Martin Palmer

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Muslim Spain. In 711 a small army of North African Berbers invaded Spain and established an Iberian Islamic culture that would last for over 700 years. Despite periods of infighting and persecution, Muslim Spain was a land where Muslims, Jews and Christians co-existed in relative peace and harmony. Its capital, Cordoba, although not unique amongst Spanish cities, became the centre and focus for generations of revered and respected philosophers, physicians and scholars. By the 10th century Cordoba was one of the largest cities in the world. But what some historians refer to as Cordoba’s Golden Age came to an end in the 11th century, when the society was destabilised by new threats from Africa to the South and Christendom to the North. However, it was not until 1492, when Granada fell to the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, that Islamic Spain was well and truly over.In that same year the Jews were expelled from its shores and Christopher Columbus set sail to lead Spanish Christian expansionism into the new world. But how did Muslims, Jews and Christians interact in practice? Was this period of apparent tolerance underpinned by a respect for each other’s sacred texts? What led to the eventual collapse of Cordoba and Islamic Spain? And are we guilty of over-romanticising this so-called golden age of co-existence? With Tim Winter, a convert to Islam and lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University; Martin Palmer, Anglican lay preacher and theologian and author of The Sacred History of Britain, Mehri Niknam, Executive Director of the Maimonides Foundation, a joint Jewish-Muslim Interfaith Foundation in London.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss St Augustine of Hippo's account of his conversion to Christianity and his life up to that point. Written c397AD, it has many elements of autobiography with his scrutiny of his earlier life, his long relationship with a concubine, his theft of pears as a child, his work as an orator and his embrace of other philosophies and Manichaeism. Significantly for the development of Christianity, he explores the idea of original sin in the context of his own experience. The work is often seen as an argument for his Roman Catholicism, a less powerful force where he was living in North Africa where another form of Christianity was dominant, Donatism. While Augustine retells many episodes from his own life, the greater strength of his Confessions has come to be seen as his examination of his own emotional development, and the growth of his soul.WithKate Cooper Professor of History at the University of London and Head of History at Royal HollowayMorwenna Ludlow Professor of Christian History and Theology at the University of Exeterand Martin Palmer Visiting Professor in Religion, History and Nature at the University of WinchesterProducer: Simon Tillotson.

Martin Palmer and Annabel Brett discuss St Thomas Aquinas, highlighting his influence on Catholic theology, natural law, and just war theory. They explore his harmonization of reason and faith, his intellectual journey from Arabic scholars to Aristotle, and his profound encounter with God's love. The podcast delves into the historical context of Aquinas' time, his turbulent path, and his philosophical synthesis of Augustine and Aristotle.

In this discussion, guests include Jane Kinnanmont, a UN expert, Professor Catherine McNeely, an international rights authority, Mark Devonport, a former BBC UN correspondent, Conor Bowman, a barrister and author, and Martin Palmer, a religious advisor. They explore the UN's relevance as it turns 80, highlighting crises linked to great power politics and suggesting a focus on peace and climate. Conor shares his personal journey about adoption, while Martin addresses China's crackdown on religious groups and the implications of state control on faith.

Melvyn Bragg chats with Martin Palmer, a director focused on religion and culture, John Haldane, a moral philosophy expert, and Annabel Brett, a political thought academic. They delve into St. Thomas Aquinas's revolutionary impact on medieval philosophy by merging Aristotelian and Christian thought. The discussion also explores his five proofs for God’s existence, his views on divine governance, and how his philosophy influences modern ideas of human rights and social authority, revealing his lasting legacy in church doctrine.