The Bible and Beyond Podcast Episode
Seriously! Dr. James McGrath’s Research Shows How Jesus Learned from Women
An Interview with Dr. James McGrath
Dr. James McGrath
Dr. James McGrath inverts the usual question about women learning from Jesus. The podcast interview highlights McGrath’s new book, in which he draws on both scholarly rigor and historical fiction to address gaps in historical knowledge. Strikingly, his examples of Jesus learning from women include some women with lower status, such as a poor widow and a girl accused of adultery. McGrath addresses both theological problems and social sensitivities related to the unusual claim for Jesus as a learner.
Dr. James McGrath is the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University. His interests, known widely from his blog, Religion Prof on Patheos, range from the Bible, science fiction, evolution, religion, and Mandaean culture.
He has a Diploma in Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge, a BD from the University of London, and his PhD from Durham University. He is the author of several books and numerous articles (as well as a few science fiction short stories), and the editor or co-editor of several volumes.
You can visit his Amazon author page and Selected Works page on the Butler University website, to learn more about his publications, and you can follow him on Twitter, YouTube, and elsewhere.
And we’re watching for his forthcoming book, What Jesus Learned from Women, from Wipf and Stock Publishers (Cascade Books).
This is a fascinating podcast, providing much food for thought. I really want to read his book. Thank you Shirley!
Yes! I second the above comment and plan to read this intriguing book.
Thank you for sharing James with us!
Wow. I love that he added letters back and forth from Mary and Elizabeth. You would think they would have corresponded. And he talked about that we don’t know if they actually could read and write (although possible). But they would get scribes to write if they couldn’t.
I love that he put forward the idea that Jesus learned from his mother. She did bring him up when he was young and as a mother I know my children learned from me.