Professor Ayres was born in the United Kingdom. He studied Classics at St Andrews University in Scotland, where he learned to love Plato and Thucydides. He then studied Theology at the University of Oxford where he concentrated on Augustine of Hippo and on theology in the fourth century. He has since taught in Ireland, in the United States and in the UK. During these years he also developed interests in early Christian reading of the Bible and in Greek theology between the 5th and 7th centuries. He is married with four children. Professor Ayres believes that Cricket is better than Soccer, and that Clint Eastwood is a better actor than John Wayne.