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Ben Quash

Professor Ben Quash

Ben QuashProfessor of Christianity & the Arts

Tel +44 (0)20 7848 2336

Email ben.quash@kcl.ac.uk

Address Room 5E, Chesham Building
King's College London
Strand
LONDON
WC2R 2LS

Biography

Ben Quash grew up in County Durham and Monmouthshire. He read English as an undergraduate at Cambridge, and then (as a second degree, whilst in training for ordination at Westcott House) theology. Doctoral work on the theological dramatic theory of Hans Urs von Balthasar combined these literary and theological interests. He was Chaplain and Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and a lecturer in the Cambridge Theological Federation from 1996-1999, then returned to Peterhouse as Dean and Fellow until he came to King’s as Professor of Christianity and the Arts in 2007.

From 2004-2007 Ben Quash was also Academic Convenor of the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme in the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Divinity, developing research and public education programmes in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and their interrelations - and indulging a delight in Scriptural Reasoning.

Research interests
  • Theological aesthetics, with a particular interest in Hans Urs von Balthasar's work
  • Literature, drama, the visual arts and music, in their intrinsic theological interest, as well as the way in which the arts can stimluate renewed theological engagement with the Bible
  • Christian ethics, especially as shaped by liturgy and scripture

Ben Quash works principally in the area of Christian theology, with a longstanding interest in the 19th-century background to modern theology, 20th-century systematics, philosophical theology, and Christian ethics. His recent collaborations with Jewish and Muslim theologians have sharpened his interest in how Christian theology may be done exegetically as well as systematically, and he is increasingly fascinated by how the arts can play a part in renewing and refreshing theological engagement with the Bible. His present research and writing are focussed on this theme.

Selected publications

Samuel Wells, Ben Quash (2010) Introducing Christian Ethics Oxford: Wiley Blackwell
[Authored Book in print]

Ben Quash (2009) 'Christianity as Hyper-Tragic', in Facing Tragedies pp. 77-88
[Chapter]

Ben Quash (2008) 'Hans Urs von Balthasar's 'Theatre of the World': The Aesthetic of a Dramatics', in Theological Aesthetics After von Balthasar pp. 19-34
[Chapter]

Ben Quash (2007) ''Deep calls to Deep' Reading Scripture in a Multi-Faith Society', in Remembering our Future: Explorations in Deep Church pp. ?-?
[Chapter]

Ben Quash, Michael Ward (2007) Heresies and How to Avoid Them: Why It Matters What Christians Believe London: SPCK
[Edited book in print]

Ben Quash (2007) 'Real Enactments: The Role of Drama in the Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar', in Faithful Performances: Enacting Christian Tradition pp. 13-32
[Chapter]

Ben Quash (2006) 'Heavenly semantics: some literary-critical approaches to scriptural reasoning' MODERN THEOLOGY, 22 (3), pp. 403-420.
[Article in print Journal]

David F Ford, Ben Quash, Janet Martin Soskice (2005) Fields of Faith : Theology and Religious Studies for the Twenty-first Century Cambridge University Press
[Edited book in print]  

Teaching PhD supervision
Ben welcomes enquiries from prospective research students, who would like to work with him on projects relating to his research interests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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