St Andrew’s Student Awarded Essay Prize

At its ordinary meeting today, the Academic Board of the Sydney College of Divinity awarded the Centre for Gospels and Acts Research 2019 Essay Prize to Anna Vagias, a postgraduate student of St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College. Anna received the prize for an essay submitted as part of her Graduate Diploma of Arts, entitled: ‘An Exegetical Essay on Luke 4:16–30’. Essays submitted for consideration were well-written and paid close attention to the details of the Gospel text under scrutiny as well as the wider narrative context. Following the lead of the quotation from Isaiah in her chosen text, Anna’s essay also well set the passage and its event against the broader prophetic expectations and so in the eschatological crisis provoked by the coming of the Messiah. The essay prize is now in its third year. It consists of a monetary award, which is presented as part of the annual SCD Graduation Service, and the invitation to present the prize-winning essay at a quarterly meeting of the Centre for Gospels and Acts Research. The inaugural prize was awarded to another student of St Andrew’s, Jason Israel, in 2017. The Sydney College of Divinity congratulates Anna Vagias on winning the CGAR 2019 Essay Prize, as does the Faculty Board of St Andrew’s.