I Wrote Another Book, Sort Of - Le Donne

One of my favorite classes to teach is Introduction to the Bible. I've tried several different textbooks for this class, but ultimately landed on Sumney's very fine: The Bible: An Introduction (Fortress Press). The second edition is now on pre-order and will be available for course adoption this fall. The second edition also has a new companion text:

This slim book includes an introduction to hermeneutical concerns and provides a selection of ancient texts that contextualize the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Each chapter includes several questions for discussion and reflection.

If you're considering a new textbook for your Introduction to the Bible class, you can request an exam copy.

-anthony

ps. Traditionally authors publish a first edition before they publish a second edition. I hereby proclaim that from this moment and into perpetuity: first editions are for suckers. All good books will be published first in the second edition. Amen and amen.

Yom HaShoah

"...our language lacks words to express this offence..."

                                ~Primo Levi

DeConick on the Jesus' Wife Fragment

April DeConick has a lovely new webpage! She comments on the latest developments in the Jesus' Wife scandal here:

http://aprildeconick.com/forbiddengospels/2014/4/27/caution-the-jesus-wife-fragment-is-running-a-red-light

-anthony

Interview with Caroline T. Schroeder re: Jesus' Wife Fragment

I have appreciated the friendship and collegiality of Caroline T. Schroeder these past two years. Carrie was among the handful of Coptic experts whom I leaned on. I will also say that it was her idea that we host a public lecture on the "Jesus' Wife" fragment at Pacific in 2012. Carrie is brilliant and gracious and has just won a super-duper fancy grant related to this project. Do yourself a favor and check out her book, Monastic Bodies. 

Dr. Schroeder could speak with wit and aplomb on any number of topics. In this interview, I've ask her to address the latest developments concerning the Jesus' Wife fragment.

***

ALD: Carrie, Thank you for weighing in on this topic. I know that many folks will be interested in your perspective. Back when the "Gospel of Jesus' Wife" fragment was first publicized, you took a "wait and see" position. Others were quick to claim forgery or authenticity, but you seemed open but cautious. Are you still withholding judgement? And if not, what has persuaded you?

Daniel Kirk on Bart and Bird

Over at Storied Theology, Daniel Kirk offers one of the most entertaining reviews these ole eyes have ever seen. I have not yet picked up Bart Ehrman's latest book and so it will be a while before I get around to reading the Mike Bird apologetic. I'll admit that I am not immune to schadenfreude. Not proud of it, but here we are. I enjoy this review in its own right. Daniel Kirk is a great reviewer; an art I've never mastered. But I think that I can abandon any karmic scruples in this particular case because I know that Mike will take it in stride. Some folks would be devastated by a review this devastating - not Mike Bird. Mike will yawn, scratch himself, and write another book. My guess is that Mike was expecting a few reviews like this.

My favorite line - one that will stay with me for a long while - from Kirk is:

In short, my assessment is that an evangelicalism that has Ehrman as its chief foe is in better shape than an evangelicalism that has Bird as its great champion.

Kirk follows this with:

A part of me wants to apologize to Bird for this, perhaps the most negative review I have ever written, but in truth I feel that he owes an apology to the rest of us–to we who consider ourselves evangelicals and are about the difficult business of engaging critical and historical scholarship for the sake of the church, and perhaps most especially to the other contributors to this volume.

J. R. Daniel Kirk, remind me never to tug on your cape.

-anthony

Voodoo Bread - Le Donne

If you ever have the opportunity to accept the hospitality of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, take it. Last night, after my guest lecture, I was treated to a restaurant called "New Orleans' Food and Spirits." Char-grilled oysters, then catfish, stuffed with Cajun crab cakes (yes, this is legal in LA). I also had something called "voodoo bread." I think that I've sold my soul to voodoo bread, people.

Thanks be to God.

-anthony

Larry Hurtado on Resurrection

This is a bit dated now, but it's new to me:

Larry Hurtado writes for Slate: "That Curious Idea of Resurrection"

-anthony

Winner of Jesus against the Scribal Elite--Chris Keith

The true random number generator has spoken, and comment 19 is the winner of a copy of my latest book, Jesus against the Scribal Elite.

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result: 19 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The owner of comment 19 is "Paul A." and his comment is below.  Paul A., if you'll write me at chris.keith@smuc.ac.uk, I'll arrange for you to get your copy of the book.

Paul A.April 3, 2014 at 8:44 AM

Commenting!

ReplyDelete

Pericope Adulterae Conference—Chris Keith

Folks, in light of your unlimited travel budgets, after you go see Anthony Le Donne speak this Thursday at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary . . . come see me speak at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC!  I'll be speaking at the Pericope Adulterae conference on Friday and Saturday.  Other speakers are Jenny Knust, Tommy Wasserman, David Alan Black, Maurice Robinson, and John David Punch.  For registration details, you can go here.  I'll be arguing the party line that the account of Jesus and the woman accused of adultery in John 7:53-8:11 was a later addition to the Gospel of John.

I Will Be Presenting in the Big Easy this Thursday - Le Donne

This Thursday (4/24/14) I will be giving a lecture at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. My presentation is titled "When Did Jesus Become Great?" The fun begins at 3 pm.

In this lecture I will discuss a few tendencies in historical Jesus scholarship. Many historians argue that Jesus' greatness was recognized during his lifetime. Categories such as healer, prophet, messiah, and Son of Man are often used as ciphers to interpret Jesus' public career. Many other scholars argue that Jesus became a "great man" in retrospect. In this view, Jesus was aggrandized by his followers using such titles. I will argue that several modern philosophical factors are at work in this scholarly divide. These include (neo)Romanticism, Christian supersessionism, the (re)emphasis of Jesus' Jewishness, and the ongoing influence of Albert Schweitzer. In keeping with my own tendencies, I will do my best resist either/or dichotomies.

If you're near the NOBTS campus, stop by and introduce yourself!


-anthony

Happy Easter and Pesach from the Jesus Blog--Chris Keith

Anthony and I send our best Easter and Pesach wishes to all those who celebrate with us.

My Interview with Maclean's Magazine - Le Donne

Last week I gave an interview with Brian Bethune of Maclean's Magazine. Bethune takes a more optimistic view of the Jesus' wife fragment than is warranted, but deals kindly with my latest book and does not misconstrue my words. This is really the most you can hope for in these cases. Please note also that Bethune had no say in the title or art used in this article. Both seem inclined to sensationalize the topic. That said, I am grateful for the opportunity.

Here is the link:

http://www.macleans.ca/society/life/jesus-was-son-of-god-and-a-husband/

-anthony

Homeless Jesus

Timothy P. Schmalz's "Homeless Jesus"; 2012

Canadian artist Timothy P. Schmalz invites us to meet the real Jesus again in his interactive statue titled "Homeless Jesus." Schmalz's statue brings together several levels of aesthetic realism. (1) On the face of this faceless portrait, Jesus is realistic. He is so real that he has caused concerns among neighbors of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Davidson, North Carolina. (2) This leads us to ask the question, if homelessness wasn't a real issue in the first place, would anyone have called the police to have "Jesus" removed? (3) The only marks that distinguish this statue as "Jesus" are the nail wounds in both feet. But notice also that there is enough room on the bench to sit at these feet. Thus Schmalz's Jesus invites encounter and participation. Jesus becomes real on a fourth level as he is tactile.

But as the link above indicates, not every person in Davidson appreciates the invitation. Cindy Castando Swannack, a neighbor to St. Alban's Episcopal, found the statue off putting, "Jesus is not a vagrant, Jesus is not a helpless person, who needs our help."

In a way, Swannack interpretation falls in line with Christian orthodoxy. We Christians commemorate a risen Christ. John's Apocalypse guides us from a slain lamb to a victorious warrior. But even in our post-Easter reflections (and the biblical Gospels are just this) we see the image of a kingly judge who instructs:

‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Matt 25:34-36.

Finally, as Christians commemorate Good Friday, we pause to remember the forsaken Jesus. Christians throughout the ages have created sacred space and time to encounter the forsaken Jesus. This is what Swannack misses in her rush to censor Schmalz's statue and thus "clean up" the neighborhood.

-anthony