Revd Dr Jon ‘Chip’ Graves
For the Revd Dr Jon ‘Chip’ Graves, studying The Parting of the Ways at Oxford University Adult Summer School (OUSSA) offered an opportunity to challenge long-held assumptions, learn from different perspectives and explore the shared foundations of Judaism and Christianity.
Based at the Jersey Shore in New Jersey, USA, Chip is an Episcopal priest, author and lifelong learner whose ministry and mission work have taken him around the world. Over the past 20 years, he has supported projects including an orphanage for young Maasai women in Kenya, a hospital in Ghana and an elementary school in Nairobi’s Kibera community. Alongside this work runs what he describes as an ‘incessant desire to learn’.
It was this curiosity that brought him to Oxford to study Jewish and Christian identity in the first century. Having previously undertaken continuing education at Harvard and Princeton. Chip was particularly attracted by the opportunity to explore the subject within Oxford’s intellectual, historical and cultural setting.
‘As an Episcopal priest, I was drawn to The Parting of the Ways because it offered an academic lens through which to better understand first-century Jewish and Christian identity. The opportunity to study this subject within the rich intellectual, historical and cultural setting of Oxford University made the experience especially compelling.’
Some of his most memorable learning came from conversations with his tutor and fellow participants. The group brought together people with different faiths, nationalities and life experiences, including Jewish and Christian perspectives. Jewish classmates shared connections between contemporary worship and ancient Jewish traditions, while discussions with tutor Dr Conway brought both contemporary and first-century perspectives to the subject.
‘The richness conveyed was due to our varied experiences – education, lived, and social context.’
For Chip, these exchanges enriched his understanding beyond the course material itself, giving him what he describes as an ‘amazing experience – academic/social/geographic.’
The course also challenged Chip to reconsider familiar ideas about the origins of Christianity, particularly the Jewish context of first-century Christian writings.
‘This has reshaped my understanding, encouraging me to see the early development of Christianity less through the lens of separation from Judaism and more through their shared foundations.’
This new perspective is already influencing his future work. Chip plans to pursue further historical research in his writing and teaching, placing greater emphasis on understanding first-century Christianity within its Jewish context and highlighting the common ground between Judaism and Christianity.
For anyone considering the course, his advice is to embrace the opportunity to encounter new perspectives.
‘Come with an open mind, an open spirit and genuine intellectual curiosity. Be willing to engage with different ideas, cultures and perspectives, and allow yourself to be challenged. Studying this course in the unique context of Oxford is truly a gift, one that will enrich both your scholarship and your personal journey.’
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