Dr. Hywel Clifford

Biography

Hywel's undergraduate studies began in music at Edinburgh, culminating in a Bachelor of Music (BMus) in 1997 and further training in piano at the Royal College of Music in London (ARCM, 1997). He then pursued Biblical Studies at Edinburgh, earning a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) in 2000, followed by studies in biblical Hebrew at the Rothberg International Summer School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. For his graduate studies, he attended Christ Church, Oxford, where he completed a Master of Studies (MSt) in 2001 focused on Old Testament texts, and subsequently earned a Doctorate (DPhil) in 2005, comparing the theology of Isaiah 40-55 with early Greek philosophy. Since 2005, Hywel has taught Old Testament at various levels, accumulating extensive experience in university, college, and church contexts, which have included enriching field trips to the British Museum and engaging in Jewish-Christian dialogues. He is associated with the Faculty of Theology and Religion at Oxford and is a member of several scholarly societies, including the Society of Old Testament Study, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the European Association of Biblical Studies. His publications mainly center on biblical themes, including research on the Jewish interpretation of the biblical Temple, and he has edited a volume titled "Companion to the Old Testament: Introduction, Interpretation, Application" (2016), discussing the diverse readings and uses of the Old Testament throughout the global history of Christianity. His recent research interests focus on the application of biblical texts to contemporary ethical issues.

Research Interests