Welcome to the Divinity Divulged podcast! The first podcastseries from the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. In each episode we’ll be taking a look at one of the fascinating research projects happening within the Faculty through conversations with the researcher and an expert guest working in their field. With dialogue aimed at all of thosestudying or exploring religious studies across all levels, you can find details on how this episode relates to A Level and Scottish Highers Specifications as well as a glossary below.

For this very special episode we went live! Recorded as part of the Cambridge Festival Ideas in 2025 we welcomed Dr Ankur Barua, University Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Divinity here at Cambridge. Offering us their expertise and their reflections was Dr Alexandra Ilieva, Teaching Associate in Buddhist Studies also in the Faculty of Divinity.

Ankur divulged his connections to considerations around timeand space, cognition and intuition, translations, and, most significantly, time travel films.

Glossary

Atomic theory – Scientific explanation which suggests thatall matter is from small particles called atoms.

Dharma- Sanskrit word generally referring to a path of righteousness or duty in Hinduism and Buddhism.

Diachronic – Consideration of the way something,particularly language, has developed over time.

Ethnography – Social scientific descriptions of peoples andcultures through their customs habits and mutual differences through observation.

Existential – The consideration of and ideas relating to existence.

Hermeneutical intent – Attempting to understand a text byseeking to understand the authors meanings and motivations.

Language game – Philosophical concept developed by Ludwig Wittgenstein which refers to simple examples of language and the ideas and actions within them.

Meta philosophy – The philosophical study of the nature,methods, aims and boundaries of philosophy itself.

Metaphysical – Aspects of philosophy that consider thenature of reality and existence beyond the physical world and human perception

Nihilistic – The belief that life is meaningless and arejection of religious and moral principle accordingly

Orientalism – Representations of Asian cultures and peoplesin an stereotyped and essentialised way stemming from and furthering colonialist attitudes

Syllogistic – A type of log where conclusions are reached byapplying deductive reasoning to two general premises

Synchronic – State of operating or developing according tothe same time scale as something else

Tawheed – The Islamic concept of the oneness of God

A Level Specifications –

AQA

Philosophy of Religion

Religious language

Self, death and the afterlife

2a Buddhism

Ultimate reality

Buddhism and science

2c Hinduism

Ultimate reality

Hinduism and science

Dialogues

The dialogue between Hinduism and philosophy

Pearson Edexcel

Philosophy of Religion

1 Philosophical issues and questions

4 Religious language

4A Buddhism

1 Religious Beliefs values and teachings

4C Hinduism

1 Religious Beliefs values and teachings

OCR

2.c Philosophy of religion

1 Philosophical language and thought

4 Theological and Philosophical Developments

5 Religious Language: Negative, Analogical or Symbolic

2.c Developments in Buddhist thought

Foundations

Insight

2.c Developments in Hindu thought

Foundations

Insight

Scottish Highers Specifications

SQA

Buddhism

Beliefs

Hinduism

Beliefs

Welcome to the Divinity Divulged podcast! The first podcastseries from the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. In each episode we’ll be taking a look at one of the fascinating research projects happening within the Faculty through conversations with the researcher and an expert guest working in their field. With dialogue aimed at all of thosestudying or exploring religious studies across all levels, you can find details on how this episode relates to A Level and Scottish Highers Specifications as well as a glossary below.

For this episode Dr Thomas Graff joins the podcast, Bye-Fellowand Director of Studies in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion at St Edmund’s College in Cambridge. Offering us their expertise is Professor Robin Kirkpatrick, Professor Emeritus of Italian and English Literature at the University of Cambridge.

Thomas talks us through his work studying Italian poet andwriter Dante, developing as he does a ‘theology of incarceration’ in and beyond him. We think about redemption, reconciliation, exile, power discourses and mass incarceration.

Glossary

Dante – Italian poet and writer of the 13thand 14th century, perhaps most famous for his Divine Comedy.

Ghibellines – Political and military factionsupporting the Holy Roman Emperor against the Pope in the Italian city states of central and northern Italy in the Middle Ages.

Guelfs - Political and military faction supportingthe Pope against the Holy Roman Emperor in the Italian city states of central and northern Italy in the Middle Ages.

MLK – Martin Luther King Jr, American civil rightsactivist and Baptist minister.

Panopticon – Circular prison design conceived byUtilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham to offer theoretical constant observation of prisoners in order to create a feeling of constant observation and self-regulation of behaviour as a result.

Punitive justice/Retributive justice – A system ofjustice focused on punishment in order to deter future crime.

Purgatory – A stage of the afterlife where sinners areoffered the chance to recompense for sin in order to progress to heaven.

Restorative justice – A process that brings thoseresponsible for and those harmed by crime together in dialogue to attempt to find a shared path forward.

A Level Specifications –

AQA

Philosophy of Religion

Evil and suffering

Ethics and Religion

The application of natural moral law, situation ethics andvirtue ethics to: capital punishment

Bentham and Kant

2b Christianity

Dialogue between Christianity and ethics

Pearson Edexcel

Philosophy of Religion

3 Problems of evil and suffering

6 Influences of developments in religious belief

4B Christianity:

1 Religious Beliefs values and teachings

OCR

2.c Philosophy of religion

3 The problem of evil

2.c Developments in religious thought

Christian moral principles

Scottish Highers Specifications

SQA

Christianity

Beliefs

Nature of human beings: free will; sin; stewards

Judgement; Heaven and Hell

Practices

Christian action; the Christian community