R. A. Webb Assoc. Prof. of Rel. Stud., Rhodes College. PhD, Study of Religion (EC&NT), University of Toronto & Centre for Jewish Studies (2013). Editor of JSHJ.
Memphis, TN
Joined February 2009
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A shiny new CFP for JSHJ based on some things @robertjmyles and I articulated in our first editorial:
More here: www2.brill.com/JSHJ
Please share!
ALT Call for papers for JSHJ, full text here: https://www2.brill.com/JSHJ
My department is hiring a 2-year VAP in Religious Studies & Africana Studies (cross-appointed in both programs). Interdisciplinary teaching is a huge plus!
rhodes.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com…
I read this RBL review about 3x to ensure I didn’t overlook an incisive critique of something we got wrong or neglected. But each time, all I found was a kind, complimentary reflection 🥹 Deepest thanks to Paula Fredriksen for this—and to the book’s many contributors! ❤️
Just dropping by with a periodic reminder that if you’ve written anything about Jesus (including historical, metacritical, and reception-focused work), we’d love for you to submit it to JSHJ!
Refresh yourself on some of our current interests here: brill.com/view/journals/jshj…
Sarah E. Rollens 🎨✨ retweeted
BREAKING: The Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled that @damienechols of the #WestMemphisThree is entitled to petition an Arkansas court for new DNA testing on crime-scene evidence in the 1993 murder of three boys in the hopes of clearing his name, along with his co-defendants @charlesjbaldwin and Jessie Misskelley.
shorturl.at/uvzHN
Thought this day would never come! Let justice prevail!
West Memphis Three murder evidence to undergo DNA testing, 30 years later - Arkansas Times arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2…
Italy CFP! The unit that James Crossley & I chair invites you to think about how biblical resources both contain and have been used for (i.e., reception history) various forms of conflict. In other words, the options are...wide-ranging, to say the least! cissr.net/call-for-papers/
Latest issue of the _JSHJ_ is out. My brief editorial is open access. Thanks to all contributors!
brill.com/view/journals/jshj…
Sarah E. Rollens 🎨✨ retweeted
The loyal dog remembers… Homer’s Odyssey, Book 17. And the suitors just can’t help themselves!
Homer’s Odyssey, Book 17: Suitors on Trial
Odysseus returns home at last—but disguised as a beggar. The halls of Ithaca, devoid of their king, have turned to chaos. And now, he gets a first-hand look at the lords who have betrayed him, and the consequences of their arrogance and entitlement. Oblivious to the fact that the reckoning is coming, the suitors gorge themselves with food and wine.
Revenge is coming, but that’s not what this chapter is about. Here, Homer focuses on the strategy of the long game: observation, patience, and a different kind of test.
When Odysseus returns, in a touching moment, his faithful dog, Argos, recognizes him right away. Neglected like Ithaca’s halls, the dog is old, weak, and covered in fleas. But the moment the great hunting dog recognizes his master, his tail wags one last time before he dies—a symbol perhaps that he has waited and guarded the palace faithfully and can finally rest.
Inside the palace, the suitors lead with cruelty and arrogance, betraying their sore lack of character. Would they speak like this in the presence of Odysseus? Taken in by the disguise, they reveal their true identities by mocking him, jeering, and even assaulting him. Odysseus suffers it all, but not for long. He’s waiting for the opportune moment to strike, with strategy, and prudence. He’s not carried away by his emotions.
The entire book is a reminder that how people treat those they assume to be powerless, when no one in authority watches, reveals everything about who we truly are. It raises questions for us as reader like, how does power reveal character or not? How do we balance watching and waiting with acting? And of course, why is it so important that Odysseus witness the suitors’ behavior with his own eyes, rather than relying on a second-hand account?
In this book, Odysseus isn’t the only one being tested. The suitors are on trial—and judgment is coming.
#Ancients2025
Artwork: Odysseus recognized by his dog, engraving by Thulden, Theodoor van (1606-1669)
Read more (free): thegreats.org/courses
Check out the CFP for this year's CISSR conference in Italy. Please do observe how incredibly broad the unit run by myself and @thejcmort is--anything that thinks about biblical texts as conflicted/conflicting resources is appropriate :)
cissr.net/call-for-papers/
@taylordtheology will have a review of Alan Kirk's latest book in the next issue of JSHJ (teaser below). Kirk, one of my doctoral siblings, offers a rigorous, careful study of the role of memory in gospel composition, this time geared toward the field's fixation on sources:
Review here and forthcoming in the first issue of the year: brill.com/view/journals/jshj…
The latest in our pedagogy series for the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus: Justin Meggitt’s reflections about his experience teaching the historical Jesus over the years. Should be open access—enjoy! @Brill_Religious #jshj
brill.com/view/journals/jshj…
Sarah E. Rollens 🎨✨ retweeted
There is no statute of limitations for the crime of murder.
Whomever murdered Christopher Byers, Michael Moore & Steve Branch:
Justice will see you in court. the-sun.com/news/13220615/we…
Sarah E. Rollens 🎨✨ retweeted
Thanks @jaketapper for chatting with me about false confessions, and the ways we can reform police interrogation methods to prevent them.
The most urgent reforms:
1) Record every interaction with police.
2) Ban the use of deception by police during questioning.
@TheLeadCNN
we need to come to terms with the fact that we’ve stopped pushing a normative version being human, which has allowed us to recognize the spectrum of expressions of different people.
FACT CHECK: On Meet The Press, President Trump repeated that autism was 1 in 100,000 25 years ago and now it is 1 in 100.
In 2000, the rate of autism was 6.7 in 1000. Today, it is 1 in 36. So much worse than he stated.
If it was simply a diagnosis problem back then, where are the 1 in 36 adults that have it? We need to come to terms that the rate of autism and adhd has gone up. Thankfully, Trump and RFK Jr will get to the bottom of why it’s happening.