The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will deliver his inaugural lecture for the University of Chester this summer.
The world-renowned scholar, who was appointed as Gladstone Professor of Literature and Theology at the university in 2011, presents The Messiah and the Novelist: Approaches to Jesus in Fiction in a public event at Chester Cathedral in June.
The recent Man Booker short list included a novel about Mary the Mother of Jesus, and fictional accounts of the gospel story still appear from some surprising quarters.
This lecture will look at various attempts to write fiction about Jesus in the last century or so and reflect on some of the religious and imaginative problems it has posed.
Dr Rowan Williams became 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002, and stepped down from the position in 2012 to become Master of Magdalene College Cambridge.
He is acknowledged internationally as an outstanding teacher, poet and scholar with a range which encompasses theology, philosophy, spirituality and religious aesthetics.
He has also written extensively on moral, ethical and social topics and, since becoming archbishop, has turned his attention increasingly to contemporary cultural and interfaith issues.
The Messiah and the Novelist: Approaches to Jesus in Fiction takes place on Friday, June 13 from 7pm.
Admission to this event is free but booking is essential and tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
To order, visit the University of Chester at shopfront.chester.ac.uk under the Event Booking section.
For those unable to attend, the lecture will be streamed live from the Cathedral. Details of this will be made available on www.chester.ac.uk nearer the time.
