Currently at Aberdeen University, Professor Macaskill is one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars.
The Lightfoot Professorship is named after Joseph Barber Lightfoot, Bishop of Durham and one of the foremost Biblical scholars of the nineteenth century.
Established in the 1940s, the chair has seen many distinguished New Testament scholars. Professor Macaskill succeeds Professor John Barclay, FBA.
About Professor Macaskill
Professor Macaskill has held the Kirby Laing Chair of New Testament Exegesis at Aberdeen University since 2015.Before this, he was a Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the University of St Andrews, where he completed both his doctoral and postdoctoral research.
Shifting focus in New Testament studies
Professor Macaskill’s research combines key studies in New Testament theology and the cultural setting of the New Testament. His work also investigates the significance of the Bible and theology for thinking about autism and neurodiversity.One of his significant research areas involves shifting the focus of New Testament studies to emphasise the cultural complexity of Roman Syria. This highlights the contributions of Asian and African intellectual cultures alongside Roman and Hellenistic influences.
From September 2025, Professor Macaskill will undertake a three-year Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship to study Biblical pseudepigrapha - ancient Jewish and Christian writings not included in the Bible.
His research will delve into their broader philosophical contexts and their role in shaping religious scriptures.
- Professor Macaskill’s notable books include Union with Christ in the New Testament (2013), The New Testament and Intellectual Humility (2019), and Autism and the Church: Bible, Theology and Community (2019) and The Entangled Enoch: 2 Enoch and the Cultures of Late Antiquity (2024).
- Our Department of Theology and Religion is ranked sixth in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025.
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