach to scriptural study.

I love teaching at all levels, and would be delighted to hear from anyone who is interested in pursuing a course of study at Durham, whether a taught course or research.