The T & T Clark Blog

Author Interview: Joseph M. Henderson on Jeremiah Under the Shadow of Duhm

Professor Joseph M. Henderson unpacks the history, research and journey that became Jeremiah Under the Shadow of Duhm, a book that examines how the work of Bernhard Duhm has dominated Jeremiah scholarship and outlines ways forward that examine Jeremiah's dramatic style and narrative progression.

How do you think your book could be described – in just one sentence?

My book is a reconsideration of the foundational assumption of modern Jeremiah scholarship: that the poetic form of individual passages from the book indicate that they are authentic: that is, derived from the prophet and thus useful as evidence for reconstructing his life or thought.

 

What drew you to researching Jeremiah?

I found the book to be a profoundly moving work of literature. I was drawn in by the tragic story of Jeremiah, who had hoped to avert the judgment of his people, becoming an agent of their destruction and the greater tragedy that Jeremiah’s story reflects: the story of Yahweh bringing destruction on his beloved people.

Author Interview: Jan Age Sigvartsen on Afterlife and Resurrection Beliefs

 

Dozent Jan Age Sigvartsen discusses his interest and research into the resurrection beliefs found in the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha.

 

How would you describe the aim of these books? 

These books provide a balanced, comprehensive overview of the resurrection passages (an anthology) in the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha, and identify 18 different distinct and complete death and afterlife beliefs.  In addition to describing and discussing them, these books graphically chart these beliefs so the reader can quickly and easily see what these beliefs contain and compare them with other beliefs. They also consider the role and to what extent the books that later became the TaNaKh played in the formation of these afterlife beliefs. In a nutshell, they endeavor to understand what happened in the period between the TaNaKh that barely mentions personal resurrection beliefs, and when resurrection became a core belief in Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity.

Editor Interview: Antonios Finitsis on Dress and Clothing in the Hebrew Bible

 

Professor Antonios Finitsis describes the group research that delved into the multivalent importance of dress and clothing in the ancient Near East and the Hebrew Bible; resulting in Dress and Clothing in the Hebrew Bible: “For All Her Household Are Clothed in Crimson”, one of the latest volumes in the acclaimed series The Library of Hebrew/Old Testament Studies.

 

1. How would you describe this book in one sentence?

It is a study of the articulation of power in the Hebrew Bible via Dress and clothing.

 

2. What drew you to amassing an anthology on dress and clothing?

Two primary reasons drew me. First, even though “Dress studies” is a field of inquiry with a long history in other disciplines such as history, sociology, anthropology, and sociology, it is relatively untouched by Hebrew Bible scholars. That —in itself— was an irresistible motivator that generated a lot of excitement among members of my research group. Second, recent approaches for the interpretation of Hebrew Bible, such as queer, iconographic, disability studies etc. have questioned dominant presuppositions of deriving meaning and have shed new light on age old texts. It is precisely this revolutionary potential of Dress studies that drew me to creating this anthology.

Editor Interview - Matthew R. Crawford and Nicholas J. Zola on The Gospel of Tatian: Exploring the Nature and Text of the Diatessaron

 

Professor Matthew R. Crawford and Professor Nicholas J. Zola discuss the exploration of whether Tatian’s Diatessaron was merely a “gospel harmony,” mechanically compiling canonical texts, or a gospel in its own right, designed to supplant its sources; in the edited collection The Gospel of Tatian, one of the latest volumes in The Reception of Jesus in the First Three Centuries.

1. How would you describe this book in one or two sentences?

Christians were still writing Gospels in the second century when Tatian composed what we call the Diatessaron. This book situates Tatian’s “Gospel” within the broader context of Gospel writing and reception, specifically exploring its sources, its witnesses, and its relationship to the emerging fourfold Gospel.

Editor Interview - Jeremiah Cataldo on Imagined Worlds and Constructed Differences in the Hebrew Bible

Professor Jeremiah W. Cataldo discusses the necessity of focusing on the neglected areas of Biblical memory, identity and community, in the edited collection Imagined Worlds and Constructed Differences in the Hebrew Bible, one of the latest volumes in The Library of Hebrew/Old Testament Studies.

1. How would you describe this book in one sentence?

This volume analyses constructed memory and identity in the Bible through the lens of modern social-scientific method, and explores how social and political identities are imagined within collective memories and what that means for biblical interpretation.

Author Interview - Tucker Ferda on Jesus, the Gospels, and the Galilean Crisis

Dr. Tucker Ferda takes us through the discoveries he made during the creation of one of our most recently published Library of New Testament Studies works: Jesus, The Gospels and the Galilean Crisis.

 

1. How would you describe this book in one sentence?

This book explores how Jesus, his early followers, and later interpreters, made sense of the rejection of the Gospel, and it suggests that contemporary scholarship continues to repeat the conclusions of 19^th-century and earlier research in important and overlooked ways.

2. What drew you to this subject?

I am fascinated by both the reception history of the Gospels and the attempt to reconstruct Jesus as a figure in history. I am firmly convinced that these two projects go hand in hand such that, as Ricoeur once said, we cannot talk about the past until we talk about ourselves as beings shaped by the past. I also have interests in how Christian theology works in the valleys of disappointment, despair, and trauma. So I guess this book was a melding of all these things.

Author Interview - Understanding Affections in the Theology of Jonathan Edwards: “The High Exercises of Divine Love”

In anticipation of Understanding Affections in the Theology of Jonathan Edwards: “The High Exercises of Divine Love”, Dr Ryan J. Martin goes into further detail on the creation of his monograph.

 

How would you describe your book in one sentence?

My book is a focused look at how Jonathan Edwards defined affections and other movements of the human soul, and how his understanding of human anthropology was incorporated into his theology as a whole. 

               

What drew to you writing about this subject?

I was already interested in affections as a category, and especially in the ways older Christians thought about them as a psychological phenomenon. It seems--even on the surface--that Christian thought on the soul's movements have shifted and morphed in recent times. I wanted to understand better some of the older models of thought on their own terms, rather than looking at them through the prism of contemporary categories and assumptions. Finally, the opportunity to study a master theological mind like that of Edwards was itself immensely appealing. 

 

How long have you been researching Jonathan Edwards? How did you come to study him?

During my Master of Divinity at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Minnesota, U.S.A., I started reading Jonathan Edwards's Religious Affections, a classic work on Christian affection and devotion. I read just a couple of pages per day, early each morning before starting the day. I really didn't start studying Edwards's thought in earnest until after I began my Ph.D., however. I assumed that everything that could be written on Edwards had already been written, so I looked at my making any worthwhile contribution to Edwards's thought to be a fool's errand. Nevertheless, my doktorvater and friend, Kevin T. Bauder, pushed me to explore more deeply this area of Edwards's thought through the work of the scholar Thomas Dixon. Ken Minkema also encouraged me to continue my work in Edwards's affective thought. 

 

What does your book focus on that hasn’t been explored elsewhere?

I'd highlight especially three areas of development. My book emphasizes both the way Edwards thought about affections, especially in contrast with other movements of the soul. I pay special attention to Edwards's distinction between "affections" and "passions," showing how he maintained this distinction throughout his career as a pastor and theologian. A second focus is the way I tie those ideas throughout Edwards's greater theological endeavors. I try to show that affections were a perennial concern for Edwards, from his early days at New Haven, to his later writings against the theological progressives of his day. Finally, I make the case that the way Edwards thought about affections has little in common with more recent emphases on emotions found in popular Christian religious thought. 

 

What do you hope readers will gain from the book?

I hope they'll gain an appreciation of Christian theology, the remarkable genius of Jonathan Edwards, and the necessity of gracious affections for the Triune God. 

Understanding Affections in the Theology of Jonathan Edwards: “The High Exercises of Divine Love” is available for pre-order now, and is due for release on 15th November 2018!

 

 

Ten Books for Easter

As a tribute to this Holy Week of 2018, we have created a list of previous, current and future releases, that we feel particularly reflect the importance of the days before us!

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Our Guides for the Perplexed explain key themes for scholars and general readers, providing an accessible introduction to challenging thinkers, writers and subjects.

 

T&T Clark Companion to Atonement

Focusing on dogmatic location, analysis of the Old and New Testaments, major theologians and contemporary developments on atonement, every essay in this companion seeks to both appropriate and stimulate the church's understanding of the manifold nature of Christ's death and resurrection.

 

The Resurrection of Jesus in the Gospel of Peter: A Tradition-Historical Study of the Akhmîm Gospel Fragment

An investigation of the significance of the discovery of the Akhmim fragment, and the consequences of understanding it as an eye-witness testimony of the resurrection of Jesus.

God as Sacrificial Love

Examines the Christian theologies of sacrificial love, this book breaks new ground on the significance of Jesus' life, sacrifice and death, and what it means both for the contemporary reader and the modern world. 

Judas Iscariot: Damned or Redeemed: A Critical Examination of the Portrayal of Judas in Jesus Films (1902-2014)

An original analysis of 23 filmic representations of Judas Iscariot, tracing their changing portrayals, the reasons for these changes, and how they impact on theology.

 

Space, Time and Resurrection

This classic of modern theology demonstrates the life affirming and cataclysmic significance of the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, by focusing on the redemptive, life from death, operation of the Historical and Eschatological Jesus. This upcoming reissue, to be published in November of this year in the Cornerstones Series, features a preface by Paul D. Molnar.

T&T Clark Companion to the Bible and Film

Coming in June this year, this companion provides a comprehensive overview of the Bible and film, looking at context, theory and key 'texts' both biblical and cinematic.

What did Jesus Look Like?

And finally, a theorization of the man behind the iconography and the scripture - a book that has caused a stir both in the academic and journalistic world, garnering reviews from The Sun, Times Higher Education, The Irish Times, The Telegraph and The Independent!

 

 

 

 

Author Interview - Adam D. Hensley on 'Covenant Relationships and the Editing of the Hebrew Psalter'

In anticipation of the publication of Covenant Relationships and the Editing of the Hebrew Psalter, one of the latest volumes in the long running and cutting-edge Library of Hebrew and Old Testament Studies series, Dr. Adam D. Hensley delves deeper into the origins and research of his book.

1. How would you describe your book in one sentence?

A direct and methodical investigation of editorial perspective in the Psalter regarding the relationship between the Davidic and premonarchic covenants.

2. What drew to you writing about this subject?

Having expressed some interest in studying OT postexilic literature, one of my graduate school professors suggested I might look into the growing field of Psalter studies. While scholarly opinion varied—and still varies—on the extent to which the Psalter constitutes a “book” with a single “narrative,” it nonetheless seemed clear to me that the Psalter was new and relatively unexplored territory for examining the theology and hopes of the postexilic period.

I was especially intrigued by what the Psalter’s arrangement might reveal on the question of messianic expectation and covenant theology. Did postexilic editors see the covenants as theological alternatives or characterized by an essential unity and continuity? Was the substance of their hopes limited to the temple theocracy they already knew, or was a future king central to those hopes and to the renewal of the covenant? Was the Davidic covenant really seen as “failed” as Gerald H. Wilson contended? Did they really “democratize” the Davidic covenant by construing God’s promises to the house of David in terms of the people directly without any meaningful role for human kingship in their realization? Or did they view covenant history culminating in restored kingship after all, through which God’s covenant people might be renewed and God’s covenant promises fulfilled? To be sure, there were no shortage of opinions about such questions in the literature, but also no direct investigations of “covenant relationships” with a methodology up to the task.

3. How long have you been researching it? How did you come to study it?

Early in 2010 I picked up a book titled The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter, by Gerald H. Wilson. I was amazed by Wilson’s many observations in the Psalter and parallels with ancient anthologies. But I noticed that, like many studies that have followed it, Wilson’s approach presupposed answers to questions that it failed to address directly. One of those questions was especially foundational: how those who compiled the Psalter perceived covenant history, especially how they understood the Davidic covenant in relation to the premonarchic covenants.

4. What does your book focus on that hasn’t been explored elsewhere?

My book offers a fresh re-evaluation of editorial evidence in the Psalter, and in the process sheds light on some puzzling features of the Psalter. For example, it offers a new accounting of how editors understood 72:20 (“The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended”) in view of subsequent Davidic psalms. What’s more, the main thesis explored in the book offers a new perspective on why Asaph Ps 50 is separated from the main Asaph group (73–83).

By offering a thorough survey of the Psalter’s references and allusions to “covenant” that spans four chapters, it also presents a fuller picture of the covenant profile of the Psalter than previously accessible. This survey work goes beyond the term berit to include intertextual allusions to major entailments of the biblical covenants while taking account of editorial considerations.

Building on the work of Jamie A. Grant and others who have demonstrated the Psalter’s idealized depiction of kingship (cf. Deut 17:14–20), my book examines other aspects of the Psalter’s editorial perspective on kingship that have been overlooked or under-appreciated. For example, it explores David as an intercessor between YHWH and people/nations and thereby central to covenant renewal. It also examines a proposed typological relationship between Moses and David in the Psalms: David as a “New Moses” who leads the world in a “new song” of thanksgiving for YHWH’s new, exodus-like redemption of his people. In the process the book offers fresh insights on the structural and theological profiles of Books II–V.

We are very grateful to Adam D. Hensley for taking part in this interview!

Covenant Relationships and the Editing of the Hebrew Psalter is available for pre-order now, and is due for release on 17th May 2018.

Liturgy in the 21st Century presented to Cardinal Sarah at Sacra Liturgia

Last week I had the great pleasure to attend the Sacra Liturgia conference in London. The highlight of the conference itself was the opening address by His Eminence Robert Cardinal Sarah -- Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The Cardinal's address was a bold call for the re-orientation of Catholic liturgy back towards God and, specifically, for a call to return to ad orientem worship. This is where the priest faces liturgical east in common direction with the people. The Cardinal looked at the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in Sacrosanctum Concilium and pointed out that many of the implementations of the reforms went too far, and were fuelled by an agenda that was at odds with what the council really intended. This led to an erosion of understanding about what the sacrifice of the Mass is, and what the Eucharist really means for Roman Catholics. It was a deft, and brilliant, analysis. The Cardinal suggested priests begin/return to ad orientem worship ASAP as a crucial step in reclaiming Catholic understanding of the Mass. He suggested the first Sunday of Advent this year, as we turn to 'face the Lord who comes', as being a good time to start. I, for one, hope that this starts to happen as I agree with the Cardinal's take on this.

Hopefully we will be publishing the proceedings of this year's Sacra Liturgia conference *watch this space*. In the meantime, I'm delighted to introduce Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives, which will be published on 14th July. This is the volume from last year's event in New York, and we presented a copy to Cardinal Sarah in London. The volume considers many aspects of liturgy in the 21st Century, and features contributions from Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Cordileone, Lauren Pristas and many more. On the back, from his address to the conference, Cardinal Sarah says;

'I ask you to be wise, like the householder... who knows when to bring out of his treasure things both new and old, so that the Sacred Liturgy as it is celebrated an lived today may lose nothing of the estimable riches of the Church's liturgical tradition, whilst always being open to legitimate development'

There is also an excellent chapter on the 'youth' and the liturgy, which looks at the phenomenon of the high number of young people who are interested in the traditional liturgy, and questions why this preference is so often dismissed or condescended towards by older generations. Indeed, there is still a prevalent (Blowing in the) wind of people who believe they are experts in liturgy 'to which the youth relates'... despite the fact that their own youth was quite some time ago.

To get your discounted copy please order through our website, and enter the code LITURGY20 to receive a 20% discount.

Pope Francis offers Mass ad orientem in the Sistine Chapel.