
Martin Palmer
Visiting Professor in Religion, History and Nature at the University of Winchester
22 episodes
Appears in multiple episodes with: Caroline Humfress, John Haldane, Justin Champion, John Carey
Covers topics in categories such as:
Arianism
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss a widely shared form of Christianity, followed in the Roman empire and by the Goths across its borders, that became an infamous heresy.
15 April 2021
Also featuring: Judith Herrin, Robin Whelan
Augustine's Confessions
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss St Augustine's account of his life, sometimes called the first autobiography, written around AD397 after he had been appointed as Bishop of Hippo.
15 March 2018
Also featuring: Kate Cooper, Morwenna Ludlow
Baltic Crusades
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the fight, led by orders such as the Teutonic Knights and supported by the popes, to convert pagans in what became known as the Baltic Crusades.
24 November 2016
Also featuring: Aleks Pluskowski, Nora Berend
Prester John
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Prester John, the legendary Christian king said to rule over a lost nation in 'The Indies' and ready to support Christians in Europe.
4 June 2015
Also featuring: Marianne O'Doherty, Amanda Power
The Trinity
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the doctrine of the Trinity, the idea of a threefold God, which lies at the heart of Christianity.
13 March 2014
Also featuring: Janet Soskice, The Reverend Graham Ward
The Book of Common Prayer
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Book of Common Prayer, published after the Reformation in order to make church liturgy available in English.
17 October 2013
Also featuring: Diarmaid MacCulloch, Alexandra Walsham
Gnosticism
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Gnosticism, a religious sect associated with early Christianity.
2 May 2013
Also featuring: Caroline Humfress, Alastair Logan
King Solomon
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Solomon, the biblical king celebrated in the Old Testament for his wisdom.
7 June 2012
Also featuring: Philip Alexander, Katharine Dell
Shinto
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Japanese belief system of Shinto.
22 September 2011
Also featuring: Richard Bowring, Lucia Dolce
The Pelagian Controversy
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Pelagian Controversy, one of the most significant doctrinal disputes of the early church.
21 April 2011
Also featuring: Caroline Humfress, John Milbank
Daoism
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Daoism, a Chinese belief system encompassing both religion and philosophy.
16 December 2010
Also featuring: Tim Barrett, Hilde de Weerdt
St Thomas Aquinas
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss St Thomas Aquinas, the Catholic Church's foremost western philosopher and theologian.
17 September 2009
Also featuring: John Haldane, Annabel Brett
PhilosophyAnglican saintsMetaphysiciansWriters about religion and sciencePhilosophers of lawUniversity of Paris alumniAristotelian philosophersNatural law ethicistsCatholic philosophersVirtue ethicistsChristian ethicistsLutheran saintsScholastic philosophersClassical theismMedieval Latin-language poetsAngelic visionariesCritics of atheism13th-century writers in Latin13th-century philosophersDoctors of the ChurchSystematic theologiansChristian apologistsDominican mysticsThomas AquinasMagic (supernatural)Miracles
Melvyn Bragg discusses the history of miracles, the subject of fierce theological debate, intense popular piety and serious medical study.
25 September 2008
Also featuring: Janet Soskice, Justin Champion
The Nicene Creed
Melvyn Bragg discusses the Nicene Creed, a statement of essential faith that established the Divinity of Christ and has been spoken for over 1600 years in Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Churches
27 December 2007
Also featuring: Caroline Humfress, Andrew Louth
Hell
Melvyn Bragg discusses the idea of Hell and its changing appearance in literature and the visual arts from Ancient Egypt to today.
21 December 2006
Also featuring: Margaret Kean, Neil MacGregor
Heaven
Melvyn Bragg discusses heaven and the afterlife, from Ancient Egypt, Zoroastrianism and Judaism through to Christianity, the arch promoter of heaven.
22 December 2005
Also featuring: Valery Rees, John Carey
Angels
Melvyn Bragg discusses the heavenly host of Angels, so popular with so many believers and so problematic for philosophers and theologians.
24 March 2005
Also featuring: Valery Rees, John Haldane
The Fall
Melvyn Bragg discusses the idea of original sin and its impact on politics, gender and notions of morality in western culture, examining Augustine, Milton, the Masaccio frescoes and Charles Darwin.
8 April 2004
Also featuring: Griselda Pollock, John Carey
The Devil
Melvyn Bragg discusses how the Devil came into being and why it took so long for him to become an established figure in Christianity.
11 December 2003
Also featuring: Alison Rowlands, David Wootton
The Apocalypse
Melvyn Bragg discusses how this powerful narrative of judgement and retribution evolved, and how it still shapes our thinking on the deepest questions of morality and history.
17 July 2003
Also featuring: Marina Benjamin, Justin Champion
Muslim Spain
Melvyn Bragg discusses Muslim Spain, a culture that lasted 700 years, from Cordoba’s golden age to the fall of Granada.
21 November 2002
Also featuring: Tim Winter, Mehri Niknam
The Soul
Melvyn Bragg discusses the spectrum of ideas about the soul, the extent of human individuality, and the history of thought concerning immortality and the afterlife.
6 June 2002
Also featuring: Richard Sorabji, Ruth Padel