Prof Marcus Plested appointed as new Chair of Divinity

St Mary’s is delighted to announce that Professor Marcus Plested has been appointed as the 1643 Chair of Divinity, one of the most prestigious positions in theological study.

Professor Plested’s area of research lies principally in the Christian East, in patristic, Byzantine, and modern Orthodox theology and the interactions between the Orthodox Christian tradition and Western Christian theologies and philosophies.  He has contributed extensively to Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, serving on the St Irenaeus Orthodox-Catholic Working Group and as the Orthodox consultant for the recent 'Bishop of Rome' document produced by the Vatican.

Professor Plested said: “As an Orthodox theologian, and the first non-Protestant to occupy this distinguished chair in all its long history, this position offers the perfect platform for me to continue pushing forward the conversation between Orthodox and Western theologies, both Protestant and Catholic, and indeed the modern secular world.”

This is Professor Plested’s first time living and working in St Andrews. He looks forward to walking, swimming in the sea, visiting Churches and other sacred sites, and seeing the Scottish countryside in his 1968 Morris Minor.

Read more in the University of St Andrews News.