BibleScholar

 Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts, edited by Christy Cobb and Katherine A. Shaner, offers a comprehensive foray into one of the most neglected dimensions of early Christianity: the institution of slavery in the Greco-Roman world and its impact upon New Testament texts and communities. Published by Eerdmans on April 10, 2025, this collection brings together contributions from leading historians, archaeologists, and biblical scholars to equip both students and instructors with the historical, theological, and ethical frameworks necessary to grapple with slavery’s legacies in Christian origins. The volume opens with foundational chapters that define the language and study of ancient enslavement. The exploration of the Greek and Latin terminology for “enslavement” establishes the critical lexical ground for subsequent analyses. The methodological approaches to the study of slavery, emphasize interdisciplinary tools ranging from papyrology to social anthropology. This make...

 Dale C. Allison Jr., emeritus professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary and one of the leading figures in contemporary Jesus scholarship, has long been known for his careful historical work, his theological insight, and his willingness to entertain complex, often uncomfortable questions in New Testament studies. In Interpreting Jesus, he brings decades of reflection to bear on six major essays that cover topics ranging from historical methodology to Jesus’s treatment of women, his miraculous activity, and his possible knowledge of the future. Each essay is substantial, deeply researched, and representative of Allison’s long-standing concern to keep Jesus studies tethered both to responsible historiography and to the theological heart of the Gospels. The book is divided into six chapters, each essentially functioning as a stand-alone monograph in miniature. Despite their independence, they are united by a common methodological thread: a commitment to critical r...

Jesus and Divine Christology by Brant Pitre Dr. Brant Pitre’s latest academic contribution to New Testament Christology tackles one of the most fundamental and debated questions in the field: *Did Jesus see himself as divine?* This question has long been a point of contention, with much of modern critical scholarship arguing that the notion of Jesus’ divinity was a later theological development rather than a self-understanding reflected in the historical Jesus’ own words and actions. Pitre, however, challenges this perspective head-on. He contends that the Synoptic Gospels—often viewed as presenting a lower Christology compared to John—as well as the Gospel of John itself, offer clear and compelling evidence that Jesus made implicit and explicit claims to his own divinity. More significantly, Pitre argues that these claims can be reliably traced back to the historical Jesus rather than being theological constructs of the early church. What makes Pitre’s work particularly noteworthy i...