Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS)!

STUDIORUM NOVI TESTAMENTI SOCIETAS

I am honored to learn that I have been nominated and elected a member of the prestigious Society for New Testament Studies (SNTS) this year! Many thanks to Professors James A. Sanders and Dale C. Allison, Jr. for the nomination!

Jesus, the Essenes, and Christian Origins!

I am happy to announce that my new book - Jesus, the Essenes, and Christian Origins - will be published by Baylor University Press next year! This is my most recent work on Christian origins - a topic I have devoted much of my scholarly career to - and this study focuses on the relationship between the Essenes and the historical Jesus, a subject I have been fascinated with since I began graduate work in religion. It also gives me an opportunity to assess and discuss various critical responses to my work over the years. 

Although it has now become something of a truism to say that the study of Christian origins should be framed within Second Temple Judaism (since Jesus and his first followers were Jews), there is no denying that Christian origins also represents a complex, multifaceted, dynamic process of social, cultural, and theological change. In this light, I think Jesus, the Essenes, and Christian Origins breaks new ground in locating and situating the historical Jesus within the context(s) of his "halakhic" discussions while simultaneously exploring how that original cultural matrix developed over the course of the first century to become what is commonly known today as (early) "Christianity."

Jesus and the Temple - JTS Review

"Joseph argues an intriguing and innovative thesis . . . Joseph's thesis is cogently argued throughout . . . Joseph has performed a helpful service to scholarship in making this innovative and thoughtful proposal. Many will benefit from critically engaging with this volume."

David W. Chapman, Journal of Theological Studies

Jesus and the Temple - JSNT Review

“Joseph demonstrates a remarkable knowledge of the scholarly material, and the erudition on display means that his study will undoubtedly serve as a core resource for all subsequent work on sacrificial imagery in the NT.”

Grant Macaskill, Journal for the Study of the New Testament

Jesus and the Temple - JETS Review

"There is much to be commended in this book. Jesus and the Temple is a very readable and well-researched investigation into the circumstances of Jesus's death. The argument is easy to follow, and Joseph's analysis of both the primary and secondary literature is salutary. Even better, Joseph produces a consistent argument . . . an engaging read and one full of tantalizing possibilities. Joseph's arguments deserve to be taken seriously by anyone interested in the study of the historical Jesus and the question of why he died." 

Timothy Wardle, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society