Ralph Lee

Dr. Ralph Lee works at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in the UK, where he leads work on the understanding of mission from the perspective of the Orthodox Church. He also is Facilitator for theLausanne-Orthodox Initiative, a global network that encourages good relationships between Orthodox and Evangelical Christians with the aim of removing historical impediments to the mission of God especially in countries where there is a strong Orthodox Christian presence.

His original profession of Chemical Engineering led him to work in Ethiopia, where he was drawn to Ethiopia's ancient and rich Christian tradition, which ultimately led to a change of profession to the study of Orthodox Christianity. He retrained at the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London, completing a doctorate exploring key themes of Ethiopian Orthodox theology, and subsequently taught at the Holy Trinity Theological College of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Addis Ababa. After a total of 16 years living in Ethiopia, he has settled with his family in Cambridge, UK. His current research focus is on Ethiopian Christian thought, and interpretation of the bible, with a particular focus on 1Enoch, part of the Ethiopian Orthodox "canon". He has a diverse set of doctoral students exploring themes on Orthodox Christianity, especially in Ethiopia.