Michael D. Hurley, Provost of Ralston College, is a scholar who doesn’t shy away from big questions. Professor of Literature and Theology at Trinity College, Cambridge, he has held visiting positions at Harvard, Oxford, and the Sorbonne, and his academic work explores the ways in which beauty relates to truth and goodness within great works of art and intellect.
Most recently, Professor Hurley has turned his attention to a subject both ancient and elusive: angels. His latest book, Angels and Monotheism (Cambridge University Press, 2025), challenges modern theology’s tendency to reduce angels to mere symbols. Instead, Hurley argues for the importance of recognizing angels as real, divinely created beings who shape our understanding of everything from God, revelation, prophecy, and the spiritual life, to death, resurrection, the role of man within creation, and even the origins of modern science. The Critic magazine hailed the book as “sparkling” and “cheekily combative,” describing Professor Hurley as “an unapologetic, nimble-witted, open-minded yet solidly orthodox Catholic.”
Beyond the written word, Professor Hurley is a voice to be reckoned with as a lecturer and broadcaster too. Alongside his discussion on the Ralston College Podcast about literature, faith, and intellectual courage, he is a regular contributor to the BBC radio program, Thought for the Day, in which he has spoken on topics as diverse as the lure of beauty, the virtues of fighting, and the perils of euthanasia. On March 25th, 2025 he will give The Drummond Lecture at Hillsdale College, with the title, "A corpse would seem to me more credible": Faith and the Life of the Mind.
Engaging, erudite, and always ready to challenge prevailing assumptions, Professor Hurley embodies the fearless spirit of inquiry at the heart of Ralston College.
