Tomos Roberts-Young

Pursuing a Masters was always the intended goal whilst completing my undergraduate degree in Theology at Cardiff University. Having completed my time at Cardiff as the recipient of the Thomas Phillips award in Christian doctrine, I moved to Scotland to study Systematic and Historical Theology at the University of St. Andrews. This move to the other side of the British Isles would not have been possible without the generous financial support of the James Pantyfedwen Foundation.

The course gave an overview of the Christian tradition over twenty centuries focusing on different themes and theologians at various junctures. The majority of my work focused on the Reformed theologian, philosopher, and pastor, Friedrich D.E. Schleiermacher (1768-1834), often called ‘Father of Modern Liberal Theology.’ Under the supervision of Prof. Christoph Schwöbel, my dissertation focused on the divine attributes in Schleiermacher’s work and sought to demonstrate how the attributes are to be understood as relational. This topic combined my interest in nineteenth century theology with the renaissance in Schleiermacher’s thought. Despite the onerous task of reading such a dense writer, I thoroughly enjoyed engaging with such a unique thinker.

Covid-19 obviously changed everyone’s plans and when the libraries were shut the financial flexibility afforded to me by this grant made it possible to purchase the recently published (and expensive) critical edition of Schleiermacher’s magnum opus - ‘The Christian Faith’,

I am delighted to have passed my MLitt with Distinction and subsequently have been awarded the Revd Professor D.W.D. Shaw Postgraduate Scholarship by St. Mary’s College, St. Andrews, to further pursue my interest in Schleiermacher. Receiving the scholarship would have been impossible without the grant offered by James Pantyfedwen Foundation, and for that I am incredibly grateful.