As someone who is always on the lookout for neologisms that combine two words in punny fashion, it took me a moment to register that the word “anointment” is just an already-existing everyday word, and one that I already knew somewhere in the back of my mind, although I don’t use it often and so it took me a moment. But even so, it is probably the best word to use when talking about Jesus being anointed with ointment. It... Read more
Anthony Le Donne returned to the ReligionProf podcast to talk about his multivolume book project, Gods of Thrones, about religion on the television show Game of Thrones as well as the underlying novels. Anthony also recorded a Homebrewed Christianity podcast episode on this topic: Anthony Le Donne: Learning Religion in the Game of Thrones Jana Riess also blogged about religion on Game of Thrones. Anthony and I also talk quite a bit about canon in this episode of the podcast, and... Read more
Students regularly submit assignments in which the name Pilate is spelled Pilot. That shows they haven’t done reading or something worse. But puns along these lines are a different story. I found myself asking my Sunday school class to think about how they envisage the Gospel authors composing their accounts of Jesus before Pilate. Where did they get their information? Why are they different? It is worth digging into such details and the processes that might have led to the... Read more
There is a double entendre in Mark 11:3 and its parallels, in phrasing that remains fairly consistent across the Gospels, perhaps for that reason. The Greek text says Ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχει, which is usually translated in one of the two possible ways that it could be, “The Lord has need of it.” But the reader of the text in English may miss the other possible meaning of the Greek text. The word that means “of it” comes after... Read more
It would have been easy for someone interested in the Mandaeans and related topics to miss that an article about “the truffle-hunters of Baghdad” would give them a significant mention. Here’s the relevant section of the article by Chloe Cornish (which is worth reading in its entirety): I find another trace of ancient Baghdad by its great river. Turning an aubergine over a gas flame with his fingers, Anmar Ayib, a 30-year-old Mandaean sheikh, prepares a late lunch. Time is... Read more
Call for Abstracts Black Panther and Philosophy Edited by Edwardo Pérez and Timothy E. Brown The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Call for Abstracts: Black Panther and Philosophy Abstracts and subsequent essays should be philosophically substantial but accessible, written to engage the intelligent lay reader. Contributors of accepted essays will receive an honorarium. While this volume will feature the signature blend of philosophy and popular culture (and humor) the series is known for, it will also explore Black Panther as... Read more
The Milken Archive has been creating some wonderful online exhibits of Jewish music from across a range of time periods and in a range of genres. One that was particularly interesting to me was focused on concertos with biblical themes. Another recent exhibit featured the work of female composers, another female performers, and another suites. Even when I’m not able to teach my course on the Bible and music, I remain very interested in this topic, personally as well as professionally.... Read more
Mike Bird recently undertook the exercise of assembling Paul’s scattered references to the story of Jesus into a narrative whole, using the wording as found in his letters. The result is interesting, to say the least. Mike offers two versions of Paul’s “story of Jesus” created from a pastiche of specific excerpts from Paul’s letters. Here is one of them: The gospel concerning his Son, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, who he promised beforehand... Read more
This week on the ReligionProf podcast I was delighted to have Robert Geraci appear as a guest, speaking from where he currently is in Bangalore, about the research projects that led to him being there. Robert and I share longstanding interests in the intersection of religion, science fiction, and/or technology. When it comes to the latter, AI has been a particular focus for us both. Below you’ll find a range of links to interesting content that explores these themes, as... Read more
I am long overdue to blog about the movie Doctor Strange, which I watched quite some time ago. As someone interested in the intersection of religion and popular culture, its exploration of science and skepticism, magic and mysticism, immediately got my attention. Basically the same thing happened with Doctor Strange that happened with Batman vs. Superman – I took notes while watching the movie, and then didn’t promptly turn those notes into a blog post. And so as I did... Read more
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