Introducing Aufria As some of you know, I am intensively researching for a book on women in the New Testament and women in the Roman world. Recently, I was delighted to come across a small, and not well-known, inscription of an ancient woman named Aufria (2nd century CE). Apparently, she travelled to Delphi as a guest speaker at their Pythian games (kind of like our “state fair” but with more competitive sports). She was an educated woman. Classicists Mary Lefkowitz… Read more

Oxford Bibliographies Online I can’t believe I just discovered “Oxford Bibliographies Online” (OBO). From the title of this resource, it doesn’t sound too exciting, but now that I have looked at some of the entries, I can’t believe I hadn’t utilized this sooner. What is OBO? These are articles on a given topic that list academic bibliographies. But here’s the kicker: the entries are heavily annotated. Expert scholars are chosen to curate a master list of bibliographic items and the expert gives… Read more

The Philippians were Roman Citizens, Right? I often hear preachers and Bible teachers say these things: Philippi was a Roman colony in Paul’s time (which is true) The colony was established in large part by Roman veterans who were given Roman citizenship (also true) Therefore, the inhabitants were Roman citizens (not so fast…) That (3) statement is not a foregone conclusion however. You see, in 2020 USA, we can assume that most residents of a town are citizens. But it… Read more

  There were several good reasons for me to study at the University of Durham for my PhD (2006-2009), but one of the prominent attractions was getting a chance to meet James D.G. Dunn (aka “Jimmy”). He was retired by the time I arrived in Durham, but he would present in the NT seminar once in a while. At one point in my second year, a request was put out for some students to help Jimmy move some heavy items… Read more

The Spring 2020 Word & World issue is available for free now The theme is JERUSALEM ARTICLES I am especially interested in Koester’s article in Jerusalem and the Book of Revelation. Read more