Sarah Parkhouse

Sarah Parkhouse is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Religions & Theology at the University of Manchester's School of Arts, Languages and Cultures. Her research centers on the ancient Mediterranean, specifically examining Christianity's emergence within Greco-Roman-Egyptian contexts through historical, archaeological, and textual analysis.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD from University of Durham (2017), funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council
• Prior research fellowship at Australian Catholic University (2017-2020)
• Short-term fellowship at Warburg Institute, London

Dr. Parkhouse's research spans ancient religion, early Christianity, and lived religion with specialized focus on gospel literature (canonical/non-canonical), papyrology, martyrdom narratives, and gender studies. She investigates how religious practices were embedded in place and landscape, materialized through objects and rituals, and expressed via magic within comparative frameworks. Her methodology uniquely integrates textual criticism with spatial analysis of religious sites.

Recent publications reveal concentrated exploration of apocryphal texts (Gospel of Mary, Pistis Sophia) and spatial religion, particularly amphitheatre contexts. Parkhouse demonstrates how martyrdom narratives like Perpetua's intersect with colonial archaeology and power structures, while her work on Coptic manuscripts reveals ritual practices embedded in Egyptian landscapes. This interdisciplinary approach bridges historical analysis with material culture studies across 15+ publications.

Her scholarly recognition includes:

• Manfred Lautenschläger Award (2024) for Eschatology and the Saviour
• A. R. Pete Diamond Award for Integrative Scholarship (2023)

As principal investigator, Parkhouse directs the British Academy-funded project Coptic Apocrypha, Lived Religion and the Egyptian Landscape (2021-2025) and secured a British Academy/Leverhulme grant for Lived Religion in Late Antique Egypt (2024-2025). She co-edits the Coptic Gospels and Associated Texts book series (Cambridge University Press) and serves on editorial boards for Elements Early Christian Literature and multiple journals, demonstrating significant scholarly leadership beyond direct advising.

Though not affiliated with formal laboratories, Parkhouse coordinates international research teams through her British Academy projects, focusing on interdisciplinary analysis of Coptic manuscripts and religious spatial practices in Egypt. Her editorial roles further extend her collaborative networks across global academic communities.