Dr Ralph Lee

Ralph Lee has a PhD in the Study of Religions from SOAS. He has worked in Ethiopia for a total of 16 years teaching both chemical engineering and theology in Ethiopia. Most recently he was teaching at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s Holy Trinity Theological College, from 2008-2014. Since returning to the UK he has taught and supervised research at SOAS, Cambridge, and within the Cambridge Theological Federation (Wesley House, Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies), and has developed teaching on many aspects of contemporary Africa, with a focus on the interaction between Christian traditions, and those traditions with Islam.

Research:

Specialising in Orthodox Christianity, and in particular Ethiopian Orthodoxy, his research focusses on the contemporary and historical literature, theology, traditions and religious practices of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. He has a particular interest in the relationship between Ethiopian Christian thought and the broader Christian world, and also in indigenous Ethiopian thought as expressed in biblical commentary, hymns, and other works, and on reform movements within Eastern churches. He is also involved in contemporary ecumenical discussions with the Orthodox Churches.  He is currently involved in two major projects:
the THEOT (textual history of the Ethiopic Old Testament) Project, for which he is a steering committee member, and principal investigator for the book of Deuteronomy, and for which he provides guidance on translation and theological issues.

He has also investigated the function of 1Enoch within Ethiopian tradition, its theological influence, and the creative literature that derives from Enochic literature.