Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. McGrath - Page 5 of 1186 - The Blog of Dr. James F. McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, Indianapolis

Things Christmasy

December 13, 2018 By James F. McGrath

There have been several Christmas-related posts, some of which cover topics that are addressed every year around this time, but many or all of which either have enough new, or remain of such relevance, that they are worth sharing. The one I most want to highlight is Ian Paul’s explanation of why the idea that Jesus was born in a stable is wrong. There have been many such posts, and some circulate year after year, Christmas after Christmas. But this… Read more

ReligionProf Podcast with Karen Keen

December 12, 2018 By James F. McGrath

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This week’s episode of the ReligionProf Podcast features Karen Keen, who blogs at Reverent Sexuality. In it, we talk about her recent book, Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships. See also her response to a review by Sean McDowell, and now also part two of it, as well as the video she shared about Christian parents who came to rethink their views in light of their own children coming out. Keen also reviewed the book Modern Kinship, and wrote about… Read more

Digital Humanities at Work

December 11, 2018 By James F. McGrath

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I have been meaning to blog about HumaReC for some time. HumaReC stands for Humanities Research and Continuous Publishing, and represents a Digital Humanities project related specifically to the New Testament, spearheaded by Claire Clivaz, a major figure in this field. But recently, when Ancient World Online drew attention to Sara Schulthess’ Open Access book on the site, about a trilingual manuscript of the New Testament, I knew it was time to rectify things and blog about the site. Schulthess’… Read more

Doctor Who: The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos

December 10, 2018 By James F. McGrath

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The tenth episode of Jodie Whittaker’s first season as the Doctor is the season finale, and its title – “The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos” – may not be especially memorable or striking. But this episode is certain to be remembered vividly, and widely discussed, by anyone interested in religious themes on the show. It is also going to be a focus of attention for anyone interested in the Doctor’s ethical values and the ways that the show engages with… Read more

Recap of Polemic in Late Antiquity Session at #SBLAAR18

December 9, 2018 By James F. McGrath

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This Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity session felt like it had less of a unifying thread running through it for some reason, despite the clear theme, which is ironic, given that the Digital Humanities cosponsored section had papers focused on cuneiform, Mandaic, Syriac, and Ethiopic text projects! Perhaps this was because the ways that Christians referred to and engaged with Muslims, and the ways that Mandaeans engaged with Christians, are typically isolated from one another in completely different fields. By… Read more

Recap of Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity and Digital Humanities Session at #SBLAAR18

December 8, 2018 By James F. McGrath

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The joint session with the SBL Digital Humanities program unit was in many ways the highlight of this year’s activities by Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity. The presentations covered a range of projects with outputs as diverse as 3D printed replicas of cuneiform cones and cylinders, to photography, transcription, and collation of manuscripts from Ethiopia. Bradley Erickson’s presentation on digital cuneiform could be summed up under the heading of “Digital Clay.” The project he described began with an encounter with… Read more

Doctor Who: The Androids of Tara

December 7, 2018 By James F. McGrath

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The Doctor Who episode “The Androids of Tara” is part of the Key to Time sequence. According to the BBC website, it was apparently based on a late 19th century novel, The Prisoner of Zenda. It is just one of many episodes that features something that would be bound to happen in endless time and space, namely encountering people that look precisely like someone else. The Doctor encountered individuals who look just like him in the episodes “The Massacre” and… Read more

Calls for Papers #CFP

December 6, 2018 By James F. McGrath

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So many interesting calls for papers have come to my attention – a couple related to science fiction, one related specifically to Digital Humanities, another about liberal education. Rather than just circulate them on social media, I thought including them in a blog post was called for. CFP: Reading Reality through Science Fiction, University Stefan cel Mare of Suceava, Suceava, Romania CFP: Fan Cultures and the Premodern World, University of Oxford, 5-6 July 2019 https://relcfp.tumblr.com/post/180798049682/cfp-handbook-on-digital-and-public-humanities https://relcfp.tumblr.com/post/180537175062/cfp-life-in-the-anthropocene-theology-and-the https://relcfp.tumblr.com/post/180570182794/storytelling-and-the-body https://relcfp.tumblr.com/post/180757437858/cfp-cfp-chiasma-issue-6-disenchantment https://relcfp.tumblr.com/post/180758582147/cfp-liberal-education-conference-may-16-18-2019 Read more

ReligionProf Podcast with Douglas Estes Part 2: Time, Immortality, and Technology

December 5, 2018 By James F. McGrath

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Of the theological topics that I tackle in my book Theology and Science Fiction, one that students at McCormick Seminary were particularly interested in when I made a guest appearance there in October, was what I wrote about immortality. And yet it was a topic that we didn’t get to talk about as much as I would have liked. And so I was happy that it came up in my conversation with Doug Estes, in the second podcast episode we recorded…. Read more

O Come O Come And Write More Advent Hymns

December 4, 2018 By James F. McGrath

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O come O come and write more advent hymns Their number and their quality are dim While focusing on Christmas is fine That needn’t mean that Advent decline Rejoice, rejoice, an advent song Shall come to thee, o church, before long The church’s calendar can seem obscure Episcopals alone seem to be sure The Methodists coordinate their stoles While others like the Baptists are lost souls Rejoice, rejoice, an advent song Shall come to thee, o church, before long Can… Read more