I moved to Winchester in the summer of 2025, having served as a vicar in the New Forest for twelve years. As Dean of Chapel, I lead a team of ordained and lay chaplains and am responsible for the worshipping life of the school with its choral foundation and three chapels. I am pastorally available to all members of the school community. I am also a don and teach 14 classes a week of mostly Div, the school’s distinctive liberal arts programme which follows the scholarly passions of the Div Don in dialogue with the interests of the class. My teaching focuses upon philosophical and theological ideas and the theory of interpretation. I also help lead Cross Country and community service supporting teaching in local schools.
I became a Christian when I was seventeen and it has been my greatest joy to know Jesus Christ and serve him since then. I am married to Kelly and we have eight children: Jacob, Jonah, Eloise, Ezra, Persephone, Hermione, Athena and Cyrus. I spend my spare time playing the piano (I particularly enjoy playing fugues, both ancient and modern) and trying to be a triathlete. On a day off, I like nothing better than a muddy cross-country run in the South Downs or a swim in the sea (or both).
My research interests are the interpretation of Scripture in Early Christianity and the related areas of biblical hermeneutics, theological interpretation of Scripture and modern theology. My published works include research on ancient and contemporary biblical hermeneutics and the interpretation of Scripture in the New Testament.
Since 2021, the focus of my research has been Ignatius of Antioch’s use of the Old Testament. The main outcome of this work is a monograph – We Love the Prophets (details below). This is a systematic treatment of possible references which attempts to categorise their plausibility using criteria already established for the analysis of New Testament references in the Apostolic Fathers. Other chapters explore the influence of 4 Maccabees and the question of Ignatius’ scriptural hermeneutic. This project has also yielded some smaller research fruits, including articles on the relation of Ignatius’ letters to 1 Peter (Biblica 2024), recent developments in the study of Ignatius (EvQ 2024) and the significance of Ignatius’ use of Scripture to the ‘Parting of the Ways’ between early Christianity and Judaism (NovT 2023). A article on the ecclesiological metaphors used by Ignatius is currently under review, as is an article on the hermeneutical problems of reception history.
I am currently working on a study of early Christian ecclesiological metaphors. This book is aimed at a wide audience and seeks to narrate the development of about fourteen metaphors, explaining their background and exploring their contemporary relevance. This book is inspired by the writings of Jean Daniélou, who was able to engage a wide variety of readers in the study of important Patristic symbols. My book argues that the contemporary Church, as well those interested in engaging with the Church, have reason to be inspired by the metaphors which conveyed community identity to Christians who faced persecution.
Benjamin Sargent 