Divinity School Flashcards
Divinity school - medieval architrue
This is one of the most beautiful and elaborate pieces of medieval architecture in Europe.
It was the university’s first purpose built classroom, work would start in
1427 but it would take till 1483, and would be used for lectures and examinations, which took place here with the candidates and examiners facing each other in the pulpits.
Divinty - common building
The Divinity School is an interesting landmark in the development of the
University - often people want us to give them the oldest date we can.
Got something in the 13th Century?
How about the 12th?
And so forth.
However, what we are talking about at that stage is dramatically removed from our understanding of a University.
This building is important, as this marks a point at which there are enough people here, with a unified purpose, that they need a
common building.
Divinity school - early exams
The early exams which took place here, would be oral exams, and they could last anything up to three days.
So a very strenuous and adversarial process.
We do keep this style of oral examination today - as part of the application process, which we will cover later, this will include an interview.
During these interviews the professors will often ask various questions, and if you’re lucky you will get a peculiar question with no answer - like, does an ant think?
Now, there is no right or wrong answer to that question, but it is the logic of your reasoning which is being examined; which would have been much the same in these original examinations, but around theological concepts.
Divinity school - convocation house
Through a door to the west of Divinity School, one enters Convocation House, the University Parliament house, in which professors and dons meet below the Vice Chancellor’s throne to discuss university affairs.
In the 17th century, this room also housed the national parliament on a number of occasions.
During the Civil War, When Charles I summoned them to Oxford in early 1644, the Commons met here and it was to this building that Charles II
brought the MPs and Lords from a plague ravaged London in 1665, and again when he dissolved Parliament to prevent it from frustrating his plan to allow his Roman Catholic brother to succeed him as King James II.
Divinity schools - Harry Potter
