Religion

Morning Star of the Reformation: John Wycliffe in a 16th-century portrait.

John Wycliffe condemned as a heretic

The theologian was denounced by the church on May 4th, 1415.

The Living Goddess of Nepal

Isabella Tree explores the Kumaris, young girls chosen to be worshipped in Nepal by both Hindus and Buddhists as symbols of purity and makers of kings.

Frontispiece to John Milton's Areopagitica, 1644.

Charlie Hebdo and the Judgement of History

How much are actions – especially extreme ones – the result of impersonal historical forces and how much are they dependent upon the impulses of individual actors?

An engraving of the Shroud of Turin, by Willem de Haen. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain.

The Origins of the Shroud of Turin

Evidence suggests medieval origins for the Shroud of Turin. One of Christianity’s most venerated relics may not be biblical but its history remains remarkable.

The Forgotten World of Christian Socialism

Robert Colls offers a personal reflection upon the religious roots of the Labour Party.

Souls for sale: the slave market at Zabid, Yemen, by Yahya ibn Mahmud al-Wasiti, 1237

The appalling treatment of women and girls by the soldiers of Islamic State and other jihadist groups raises troubling questions about the historical relationship between military conflict and sexual violence.

Mandeans perform a baptism ceremony in the River Nepean, Sydney, Australia

Endangered Religions

Across the Middle East, minority religions are under threat.

'Let My People Go!'

Hollywood offers a new version of the Exodus story, the West’s most enduring political narrative.

Parson Hawker of Morwenstow

For forty years, writes D.M. Hopkinson, the eccentric Vicar of a remote parish in Cornwall led a richly combative life both in High Church politics and in literature.