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.
History
[
edit
]
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.
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.
Rankings
[
edit
]
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]
Centres
[
edit
]
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 Gutierrez
,
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
.
Notable faculty
[
edit
]
- John Douglas
, Principal of the College from 1547 to 1574 (later
Archbishop of St Andrews
)
- John Black (martyr)
, Roman Catholic martyr, Second Master
- Andrew Melville
, various posts including Principal from 1580 to 1607 and Rector of the University 1590-1597
[24]
- Robert Howie
Principal from 1607 to 1647
- Samuel Rutherford
, Professor of Divinity 1638-1661, Principal from 1647 to 1661
- Alexander Colville
, Principal 1662 to 1666
- James Hadow
, Principal of the college 1707-1747
- Thomas Halyburton
, Professor of Divinity 1710-1712
- Allan Menzies
Professor of Biblical Criticism 1869 to 1916
- Ian Bradley
, Emeritus Professor of Cultural and Spiritual History and former Principal of St Mary’s College.
- David Brown (theologian)
Wardlaw Professor of Theology, Imagination, and the Arts, 2007 to 2015, now Emeritus Professor
- N.T. Wright
Research Professor (New Testament), 2010 to 2019
- John Cunningham
Principal - Moderator of the General Assembly in 1886
- Alan Torrance
, Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology and founder of the Logos Institute for Analytic and Exegetical Theology
- Oliver Crisp
, Principal of St. Mary's College and Head of the School of Divinity, Professor of
Analytic theology
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Facts and Figures"
. Archived from
the original
on 11 September 2006
. Retrieved
9 September
2006
.
- ^
St John's College, St Andrews
- ^
"Records of St Mary's College"
.
Special Collections
. University of St Andrews. Archived from
the original
on 20 February 2017
. Retrieved
19 February
2017
.
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.
- ^
Scott, Hew (1928).
Fasti ecclesiae scoticanae; the succession of ministers in the Church of Scotland from the reformation
. Vol. 7. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. pp.
416
?434
. Retrieved
8 July
2019
.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain
.
- ^
"St Mary's - Library Facilities"
. Archived from
the original
on 7 June 2007.
- ^
"Newsroom"
. Archived from
the original
on 10 February 2010
. Retrieved
30 October
2010
.
- ^
"About St Mary's College | School of Divinity, University of St Andrews"
.
www.st-andrews.ac.uk
. Retrieved
1 May
2018
.
- ^
"Graduation address Professor Ian Bradley | University of St Andrews"
.
www.st-andrews.ac.uk
. Retrieved
1 May
2018
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Crisp, Oliver.
"Curriculum Vitae"
.
Academia.edu
. Retrieved
5 May
2022
.
- ^
Crisp, Oliver.
"Author"
.
Baker
. Baker Publishing Group
. Retrieved
5 May
2022
.
- ^
"Top UK University League Tables and Rankings 2020"
.
www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk
.
- ^
"Religious studies and theology"
.
The Guardian
. 2 May 2015.
- ^
"Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts - Overview"
. Archived from
the original
on 9 February 2011
. Retrieved
18 March
2011
.
- ^
Smith, George Patrick (2008).
Distributive Justice and the New Medicine
. United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing.
ISBN
978-1-84720-757-9
.
- ^
"CSRP ? Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics ? St Andrews site"
.
- ^
http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/edinburgh-east-fife/religion_and_politics_take_centre_stage_1_961120
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Tutu is named patron at centre".
The Herald (Glasgow)
. 7 October 2005.
- ^
"Institute for Bible, Theology, & Hermeneutics"
.
- ^
"Logos ? Institute for Analytic and Exegetical Theology"
.
logos.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk
.
- ^
"Andrew Bartholomew Torrance - University of St Andrews"
.
risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk
.
- ^
"Faculty ? Logos"
.
logos.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk
.
- ^
"Logos ? Institute for Analytic and Exegetical Theology"
.
logos.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk
. Retrieved
1 February
2019
.
- ^
Holloway, Ernest, R. (2011).
Andrew Melville and Humanism in Renaissance Scotland 1545-1622
. Leiden, Boston: Brill. pp. 1?388.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Governance
| | |
---|
History
| |
---|
Colleges
| |
---|
Schools and institutes
| |
---|
Halls of Residence
| |
---|
Student life
| |
---|
Miscellaneous
| |
---|
Categories
| |
---|
|
|
---|
Theatres and
public houses
| |
---|
Golf
| |
---|
Hotels and
apartment buildings
| |
---|
Monuments
| |
---|
Museums
| |
---|
Religious houses,
past and present
| |
---|
Schools
| |
---|
University colleges,
past and present
| |
---|
Miscellaneous
| |
---|
Other sport
| |
---|