Professor Richard Bell
Dr Bell studied Chemistry and Physics at University College London, followed by research in theoretical atomic Physics. He studied theology at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and, after a curacy in London, did a doctorate in theology at Tübingen. His dissertation was concerned with Romans 9-11. He has been teaching at Nottingham since 1990.
His two main areas of research are the Theology of Paul and the relationship between the natural sciences and theology. He is currently working on Paul's understanding of Israel and issues of Christology and atonement in the theology of Paul. As regards the field of science and theology, he is particularly interested in issues of determinism and realism in Quantum Physics.
Postgraduate supervision experience/ideas
Topics I have supervised or am currently supervising include:
MA by research
MPhil/ PhD
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Faith in 1 Corinthians 13
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Images of Salvation in Ephesians
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The 'prologue' to Mark
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Karl Barth's Theological exegesis with special reference to Romans 5
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Time in John's Gospel
Areas/ideas for future PhD research
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Aspects of Pauline and New Testament Theology
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Questions of Theological Method
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Issues in Physics and Theology
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Theology of Mind
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An intellectual biography
On becoming a theoretical Physicist
I was born in Hull, England and when I was four years old my family moved to the quiet village of Skirlaugh in the East Riding of Yorkshire. At school I became fascinated with Chemistry and one of my hobbies was playing with my Chemistry set in the kitchen at home. At 18 I decided to study for the BSc in Physics and Chemistry at University College London. I truly was one of those 'Godless students of Gower Street' (UCL was founded as a 'secular' College). I had little interest in Theology although I entertained the idea that there may exist some sort of 'creator god'.
At UCL my interests moved towards theoretical Physics and I developed a special interest in Quantum theory. After graduation I stayed on at UCL to work with the distinguished theoretical Physicist Michael Seaton FRS. As well as developing a Quantum theory for a process called 'Di-electonic Recombination' (published in Journal of Physics) I became interested in some of the philosophical problems of Quantum theory, especially questions of determinism and realism. This in turn led me to an interest in Theology and Science.
The decision to study Theology
I was not a Christian when I went to University but in my second year I had a sudden conversion. For over a year I had many long conversations about the Christian faith with friends from the Christian Union and Anglican Society. I also went to All Souls Church, famous for some of its great preaching. Then one day I read a booklet which explained the essentials of the Christian gospel; for the first time I understood and believed the gospel and from then on my enthusiasm for Theology was unstoppable. I became involved in All Souls Church and decided that I wanted to study Theology and to become a Minister in the Church of England. So on gaining my PhD in Physics I went to Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, where I took the BA in Theology and the Certificate in Theology.
Church Ministry in Edgware
I was made deacon in 1983 and then ordained priest in 1984 in the diocese of London, serving as curate at Edgware Parish Church. Edgware is perhaps best known for being at the end of the Northern line. It is perhaps not so well known as being a place where Handel played the organ. In the 1980s roughly half the people living in Edgware were Jewish and there were as many synagogues as Churches. For various reasons relations between our Church and the Jewish community were not particularly good. But I made many Jewish friends and I had the privilege of attending the weekly Friday evening Hebrew bible study led by the Orthodox Rabbi.
I had always had a fascination for Paul's letter to the Romans since becoming a Christian but now the need to study what Paul had written about Israel and the gospel and to understand Paul's Jewish world seemed much more urgent. I began some part-time study on Romans 9-11 under the supervision of R.T. France (who was then at the London Bible College) and in Church I preached through the letter to the Romans. I realised that some of the best work done on Romans was in untranslated German. Roger Cowley, who had been working for the Churches Ministry to the Jews, recommended that I study full time in Germany.
The Tübingen experience
I managed to get a scholarship from the Goethe Institute to study German in the charming town of Boppard am Rhein and then from the German Church to study at the University of Tübingen under Peter Stuhlmacher. Stuhlmacher was and still is a formidable scholar and a fine Christian. He had been a student of Ernst Käsemann who in turn had been a student of Rudolf Bultmann. In each link in the 'apostolic succession' there had been a significant 'mutation' so although I could be proud of having Bultmann as my academic Great Grand Father, my theological approach was in many ways quite different. Part of the doctoral programme involved doing study in all areas of Theology and in my four years in Tübingen I had the privilege to study under some of the world's greatest theologians such as Martin Hengel, Otfried Hofius, Otto Betz, Hartmut Gese, Hans-Peter Rüger, Eberhard Jüngel and Jürgen Moltmann.
To Nottingham
I submitted my dissertation in 1990 and was appointed to a lecturing post at the University of Nottingham. My rigorosum for the Tübingen Dr Theol did not take place until 1991 and as well as taking a oral examination in general New Testament I was examined in Systematic Theology and Church History. In Nottingham my major area of teaching and postgraduate supervision was New Testament and from 1995 I added to this the area of Science and Theology. My first major publication was a slightly revised version of my dissertation and it was published in 1994 under the title Provoked to Jealousy. Although some bookstores may place it in the 'love story' section, it concerns the jealousy of Jews for Gentile Christians in Romans 9-11.
Justification of the Ungodly
After my work on Romans 9-11 I turned to questions of justification. Whilst in Germany I developed an admiration for Luther as a great biblical exegete and systematic theologian. But I had become concerned that many Pauline scholars were effectively writing off Luther. I even heard a prominent evangelical theologian and missionary say that Christians had been 'brainwashed' by the Reformation. So I set out in my next book, No one seeks for God, to examine the argument of Romans 1.18-3.20 to see if the Lutheran tradition had in fact seriously misunderstood Paul. One of my conclusions was that the reformers had basically got it right. But in the course of doing this work I engaged in questions of natural theology and God's revelation of himself.
I found that although Romans 1.19ff does speak of God's revelation of himself in the natural world, any knowledge of God is lost because the senseless minds of human beings were darkened (Rom. 1.21b). However, rather surprisingly I discovered that even in our fallen state we can know something of 'natural law'. But this cannot contribute to knowledge of God. And neither can simply knowing God's attributes contribute to knowledge of God. Knowledge of God is personal. For more detailed argument read the book!
Theology and Science
As well as having a passion for the Theology of Paul I have over the years worked in the area of Science and Theology. In fact the first 'theological book' I ever read was C.A. Coulson's Science and Christian Belief. Over the years I have become rather sceptical of what is called 'natural theology'. Many who work in the area of Science and Theology have a much more positive approach but I have become increasingly suspicious of it, partly as a result of my work on Romans 1.18ff. As you can see from my publications list I have written articles for the series Studies in Science and Theology. In the future I hope to publish a two volume work on Theology and Science. Volume one will consider predestination, providence and free will in Biblical and Systematic Theology. Volume two will look at determinism and free will in theological and scientific perspectives. I have been teaching undergraduate modules on these issues since 1995.
A love for things German
My favourite theologians are German speaking. Although I have some serious questions about Bultmann's Theology I cannot help admiring him. I also have a great respect for Barth. He is often maligned as a biblical exegete but in fact he had many fundamental insights which we reject at our peril. I have an interest not only in German Theology but also in German music.
I first studied German music in my teens. The village I lived in was quiet and there was really nothing to do in the evenings. The only social activity was the 'Young Farmers Association'. So every week I went to the Hull City Library and borrowed what are now the old 'Gramaphone Records' and scores. And it so happened that most of my favourite composers were German.
I worked my way through most of the orchestral works of Beethoven and then I discovered the wonders of Wagner. We had played a few orchestral pieces in the East Riding of Yorkshire Youth Orchestra (I played the flute) but when I encountered the world of his 'Music Dramas' a completely new world opened up. I became a Wagnerian (like Nietzsche!) through Tristan and Isolde. Although Wagner really counts as a hobby I hope to do some work on the theological issues which Wagner's work raises.
Paul and Israel
In 2005 my book The Irrevocable Call of God was published by Mohr Siebeck. In this work I considered Paul’s theological understanding of Israel, looking at difficult texts such as 1 Thessalonians 2.14-16; Galatians 3-4; 2 Corinthians 3 as well as key texts from Romans. Towards the end of the book I addressed a number of contemporary issues concerning Israel in the light of Paul’s theology (e.g. should the Church engage in a mission to the Jewish people, is the promise of the land to Israel still valid, can we make theological sense of the holocaust?)
Demoting the Devil
My latest book, Deliver us from Evil, was published in 2007 again by Mohr Siebeck. One of the main issues I addressed is how to interpret the defeat of Satan in the context of New Testament theology. I think the most demanding section was the interpretation of the exorcisms. It struck me that many are happy to assert ‘Jesus was a successful exorcist’ without actually explaining what exactly happens in an ‘exorcism’ or discussing the ontological status of the devil. One of the main conclusions of my work was that although many may find ‘talk of the devil’ embarrassing, ignoring the redemption of the human being from the devil inevitably leads to an impoverishment of New Testament theology. I argued that the devil can be said to ‘exist’ as a mythological figure and that he should be demoted from the realm of ‘supernature’ to the ‘world’; but he relates to a level of the world which we do not usually ‘access’. Using a Kantian-Schopenhauerian framework I argued that myth is a means of accessing such a deeper level of reality.
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Current projects
A Theology of Mind
One of the issues which remained to be tackled from the last project was the Christian understanding of the ‘mind’. After working on Kant and Schopenhauer in my work on the ‘devil’ I feel I am now in a better position to address the ‘theology of mind’. The book which I intend to write will begin with the biblical views of mind paying special attention to Paul’s ‘theology of mind’. I will then relate this to some current issues regarding space, time and causation taking particular account of the various interpretations of Quantum Theory and Relativity (see ‘Theology and Science’ above).
Wagner’s Parsifal
My second project is a book looking at the theology of Wagner’s Parsifal. This has grown out of a long interest in Wagner (see ‘A Love for things German’ above) and in particular out of a paper delivered to the Oxford Seminar group ‘The Bible in Art, Music and Literature’ in 2009. Wagner’s Parsifal, his crowning achievement, deals with many key themes of Christian theology such as the atoning death of Christ, participation in Christ, predestination and sacraments. The book will consider whether Wagner’s Parsifal can contribute to Christian theology and how the work can affect those who experience it.
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