The T & T Clark Blog

Professorial Inaugural Lecture by Dom Henry Wansbrough: Liverpool Hope 7th March

Dom Henry Wansbrough

Liverpool Hope University have announced the Professorial inaugural lecture of Dom Henry Wansbrough, who has been appointed Alexander Jones Professor of Biblical Studies. It is taking place on Wednesday 7th March at 5.30pm and the title of the lecture is 'Was Jesus a Pharisee?'

Fr Henry is the former Master of St. Benet's Hall in Oxford, was for many years the only English member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and is the General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. He is a Benedictine monk of Ampleforth Abbey.

He is also one of T&T Clark's most valued authors. His bestselling book 'The Use and Abuse of the Bible' was published to great acclaim in 2010 - reprinting twice within its first year - and his new book 'The Sunday Word' has just come out under the Burns and Oates imprint. This book provides short commentaries on the Sunday Readings (and major feasts/solemnities) together with questions for personal reflection, and an introduction on the shape of the Lectionary. It will be a must for Lectio Divina and scripture study groups in both Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor says in his foreword to the book; 'In these commentaries the background and chape of every passage is opened up and shared with us. This is a great achievement by Henry Wansbrough and we should all be grateful to him'

and Prof Richard Burridge, Dean of KCL, says; 'Beautifully written and drawing upon a lifetime of Biblical scholarship, Dom Henry Wansbrough's explanations of the Bible readings Sunday by Sunday are as informative as they are a delight!'

We congratulate Fr Henry on his Professorial appointment, and hope that the inaugural lecture will be a tremendous success.

Guest post from Riemer Roukema on his book 'Jesus, Gnosis and Dogma'

Below is the first of a series of guest posts which Ive invited people to contribute to the T&T Clark blog. The idea is that authors can probably best introduce their own work. I hope you enjoy them.

Why did I write Jesus, Gnosis and Dogma?

Riemer Roukema, Theological University, Kampen, The Netherlands

There are two reasons why I wrote this book. First, I was (and am) annoyed by the suggestion that the real Jesus was a sort of teacher of Gnostic or esoteric wisdom that can be found, for example, in the Gospel of Thomas. To be sure, in some respect Jesus was a teacher of wisdom, and part of the sayings attributed to him in the Gospel of Thomas may be more or less trustworthy or in line with his own instruction. But in my book I argue that especially its esoteric, Gnosticizing teachings do not go back to Jesus of Nazareth, but have been attributed to him at a later stage, when certain Christians wanted to align him with religious views originating from other sources. For that reason in the Gospel of Thomas Jesus sometimes seems to propagate Hermetic and other religious views concerning, for example, the need to acquire self-knowledge, which means knowledge about the supracelestial origin and destination of one’s soul. His alleged devaluation of the Old Testament prophets and of common Jewish practices like prayer and almsgiving also fits in with this. One of the examples of a high, but uncritical esteem of the Gospel of Thomas can be found in Elaine Pagels’s book Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas. In my chapter 1, therefore, I critically discuss her interpretation of an esoteric version of Jesus’ conversation with his disciples about his own identity. Furthermore, I demonstrate that other apocryphal texts such as the Gospel of Judas, or related testimonies to Jesus’ alleged Gnostic teachings, are even less trustworthy from an historical point of view. I maintain that the most trustworthy records of Jesus’ own instruction can be found in the synoptic Gospels, and perhaps to a lesser extent in the Gospel of John. Still, I do not exclude the possibility that the Gospel of John contains Jesus’ own mystic teachings that are less prominent in (but not absent from) the synoptic Gospels. As far as Jesus had a secret teaching for the inner circle of his disciples, the gist of it can now be found in the canonical Gospels. There is no trace of early Gnosticism in his own teaching, although afterwards esoteric Christians could reinterpret his instruction in a Gnostic sense.

"Disability Studies and the Hebrew Bible" LHBOTS PB Released

I am personally very excited to announce the release of Jeremy Schipper's important LHBOTS Disability Studies and the Hebrew Bible: Figuring Mephibosheth in the David Story in paperback. For the last few years, Schipper has been on the cutting edge of considering the intersection of disability studies and biblical studies and we are very happy to make his important work more easily available to both the scholar and student. He has also received some stellar endorsements for this book:

"Jeremy Schipper has written an exceedingly important, thoughtful, disciplined book that will concern anyone who notices the toxic “social constructions” that go on in our society. His study is acute in its attention to the biblical text while at the same time it carefully probes contemporary disability theory. Schipper offers a model for interpretation and a summons to engagement."

-Walter Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary

"There is nothing tame about minor biblical characters or about this exceptional book. Such an analysis does more than complicate the ideologies of disability and kingship; it forever changes the way you read the Deuteronomistic History."

-Gina Hens-Piazza, Professor of Biblical Studies, Jesuit School of Theology at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA

"This is a remarkable book that is destined to set new standards for the study of disability in the Bible."

-Dr. Hector Avalos, Professor of Religious Studies, Iowa State University

Professor Schipper has also written a guest post for our Authors Circle, which I am sure you will enjoy:

A few years have passed since I wrote Disability Studies and the Hebrew Bible. I am flattered at the reception that it has received since its original publication in 2006 and am very happy to see it in paperback this year.  Regarding the books of Samuel and Kings, biblical scholarship has shown how certain motifs and themes (Zion, kingship, covenant, family, and so on) do more than just describe particular institutions and conceptions.  Instead, these themes and motifs help to articulate, interpret and organize Israelite identity.  Along these lines, Disability Studies and the Hebrew Bible shows that when the Hebrew Bible addresses disability it usually does more than just describe or diagnose a particular physical, mental or emotional trait.  Rather, when read alongside images of Zion and kingship, disability provides a frequent, but often overlooked, means of articulating, interpreting, and organizing Israelite identity.  My book uses the story of Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s disabled son (2 Samuel 4, 9, 16, 19) to show how disability functions as a means of social or ideological commentary rather than an objective and clear depiction of the everyday experience of disability in the ancient world. A close study of Mephibosheth as a point of entry into these larger set of issues surrounding disability imagery allowed me to emphasize the complicated and nuanced manner in which the Hebrew Bible represents disability. 

[LHBOTS] "A Theocratic Yehud?" released [Authors Circle]

Just released is Jeremiah W. Cataldo's LHBOTS, A Theocratic Yehud?: Issues of Government in a Persian Province. I met Professor Cataldo at our very well-attended LHBOTS mixer at SBL last year and we eagerly look forward to more great scholarship from him. He is Visiting Assistant Professor of History and Classics at Grand Valley State University.

Please enjoy his contribution to our Authors Circle!

The Question That Became a Title

Why the question of theocracy?  The catalyst for this question was two-fold: on one hand, I had become increasingly frustrated by the lack of any real, substantive definition of the term. On the other, I had become increasingly unsatisfied with what seemed to be a general tendency in scholarship to rely upon the Persian-period biblical texts (especially Ezra-Nehemiah) as accurate portrayals of an entire, complex provincial society. To accept that Yehud was a theocracy based almost entirely on the testimony of such texts is to drastically and cavalierly reduce the analyzable context of Yehud. After all, the biblical texts from the Persian period are quite reductive in nature. They offer not objective historiography but describe a geographic, but also apparently religious, space wherein only one “true” society could exist. That society, of course, was comprised solely of exiled Judeans, otherwise the golah community--one whose membership was both codified and enforced (even violently, in Nehemiah).

"Calling for Justice throughout the World" Released! [Author's Circle]

We are very pleased to announce the release of the important collection of essays on the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Calling for Justice throughout the World: Catholic Women Theologians on the HIV/AIDS Pandemic, edited by Mary Jo Iozzio, Mary M. Doyle Roche, and Elsie M. Miranda. As serious as this worldwide issue, it has been a real pleasure working with Professor Iozzio and the rest on this project. Some of you may have seen a taste of this volume at the Society of Christian Ethics meeting in Chicago last month and we now make it available to you.

We got some great endorsements for this volume, too!

"Did you know that the percentage of girls and women living with HIV and AIDS has risen to just below 50 per cent today and that in sub-Saharan Africa 75 per cent of 15 to 24-year-olds living with HIV and AIDS are female.  While women are surpassing the infection rates of men, they are also less able than men to get adequate information, care and treatment.  In short, in a world of gender inequity, HIV opts for women.  In response to this tragic reality, Mary Jo Iozzio has prophetically gathered 25 women theologians from 15 countries to tell us what we must do now as we see the Female Face of HIV/AIDS.  A compelling and illuminating collection.  Brava!"

James F. Keenan, S.J.
Founders Professor in Theology
Boston College, Chestnut Hill

"This extraordinary and unique book for the first time brings together twenty-five Catholic women theologians from around the globe to address the social justice issues of the prevention of and care for victims of HIV/AIDS.  The essays report on the situation throughout the world with a special focus on the poor and women and challenge the church, governments, and voluntary organizations to do more."

Charles E. Curran
Elizabeth Scurlock University Professor of Human Values
Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

Please enjoy Professor Iozzio's thoughts on this volume as part of our ongoing Author's Circle series:

Calling for Justice throughout the World has been two full years in the making. The collection was inspired by my interest in updating the work of Catholic Ethicists on HIV/AIDS Prevention, edited by James F. Keenan, SJ (Continuum, 2002) and the opportunity to collaborate with Catholic women theologians that resulted from the first conference of Catholic Theological Ethicists in the World Church, meeting in Padua, Italy (2006). This companion collection is the result of that collaboration.

Each of the authors draws from her own experience in working with and reflecting on the experience of those who are infected with and affected by the pandemic. Here you will read about the challenges of reconciling vulnerability with empowerment from contexts that include what works and what hinders progress in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. Further, from the voices of women, new insights and creative responses will be helpful for those involved with prevention efforts and the care of the more than 33-36 million people living with HIV or with AIDS today.

From email invitations to more than 50 women scholars I happily received 24 essays. During the course of the two years of writing and editing, a wonderful relationship and new friendships were developed among the authors. We have seen each other through happy and sad times –defending dissertations, finding new work, celebrating successes as well as grave illnesses and deaths. With each of these events, our community grew stronger through the bonds of prayer.

This work has been a singular joy. My co-editors and I remain deeply grateful to each of the contributors to the collection. And we are hopeful that this contribution to raising awareness of the ongoing crisis that surrounds the HIV/AIDS pandemic will motivate churches, and national and international efforts to relieve the human toll that comes with complacence and a failure to attend to the concrete needs of our sisters and brothers, ourselves and our families, in the world –solidarity and our faith demands more.

[Authors Circle] Mason on 'Eternal Covenant' in the Pentateuch LHBOTS

Here's our latest author post from Steven D. Mason, author of the LHBOTS “‘Eternal Covenant’ in the Pentateuch: The Contours of an Elusive Phrase”. He is currently Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at LeTourneau University, Texas.

“‘Eternal Covenant’ in the Pentateuch: The Contours of an Elusive Phrase” arose from my own questions about biblical covenants, covenant theology, and how to do biblical theology in general. The study itself does not attempt to say anything comprehensive with regard to any of the three, but it is some preliminary exegetical work on what I consider to be an important phrase that bears on such discussions. I do believe that what I learned in the process of examining berit olam in its Pentateuchal context will prove foundational for my continued exploration into the phrase elsewhere, not to mention my interest in working out Christian and theological readings of the Old Testament.

[Authors Circle] Yamasaki on Watching a Biblical Narrative

Gary Yamasaki, Associate Professor of New Testament at Columbia Bible College, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, is the latest contributor to our Authors Circle. And we are very happy to have him as one of our authors! His book will be available for purchase at our conferences this weekend.

We encourage all our readers to comment and pose our Authors Circle writers questions regarding their work and posts!

Brain Surgery on a Biblical Narrator

You are proceeding through the Book of Acts, coming toward the end of chapter 15, and you see Paul approaching Barnabas with the idea of embarking on another journey. And you are settling in to watch this great team in action again, but suddenly, they are at each other’s throats. When the smoke clears, they’ve split as a team, and are going their separate ways.

What just happened? They disagreed on whether John Mark should be taken on this new journey, and neither was willing to budge. So, was Paul in the right in holding that John Mark’s earlier desertion rendered him unfit for this new journey, or was Barnabas in the right in his willingness to give John Mark a second chance? You glance over at the narrator, but he’s not telling.

This is a scenario faced countless times by biblical exegetes. A narrator relates a character engaged in some activity, but does not append a “He did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord” to make it clear to the audience that they are to disapprove of the character’s actions. Without the guidance of evaluative commentary such as this, how are exegetes to know what the narrator intends for the audience to take away from any given episode? How are exegetes to get into the mind of the narrator?

A new critical methodology equips the exegete to perform some brain surgery on a biblical narrator, opening up the narrator’s skull to get at his intentions in situations such as this. Watching a Biblical Narrative: Point of View in Biblical Exegesis sets the groundwork for Perspective Criticism, a methodology designed to discern a biblical narrator’s intentions through the analysis of linguistic constructions involved in the manipulation of point of view in a narrative.

Not a "Political Sermon" by Robert D. Hughes, III, author of Beloved Dust

The Reverend Doctor Robert D. Hughes, III, author of Continuum's recently released Beloved Dust: Tides of the Spirit in the Christian Life, has accepted our offer to contribute to our occasional Author's Circle and has written a timely sermon for the American electorate. Please enjoy!

SERMON FOR Chapel of the Apostles, School of Theology, Sewanee: The University of the South,

Oct. 22 2008  PROPER RCL 24A TRACK 2

Texts:  Isaiah 45:1-7; Ps. 96: 1-9; I Thess. 1:1-10; Mt. 22:15-22

Robert D. Hughes, III, Ph.D.    Norma and Olan Mills professor of Divinity

School of Theology        Sewanee: The University of the South

“Cyrus and Caesar, What in God’s Name is Going on Here?
A Sermon about Politics, but not a “Political Sermon.”

“Render to Caesar,” Caesar, please, not “the Emperor.”  That was one of those changes the NRSV seemed to need to make because it needed to make changes.  It is not, I think, felicitous.  Well, a preacher in this place needs a lot of chutzpah to preach on that text, given Fr. Dr. Bryan’s learned book on the subject [Christopher Bryan, Render to Caesar: Jesus, the Early Church, and the Roman Superpower (Oxford U.P.: 2005).  And what a time to preach a sermon about texts that really cannot avoid politics, so close to an important election.  No, I do not intend to put the 501(c)3 tax exempt status of either the University or the Church at risk.  But our lessons today require us to ask what in God’s name is going on if Cyrus and Caesar can be seen as instruments of the divine providence, and what that might mean for us.

New Release: Reformation Readings of Romans

Now available is Volume 8 in our Reading Romans Through History and Cultures series, Reformation Readings of Romans, edited by Kathy Ehrensperger and R. Ward Holder! It's available in the US and will be released in the UK in August.

I must say that as I read these essays, I was struck by their depth and comprehensiveness. Any student or heir of the Reformation would benefit well from the scholarship and thoughtfulness therein.

Writes Calvin J. Roetzel, Arnold Lowe Professor of Religious Studies at Macalester College, "This is an important book in a significant series on Paul's most influential letter. It allows us to eavesdrop on world-class scholars discussing the Reformers' portrait of Paul and his legacy. For any serious student of the reception history of Paul, this is a must."

I couldn't agree more!

R. Ward Holder has kindly offered his thoughts on this new volume:

Reformation Readings of Romans presents the next step in the Romans through History and Cultures seminar and publishing project of the Society for Biblical Literature. The series presents a window on a set of rather unique conversations, and the volume itself provides a distinctive addition to the series.

First, the conversations between New Testament scholars and historians of Christianity are distinctive. Finding scholarship on Romans by a modern scholar is entirely painless, as even a brief trip to the Internet will demonstrate. Similarly, the number of articles and monographs on historical theologians’ interpretation of Romans by modern historians is also a straightforward task. However, it is rare to see the two communities of modern scholars actually talk to each other. Far too frequently, modern scholarship that concentrates upon Romans seeks to leap back to Paul’s age by clearing away the intervening centuries, seeking to avoid contact with a tradition of interpretation. Even when a movement like the New Perspective on Paul does take the history of interpretation into account, it is repeatedly the case that this is done to correct the past mistakes of interpretation. Similarly, historians of exegesis regularly write scholarship that stops with the death of a particular theologian, and ignore the advances in our knowledge of Paul, his time, and his audience that the modern period have provided.

New LHBOTS: Echols' "Tell Me, O Muse"

We've got another LHBOTS release to tell you about: Charles L. Echols' "Tell Me, O Muse": The Song of Deborah (Judges 5) in the Light of Heroic Poetry, Vol. 487, now available in the US and UK.

Professor Echols has gracious accepted our invitation to become a member of our Author's Circle by providing this guest post:

The so-called Song of Deborah (Judges 5) celebrates a decisive victory during the era of the Judges, and praises Jael and the Israelites for their defeat of a Canaanite coalition led by Sisera. Indeed, it is a rich text and can be studied profitably along several lines, including clues to the history of ancient Israel and Hebrew linguistics. Despite generations of research, virtually every aspect of the poem remains disputed. My aim in this study, in two stages, is to elucidate the role of Yahweh in the poem in the light of a comparative study of heroic poetry.

The first stage introduces the book, provides an annotated translation, and addresses further preliminary critical issues, especially the question of the unity of the poem. The case for a unified composition has merit, but the stronger argument is that the original Song of Deborah (hereafter “Song”) was re-worked with the addition of religious material. Without the secondary material, some references to Yahweh remain, but the original poem is essentially secular. This portrayal of Yahweh is strikingly different, as I show through a comparison with similar Hebrew poetry. Moreover, attempts by a few scholars to reassert Yahweh's prominence along other lines such as comparative mythology are unconvincing.

Part II begins by establishing a basis of comparison for the original poem vis-à-vis heroic poetry. Since the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament contains precious little heroic poetry, I identify its constituent components, particularly heroic narrative poetry, by surveying a wide variety of heroic poetry from different times and places. The survey distinguishes, furthermore, the main features of non-heroic poetry. The results are then compared with the Song, which is found not to be heroic narrative poetry. The poem is then compared with lyric poetry, and, of its many sub-genres, the victory song is shown to correspond most closely with the Song. Next, the results of the survey of heroic poetry are adduced to determine whether the Song is heroic. The poem is assessed for heroic and non-heroic features, and the results indicate that it is indeed a heroic victory song – a previously unidentified genre in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The refinement of the generic classification explains the enigmatic role of Yahweh in the poem. The fruits of the comparative approach using heroic poetry are then applied to the victory song genre in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament research, and the study ends with some general conclusions and suggestions for further research.