Fellow
Liam McDonnel earned his DPhil in Theology at the University of Oxford on the question of the history of the salvation of those who do not know of Christianity and related matters, focusing on the twelfth century through to the thirteenth century in Latin Christian scholasticism. A member of Blackfriars Hall, he was the first recipient of the Scovil Scholarship awarded by the Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford. Prior to his DPhil, Liam read an interdisciplinary MSt in Medieval Studies at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, encompassing Latin Palaeography, Medieval Theology and History, and Middle English Literature.
Before arriving at the University of Oxford, Liam studied Medieval History and Theology at the University of St Andrews where he was awarded the Gray Prize for the Best Theological Essay on the doctrine of divine impassibility, and the Hope Trust Award for Church History. Liam graduated with First Class honours.
During his studies, Liam was actively engaged in interfaith dialogue as the Christian Co-Chair of the Oxford University Students Scriptural Reasoning Group, and Student President of the Oxford Chapter of the Thomistic Institute. He is now working on a monograph based on his dissertation The Enigma of Cornelius and the Salvation of the Involuntarily Ignorant in the Theology of Aquinas and Other Medieval Theologians.
In October 2023, Liam delivered a guest lecture at the ITI Catholic University, Austria, on the history of the question of the salvation of those who do not know Christ in Latin medieval theology, focusing on three pivotal figures: Peter Abelard, Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Aquinas. This question evolved significantly in the course of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, stimulated not only by a dialectical intellectual environment, but also by encounters with other religions in the Mongol Empire. The conclusions reached in these medieval debates have had a profound effect on Western Christian Theology ever since, both where they have been taken further and reacted against. A recording of this event is available below.
In his free time, Liam enjoys playing football and writing stories.