Digital Commons Network^™

The Make And Model Of A Hero: Training And Transformation In Sundiata:An Epic Of Old Mali, Anna Stowe

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper examines Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali through the lens of the hero’s journey, tracing the boyhood, exile, and transformation of Sundiata as he prepares to restore Mali to peace and prosperity. Leadership is both an individual calling and a communal responsibility; true rulers depend not only on personal strength but also on the support and guidance of others. While in exile, Sundiata receives military, political, and supernatural training, all of which shape his identity as the epic’s hero and equip him to achieve his destiny. These trials mirror the stages of growth and preparation found in scripture. …

Chatgpt And Biblical Studies, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The use of computers in the study of theology has a long and positive history, yet the level of concern in response to the latest AI chatbots is understandable. This article explores how education and preaching need to adapt to this new technology and what its limitations are, as well as how it may make a positive contribution. The study concludes with a brief exploration of the kinds of sermon materials GPTs produced for the author when given prompts about the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4.

A Biblical Masala: Encountering Diversity In Indian Biblical Studies. Edited By David J. Chalcraft And Zhodi Angami. Wazirpur Industrial Area: Christian World Imprints, 2021, Xiv + 390 Pages., Herman Tull

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

Merton & Hinduism: The Yoga Of The Heart. Edited By David M. Odorisio. Louisville: Fons Vitae, 2021, Xlvii + 395 Pages., Erik Ranstrom

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

Paulson Pulikottil. Beyond Dalit Theology. Searching For New Frontiers. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2022, Xv + 156 Pages., Enrico Beltramini

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

“Crossing The Lines”: Biblical Reception, The Bible, And The Bhagavad-Gītā, Herman Tull

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

Editor’S Introduction, Gopal Gupta

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

Volume 33, Full Contents, Jhcs Staff

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

On The Secondary Nature Of Kaṁsa’S ‘Massacre Of The Innocents’ In The Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Ronald V. Huggins

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

Exorcising Mythicism’S Sky-Demons: A Response To Raphael Lataster’S “Questioning Jesus’ Historicity.”, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

No abstract provided.

Learning From Jesus’ Wife: What Does Forgery Have To Do With The Digital Humanities?, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

McGrath’s chapter on the so-called Gospel of Jesus’ Wife sets aside as settled the question of the papyrus’ authenticity, and explores instead what we can learn about the Digital Humanities and scholarly interaction in a digital era from the way the discussions and investigations of that work unfolded, and how issues that arose were handled. As news of purported new finds can spread around the globe instantaneously facilitated by current technology and social media, how can academics utilize similar technology to evaluate authenticity, but even more importantly, inform the broader public about the importance of provenance, and the need for …

Obedient Unto Death: Philippians 2:8, Gethsemane, And The Historical Jesus, James Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Despite the extensive attention that has been given to Philippians 2:6–11 in relation to its Christology, the possibility that v8 alludes to the story about Jesus in Gethsemane has received only cursory mention when it has been considered at all. Philippians 2:8 and the Gospel tradition converge in depicting Jesus choosing to be obedient to God even to the point of death, in the absence of an interpretation of that death as itself salvific. The historical allusion, offered in the midst of a heavily theologized Christo- logical statement, offers an excellent test case for an approach to history which accepts …

Orality And Intertextuality, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

No abstract provided.

"Introduction" To Theology And Science Fiction, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

What is the difference between a god and a powerful alien? Can an android have a soul, or be considered a person with rights? Can we imagine biblical stories being retold in the distant future on planets far from Earth? Whether your interest is in Christianity in the future, or the Jedi in the present--and whether your interest in the Jedi is focused on real-world adherents or the fictional religion depicted on the silver screen--this book will help you explore the intersection between theology and science fiction across a range of authors and stories, topics and questions.

Throughout this volume, …

What Has Coruscant To Do With Jerusalem? A Response And Reflections At The Crossroads Of Hebrew Bible And Science Fiction, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Ecclesial Identities In A Multi-Faith Context: Jesus Truth-Gatherings (Yeshu Satsangs) Among Hindus And Sikhs In Northwest India, Nadya Pohran

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

Book Review of Ecclesial Identities in a Multi-Faith Context: Jesus Truth-Gatherings (Yeshu Satsangs) among Hindus and Sikhs in Northwest India. Darren Todd Duerksen. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2015, xxiii + 292 pp.

How Jesus Became God: One Scholar’S View, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Dr. James McGrath's brief analysis of early Christology. Originally presented as a seminar paper at the University of Michigan, March 19, 2015.

Mythicism And The Making Of Mark, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Carrier’s approach allows him to say that every single thing he finds in the relevant sources is “exactly what we’d expect” if mythicism is true – “as symbolic myth, every oddity is explained, and indeed expected.” This is because “they made this up” is compatible with everything that any text says – especially if one excludes in advance the possibility of using traditional critical methods and criteria for determining that some details may reflect actual historical events.

Forward To The Son Of God: Three Views Of The Identity Of Jesus, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

James McGrath's Forward to: The Son of God: Three Views of the Identity of Jesus, by Charles Lee Irons, Danny Andre Dixon, and Dustin R. Smith. Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2015.

“Did Jesus Die In Outer Space? Evaluating A Key Claim In Richard Carrier’S On The Historicity Of Jesus, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The attempt to use later sources, interpreted in ways that are at best open to dispute, in an attempt to argue against what generations of skeptical scholars have concluded to be likely with respect to the early Christian sources, is never going to make mythicism seem more probable than the hard-earned and intensely-researched consensus of historians and scholars, namely that there was a historical Jesus of Nazareth.

Contesting Faith, Truth, And Religious Language At The Creation Museum: A Historical-Theological Reflection, Brent A. R. Hege

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, attempts to demonstrate the flaws in contemporary science and to offer an alternative explanation of human origins and biological complexity rooted in a specific reading of the biblical narrative. This effort, however, is paradoxically rooted in the worldview of modern science and the Enlightenment. This article will examine the Creation Museum’s definitions of faith, truth, and religious language and will compare these definitions to those of mainline Protestant Christianity to uncover the historical and theological presuppositions of Creationist and mainline Protestant engagements with contemporary science.

Which John? The Elder, The Seer, And The Apostle, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Dr. James McGrath's contribution to Bible Odyssey, a Society of Biblical Literature initiative.

Woman At The Well, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Dr. James McGrath's contribution to Bible Odyssey, a Society of Biblical Literature initiative.

Jesus And The Money Changers (John 2:13-16), James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Dr. James F. McGrath's Contribution to Bible Odyssey, a Society of Biblical Literature initiative.

Mythicism And The Mainstream: The Rhetoric And Realities Of Academic Freedom, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

But when it comes to the mythicism proffered by people whose knowledge of relevant languages, historical texts, ancient cultures, and other such data is minimal or non-existent, and whose works consist only of web pages and self-published books, scholars are under no obligation to waste their valuable time on such matters any more than on the countless other topics which web sites and self-published books address, and which a quick perusal shows to be bunk.

He Shall Be Called A Nazorean: Intertextuality Without An Intertext?, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Inexact quotations are a common phenomenon in Biblical intertextuality, and some suspected allusions are so fleeting and/or imprecise as to leave interpreters wondering whether an allusion was intended or not. But in at least one instance, Matthew 2:23, we have a reference to something unspecified prophets are supposed to have said, namely that “He shall be called a Nazorean,” which may not in fact have any intertext at all.

Revisiting The Mandaeans And The New Testament, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The Mandaeans have been known to scholars for as long as there has been modern scholarship. Thanks to advances in technology, you can now find some of their ancient texts online, and videos of their baptismal rituals on YouTube. Yet as fascinating as the Mandaeans are, and as much as modern technologies can facilitate greater familiarity with them, the amount of attention that they receive is surprisingly sparse – although there are encouraging signs that that is at least beginning to change.

Review Of The Evolution Of Adam: What The Bible Does And Doesn’T Say About Human Origins, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Article reviews the book "The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins," by Peter Enns.

On Hearing (Rather Than Reading) Intertextual Echoes: Christology And Monotheistic Scriptures In An Oral Context, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

While recent studies of the New Testament have found the methods of intertextuality and orality studies to be fruitful approaches, there has been insufficient interplay between the two. This article explores the capacity of hearers of texts to pick up on echoes of familiar texts, stories, and songs. Using as an example Paul’s interpretation of Scripture in connection with the topics of monotheism and Christology, the article suggests that, in the absence of explicit and emphatic statements of the difference or distinctiveness of his views, Paul’s allusions to key monotheistic texts would have been understood to indicate Paul’s agreement with …

Mark’S Missing Ending: Clues From The Gospel Of John And The Gospel Of Peter, James F. Mcgrath

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The Gospel of Peter may be unique among early Christian Gospels in its embracing of those details towards the end of Mark’s story that other readers and authors both ancient and modern have found to be problematic, in particular the fear of the women and their failure to say anything to anyone.