Ridgeway,

Cliff Lane,
Curbar,
HOPE VALLEY,
Derbyshire,
United Kingdom
S32 3WD

Phone +44 1246 582664

Fax +44 1246 583739
E-mail
p.m.phillips@cliffcollege.ac.uk

Peter Michael Phillips, BA, PG DipTheol, MA, PhD

Personal
Information

Summary of
qualifications

Marital status: Married to Theresa, with three children: Emily (13), Samuel
(10) and Edward (7)
Nationality:
British

Age:

39

Place of Birth: Plymouth, Devon, UK

2004 ongoing Sheffield University, Education Department

M Ed in Teaching and Learning for University Lecturers
1994 2004 (pt) Sheffield University, Dept. of Biblical Studies
PhD research The Prologue of Johns Gospel An exploration into
the meaning of a text
1991 1992 St Johns College, Nottingham
Introduction to Pastoral Counselling
1990 1991 Bristol University
Master of Arts in Biblical Studies
Dissertation title: The Johannine Son of Man
1989 1990 Bristol University
Postgraduate Diploma in Theology, awarded with Distinction
1988 1991 Wesley College, Bristol
Vocational Training for Methodist Ministry
Ordained at Derby Conference, June 27th 1993
1984 1987 University College of Wales, Aberystwyth
Bachelor of Honours, Latin & Greek, Upper Second Class

Employment

Cliff College, Calver, Hope Valley, Derbyshire, S32 3XG

New Testament Tutor and Dean of Students, 1995-present day

Current Duties

Deputising for the Principal

Line management of Faculty and oversight of Faculty Development
issues, including training for HE provision.
Budget Management for Undergraduate Provision
Budget Oversight for all academic budgets at the College
Administering liaison with University of Sheffield through the Board of
Collegiate Studies and Biblical Studies Department updating
course information and details.
Oversight of the Approval Process with Manchester University including

development of UG paperwork, direction of PG process and

management of the whole project
Oversight of Quality Assurance process - including monitoring QAA,
HEFCE, University Regulations, Peer Evaluation, Tutorial Job
Specifications and Responsibilities, monitoring adherence to
Subject Benchmark Review.
Oversight of Academic Development at all levels including development
of research process and implementation of staffing portfolio to
appoint a research-led team
Oversight of Undergraduate Board of Studies and Examination Process
Liaison with External Examiners and Moderators
Oversight of issues relating to student welfare
Liaison with Students Union Representatives
Chair of College Meeting (student-tutor meeting)
Member of College Leadership Group
Member of College Committee
Professional
experience

1995 onwards

New Testament Tutor, Cliff College, Derbyshire

Cliff College is a Methodist Bible College within the evangelical tradition

with some 50 full-time and 80 part-time undergraduate and 120+ parttime postgraduate students. The College has been validated by the
University of Sheffield for a number of years, but this year has
transferred the validation process, under my supervision, to the
University of Manchester. The new arrangements with the University of
Manchester provide validation of a full-time undergraduate programme
in Theology and a number of part-time undergraduate programmes; full
and part-time postgraduate taught provision; and full and part-time
postgraduate research provision. The University of Manchester has
recognised me as a research supervisor and a number of students are
about to sign up with the College to start the process towards PhD
research mostly in the area of narrative criticism, ideological criticism
and reader response approaches to the New Testament.
I was appointed as New Testament Tutor at Cliff College after four years
in ministry in the Midlands. My responsibilities at the College include
teaching at all levels, undergraduate and graduate, mostly New
Testament. However, I have also developed and teach courses in
Introduction to New Testament Greek (Level I and H), Resourcing
Worship and Preaching Practice.
In 1997, I was also asked to take on responsibilities as Course Director for
the Degree level year (Third Year undergraduates) and developed the
course with the then Senior Tutor, Richard Woolley. I worked on curriculum
development and submission to University of Sheffield for validation.
In 1999, I took further responsibility as Director of Undergraduate Studies
and guided the College through revalidation as a designated College of the
University of Sheffield. This involved putting together two volumes of
documentation amounting to some 800 pages, including CVs, course
reflections, comments from various reports and analysis of the development
of the College. The College was commended for its documentation, granted
revalidation and commended on thirteen points of excellence by the
University, at the time one of Britains top ten universities.

As Director of Studies, I developed a cross-cultural module for Third Level

students called Border Crossings looking at hermeneutic issues relating to
the interpretation of the Bible within a postmodern world. The module at
present looks at hermeneutics, ideological and feminist criticism, interfaith
hermeneutic and the role of social sciences in Church planting theory and
interpretative strategies.
In September 2001, I moved from the role of Director of Studies to that of
Senior Tutor with responsibility for College Life, timetables, and deputising for
the Principal. This work also involved the preparation of paperwork ready for
submission to the University as well as working through the implications of
ensuring the College is focussed as a research-based Bible College for a
revalidation supposed to have taken place in Autumn 2004. However, in the
Academic Year 2003-4, the College decided to move to the University of
Manchester. I have spent the last two years focussed heavily on working
through the various administrative processes of taking the undergraduate,
postgraduate and research elements to Manchester, while at the same time
ensuring the development of a research culture at the College, including
making key appointments and other strategic developments. In September
2001, the College had one doctorate in a staff of six it now has four
doctorates in a staff of eight, with two more doctorates expected to be
appointed within the next academic session. The proposed move to the
newly formed University of Manchester has been completely successful.
During this time, my own teaching at the College has developed with a
greater emphasis on Johannine Studies; reader-response approaches to
Gospel and Pauline texts; explorations of Postmodernity; explorations of the
Arts and Media.
Since Autumn 2003, I have been working towards an M Ed in Teaching and
Learning for University Lecturers.
Subjects Taught in
last three years

Level 1 New Testament Overview

Level 1 New Testament Greek
Level 1 Evangelism and the Arts
Level 2 New Testament Texts
Level 2 Imaging Jesus
Level 3 New Testament
Level 3 Border Crossings Module
Level 3 New Testament Theology
Input into various part-time undergraduate courses focussing on New
Testament, Mission and Postmodernism
Input into various part-time and full-time postgraduate courses focussing
on New Testament, Mission, Research Skills and Postmodernism
MPhil/PhD Supervision

Publications and
Papers

1995

Dealing with Thorns, (Cliff College: Cliff College Publishing)

Engaging New Testament Cultures, Presentation for World Methodist

Evangelism Institute, 2001
Sociolinguistics, Accommodation Theory and the Prologue, British New
Testament Conference, September 2002
Johns Prologue and Sociolinguistics, International Society of Biblical
Literature, Groningen, July 2004
The Prologue of the Fourth Gospel, forthcoming Feb 2006, Library of New
Testament Studies, T & T Clark
Biblical Studies and Intertextuality: Should the work of Genette and Eco
broaden our horizons?, Limerick Conference on Intertextuality,
May 2005 to be published 2006

Additional
professional
activities

1991 1994
Attendance at Annual Methodist Conference
1995 2002
Methodist Church, Local Preachers Examination and Studies Board
1999 onwards
Methodist Church, District Chairmans Selection Panel
2005 onwards
Methodist Church, Training Strategy and Resources Executive
Methodist Church, Faith and Order Committee
1996 onwards - Spring Harvest
Spring Harvest, largest Bible Convention in UK with some 70,000 guests per
annum over three weeks on two sites.
Biblical Advisor to Young Adults Programme and Youth Programme
Member of several committees developing Young Adult and Youth
Programmes
Bible Study Leader/Speaker at Young Adults Bible Studies, 1997, 1999,
2000, 2001, 2002. Pioneering EPIC exploratory, participative, interactive
and communal Bible Study especially, though not exclusively for young
people.
Advisor to Study Notes Author, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005
Member of Event Leadership Team responsible for Young Adults and

Evolution Programme for 2001, 2002

Young Adults Advisor to Generation 2000+ Planning Committee a joint
venture with Care for the Family
Bible Study Speaker, Main Event 2005
Speaker at Le Pas Opton site, 2004, 2005
Professional
memberships

British New Testament Conference 1999 onwards Johannine Panel

Society of Biblical Literature, 2002 onwards
Tyndale Fellowship, 2004 onwards

References

1. Rev. Dr. Martyn Atkins,

Principal,
Cliff College,
Calver,
HOPE VALLEY
Derbyshire, UK
S32 3XG

2.

Canon Professor L C Alexander,

Dept. of Biblical Studies,
Sheffield University,
Western Bank,
Sheffield, UK

3. Rev. Dr. David Firth

Cliff College,
Calver,
HOPE VALLEY
Derbyshire, UK
S32 3XG

Research,
Interests &
activities

1. At present developing book interests and articles out of my finished

thesis. The research explores ambiguity in the Prologue of
Johns Gospel and the way in which the author/narrator provides
information which helps the reader to disambiguate the text but
which also teaches the reader how to read Johannine literature.
The thesis critiques sociolinguistic approaches to the Johannine
text, which have characterised the text as that of a sectarian
community. The thesis suggests that the sequential reading of a
text creates a different reading experience to the usual
paragrammatic reading strategies of most scholarly readings.
Sequential disclosure encourages accommodation with the text,
whilst paragrammatic readings encourage disengagement from
the text. A sequential reading of the text is performed, drawing
the reader alongside the narrator and Jesus, who share the
same point of view in the text. Through this process the narrator
invites the reader to join the Johannine faith community and so
share in eternal life a process of accommodation between
reader and author. The Prologue and Gospel, therefore, can be
seen to act both as a witness to the sectarian nature of the
Johannine community but also to the evangelistic nature of that
community. The thesis draws on classical notions of the
prooimion/prologue in Greek Tragedy; alleged Pre-Socratic,
Stoic and Hermetic concepts of logos; and also explores the

possible similarity with the ideological reception of art and

imagery in the religious architecture of central Pompeii,
especially the Temple of Isis.
2.

Work left out of the PhD includes work on the Temple of Isis in
Pompeii; work on Valentinian interpretation of the Prologue;
exploration of aretalogical expressions of divinity, especially
Apuleius Metamorphoses X the revelation of Isis.

3.

Interpreting the Bible research ongoing into postmodern

approaches to reading scripture. Future research area possibly
linguistics, poststructuralism, translation theory exploring
further the implication of the work of Eco, the introduction of
Ecos work, and also francophone literary theory (Kristeva,
Derrida, Riffaterre, Genette) into New Testament criticism

3. Ancient Mediterranean possibility of some research work in Pompeii

following a field trip in June 1999, looking into the nature of
temple worship and religious practice in Pompeii and GraecoRoman society in general. I applied for an AHRB grant for work
in this area. I also began to explore the possibilities of
integrating the work with others working at Pompeii possibly
University of Bradford.
4. Graeco-Roman world archaeology, sociology, literature
5.

Palestine/Israel archaeology, political developments, justice issues.

Development of links with Diocese of Jerusalem and possibility of
arab Christian based pilgrimages. Learning Arabic?

6. Alternative Worship developing worship and church for 21st Century.

7. Postmodernity and Literary Critical developments of Biblical Studies.
8. Youth/ Young Adults Contemporary Culture