Professor Miri Rubin explores the Jewish response to the Christian cult of the Virgin Mary, asking how this devotion was used for propaganda against medieval Jews. Show more

Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch explores how 16th-century Protestants dealt with the role of the Virgin Mary, not wishing to jettison Catholic understanding of the creeds. Show more

Professor John Haldane explores the origins and meaning of the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Catholicism, considering her unique status as chief among the saints. Show more

Helen Bond explores the turbulent times of the 1st century and Roman repression of Jewish revolts, asking what life would have been like for the Virgin Mary. Show more

Dr Mona Siddiqui explains the important role of Mary in Islam. Mary has her own chapter in the Koran, where she's mentioned more often than she is in the Gospels. Show more