— While processing the papers of Rosemary Radford Ruether, one of the most influential Catholic feminist theologians of the twentieth century, I found myself asking questions about the logic that guided Ruether’s decisions about what to keep and how to organize it, and, perhaps more importantly, about how to respect those decisions. Ruether was a […]
The Masters of Professional Studies | Groundbreaking Graduate Seminary Program at Sing Sing and Bedford Hills
Now on view at the Burke Library: an exhibit showcasing the origins of the Masters of Professional Studies program, the first-ever graduate program available to those incarcerated in maximum-security prisons in the U.S. Originally created by New York Theological Seminary faculty and now housed at Union Theological Seminary, the MPS program has touched hundreds of […]
Roots: Dialogues for the Common Good
Over the 2025-26 academic year, the Burke Library partnered with Commonweal magazine to host a conversation series titled Roots: Dialogues for the Common Good. The goal of the series was to invite a range of brilliant thinkers to reflect on foundational questions that shape our educational and civic endeavors. As the title indicates, the questions […]
Annotations, Jokes, and Little Notes: Processing the Papers of John McGuckin
As I was recently processing the papers of John McGuckin— former Nielsen Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Christian History at Union, British theologian, Orthodox Christian priest, and poet– I came across something interesting: scribbled throughout a good third, if not closer to half of the collection, are annotations, notes, and even little jokes! […]
“Spiritual liberty is not inconsistent with a State of Servitude”: Slavery in the Connecticut River Valley
Reflections from researcher and guest blogger Tim Hastings, PhD Candidate in History at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst Because of a generous fellowship from Historic Deerfield (HD), I was able to spend several weeks poring over the collections in the Memorial Libraries (a library jointly administered with the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association [PVMA]) […]
Edward Robinson’s “Biblical Researches in Palestine”
Our newest display open Sept. 2nd at the entrance of the Burke Library will draw attention to Union Theological Seminary’s first librarian, biblical scholar Edward Robinson, whose travels in Palestine in the 1830s led to the development of the field that came to be called “Biblical Geography.” Both an academic and an experienced outdoorsman […]
“Magnificent Skies and Mysterious Landscapes”: Paintings by Beatrice Terrien
Yearning for “Mystery”? Come visit the Burke Library to view a new exhibit of paintings, “Magnificent Skies and Mysterious Landscapes,” featuring works by artist Beatrice Terrien who was raised down the hall in the corridors of Union Theological Seminary and has remained a lifelong Morningside Heights resident and friend of the library. On view […]
Re-Imagining Feminism in the Bible and Beyond: Johanna W. H. Van Wijk-Bos’ Commitment to Social Justice in the Face of Vociferous Opposition
— When Johanna W. H. Van Wijk-Bos took the stage at the controversial Re-Imagining Conference in 1993, she led them in song. “We shall not give up the fight/ We have only started,” they sang, at this ecumenical gathering of men and women (led by women) of 2,200 people from all across the country. The […]
Aurality and Devotion in the Premodern World project
In March, The Burke Library hosted “Aurality & Devotion in the Pre-Modern World,” a multi-disciplinary project on Jewish, Christian, and Islamic devotional song. The multi-day gathering brought together leading scholars from around the U.S. and Europe to share and discuss their research. Subjects included: medieval Hebrew liturgical poetry and ritual, Franciscan choral techniques, Syriac […]
A Grandfather’s Diary: the Darley Downs Papers
Recently, a web search for information on my grandfather, Darley Downs, a POW in the Philippines during WWII, led me to the website of the Burke Library, where some of his papers are archived. With a previously planned trip to New York City to visit my son a little over a week away, I […]