The Bible and Beyond Podcast Episode

How Jesus’s Followers Made Sense of His Death by Crucifixion

An Interview with Dr. Arthur Dewey

Dr. Art Dewey

Dr. Arthur Dewey, photo by Greg Rust

In this podcast, Professor Arthur Dewey explains why Christians felt so differently about Jesus’s crucifixion long after the event than his immediate followers did. Jesus had taught the presence of God and how to live that, but the shock of his death caused re-thinking and re-evaluating of this shame-inducing passion experience for many decades and centuries. Jesus’s counter-cultural message brought hope to members of the Roman-occupied community, but his crucifixion strengthened their memory and faith.

Dr. Dewey is an award-winning and honors recipient Professor of Theology at Xavier University and has been a long-time chair of the Department of Theology. He is a specialist on the historical Jesus and the Gospels, and he has taught extensively on Paul and a number of extracanonical works. He is a scholar with great depth and experience in the world of early Christian texts. He is also a poet and becomes involved in places where the media gets wrapped up in religion. His most recent book, Inventing the Passion (2017), is the focus of this Bible and Beyond podcast interview.