Description
This volume explores the transformative potential of New Testament studies within a cross-disciplinary framework, asking how the field might contribute meaningfully to broader conversations in the humanities and social sciences. Rather than isolating itself within traditional boundaries, New Testament scholarship is invited to express its distinctive methodologies and insights while engaging with contemporary debates across theology, ethics, politics, and material culture.
Contributors to this collection offer a rich array of approaches-historical-critical, ethical, political, and conceptual-demonstrating how interdisciplinary dialogue can illuminate both ancient texts and modern contexts. Beginning with reflections on the relationship between New Testament studies and Theology, the volume moves through explorations of historical method, the ethical and political stakes of interpretation, and the social-material dimensions of biblical texts.
Ultimately, this volume envisions a future in which New Testament studies not only affirm their relevance within theological discourse but also participate actively in shaping interdisciplinary knowledge production. It is an essential resource for scholars seeking to connect ancient scripture with the pressing questions of today.
Table of Contents
List of Figures
Introduction: Bridging Gaps Between Past and Present
Clarissa Breu, University of Vienna, Austria
Part One: New Testament Studies Within TheologyNightmares, Cyborgs, and Magpies: On Thinking Differently About the Bible and TheoryRhiannon Graybill, University of Richmond, USAWhat I Have Learned and Unlearned from New Testament Scholarship in Writing (My) “Christology”Heinrich Assel, University of Greifswald, GermanyPrimary Intertext? Connecting New Testament Studies and Theological EthicsFrederike van Oorschot, University of Bonn, GermanyPart Two: New Horizons in Historical-Critical ResearchThe Future of Historical-Critical Research in Biblical Studies: Some Thoughts and SuggestionsJoseph Verheyden, KU Leuven, Belgium“Why Those Old Stories?” Why Are We Still Bothering with History in Biblical Studies? Reflections in the Present Educational Crisis and in a Global Christian ContextJörg Frey, University of Zurich, SwitzerlandImagination: Its Significance for ExegesisMarkus Öhler University of Vienna, AustriaApocrypha on the Margins? Reflections on the Subject of New Testament StudiesSilke Petersen, University of Hamburg, GermanyPart Three: Social Realities and ImaginationsSocial History: Connecting Historical Methods and Social ConcernsSusan E. Hylen, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, USAImagination and the First Listeners: Intersectional New Testament InterpretationEllen Aasland Reinertsen, University of Oslo, NorwayIn Memory of Them: On the Theological and Political Impact of an Intersectional Analysis of New Testament Texts in Their ContextsAngela Standhartinger, Phipps University Marburg, GermanyPart Four: Meta-Criticism of New Testament ScholarshipWho’s Commenting on the Commentators? Imagining a Future for New Testament CommentariesMichelle Fletcher, King’s College London, UKEthics of New Testament ScholarshipJohn Van Maaren, University of Vienna, Austria and Valérie Nicolet, Umeå University, SwedenIntersectional Exnomination of Social Location in Biblical StudiesJeremy Punt, Stellenbosch University, South AfricaPart Five: New Testament Texts and Their FuturesInterpreting World Literature: On Reading New Testament Texts in Their Ancient and Contemporary ContextsSusanne Luther, University of Göttingen, GermanyDissemination against the Grain: New Testament Studies as a Cultivated Wild GardenClarissa Breu, University of Vienna, AustriaWho’s Afraid of Reception Criticism?Hannah M. Strømmen, Lund University, SwedenNew Testament Futures as the Future of New Testament StudiesPeter-Ben Smit, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, NetherlandsAppendix: Position PaperNotes on Contributors
