What's up, Theology Nerds! So I had my buddy Matt Novenson on to talk about what's happening on the cutting edge of New Testament research these days, and let me tell you, it's way broader than you might think. We covered five major areas where scholars are doing really fascinating work: first, bringing Jewish studies into conversation with the New Testament (like Matthew Thiessen's work on how Jesus actually dissolves ritual impurity rather than abolishing purity systems); second, looking at the broader ancient Mediterranean world beyond just "Jewish vs. Greco-Roman" contexts (Heidi Wendt's brilliant stuff on Paul as a "freelance religious expert" competing for influence); third, studying how the Bible has been interpreted not just in academic commentaries but in art, music, and everyday life (Lisa Marie Bowens' archival work on African American readings of Paul is mind-blowing); fourth, examining how biblical themes have unconsciously shaped modern cultural discourses like immigration policy (Yii-Jan Lin's work on how Revelation's New Jerusalem imagery shows up in American immigration law is wild); and finally, reconnecting New Testament studies with theology through careful hermeneutics (David Lincicum does this really well, tracing how early Christians read Paul reading Jewish scripture). The whole conversation was both entertaining for folks just interested in where the field is heading and super practical for anyone thinking about graduate school - Matt even gave great advice about just cold-emailing scholars because, surprise, most of them are normal people who actually like talking about ideas!

Dr. Matthew Novenson is a distinguished New Testament scholar now teaching at Princeton Theological Seminary. His scholarship focuses on Paul’s letters, early Judaism, and early Christianity.

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African American Readings of Paul

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