Recent Christology Books and Blogging

Last updated on: September 16, 2016 at 2:25 pm By James F. McGrath

Matters of Christology are getting renewed attention, including on blogs, but also in some important new books. Larry Hurtado discussed whether early Christian devotion to Jesus provoked criticism and opposition from non-Christian Jews. Bill Tammeus in turn discussed Hurtado’s new book, Destroyer of the Gods. Ben Witherington offered a multi-part interview with Larry Hurtado about his new book: here are links to parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen. The Center for the Study of Christian Origins has a video,... Read more

Beyond Agnosticism

Last updated on: September 9, 2016 at 11:06 pm By James F. McGrath

There is a healthy dose of agnosticism in my worldview. There is much that I don’t know, and I am aware that I don’t know, and that some thing I think I know, I do not know with certainty. Yet ultimately I self-identify as a Christian and not an agnostic. I recently came across a nice quote that articulates why. Aidan Kimel quoted Victor White as follows: St Thomas’s position differs from that of modern agnostics because while modern agnosticism says... Read more

Language of Instruction

Last updated on: September 14, 2016 at 1:24 pm By James F. McGrath

When I saw this in the description of a course taught at a German university, I had to laugh: The information on the page in question is otherwise in English. Read more

The University Administrator’s Prayer

Last updated on: September 14, 2016 at 1:00 pm By James F. McGrath

I had the idea for the above variation on the Serenity Prayer during a recent conversation about the fact that those of us who oversee programs such as a core curriculum may not have authority to make faculty conform with either best practices, or even with written guidelines about programs. At most universities, faculty have a high degree of autonomy and academic freedom to craft courses as we consider best. And that works fine, so long as faculty are passionate about what we... Read more

A Mandaean Song from San Antonio

Last updated on: September 12, 2016 at 8:05 am By James F. McGrath

It is amazing the things you find when your interests intersect in unusual ways. The American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting is in San Antonio this year, and that also happens to be the city with the largest Mandaean population in the United States. I was told that there is at least one restaurant owned by Mandaeans, and I wanted to find out more. In searching, I didn’t find the restaurant, but I found the video above.... Read more

Augmented Reality Electronic Canon Game?

Last updated on: September 9, 2016 at 11:59 am By James F. McGrath

The Canon card game is barely released, and Jim Davila is already suggesting that there should be an augmented reality digital version. I’d be delighted, personally, if the game I designed led to people getting exercise. A Facebook commenter came up with the perfect name for the new edition of the game, if I ever develop it: Pocanon Go! Read more

Approaching Fast

Last updated on: September 12, 2016 at 8:45 am By James F. McGrath

Created by Ruth Mostern. I may decide to put this image on my syllabuses from now on… Read more

Cards Against Divinity

Last updated on: September 10, 2016 at 9:24 am By James F. McGrath

In discussing Canon: The Card Game on Facebook, Anthony Mills mentioned Cards Against Humanity as an example of a game he currently enjoys playing. I suggested that a religion or Bible-themed version might be called Cards Against Divinity. He followed up by imagining what that might look like: If we confess our ______ he is faithful and just to forgive us of all our _______. Calvinism. Songs the worship leader keeps singing over and over. Can you come up with... Read more

Jesus’ Sermon at Ground Zero

Last updated on: September 11, 2016 at 6:42 pm By James F. McGrath

I confess that when a friend of mine posted a link on Facebook to an article about a Bible that was found fused to a piece of steel in the wreckage from the collapsed Twin Towers after 9/11, I hesitated to click, and expected it to be the kind of thing that disturbs me rather than encourages me to believe – perhaps something like “thousands of people died, but look at this Bible which survived.” But that wasn’t the point... Read more

Ancient and Modern Interaction with Outsiders

Last updated on: September 9, 2016 at 10:40 pm By James F. McGrath

Biblical Studies Online shared a number of videos from a conference about insiders, outsiders, and religious identity past and present. Below are a couple that will be especially interesting to those who share my research focuses. But click through and explore the rest. See also the RBL review of a book on Israelite identity and the other. Read more