Books by Jason A Staples
Cambridge University Press, 2024
The gospel promoted by Paul has for many generations stirred passionate debate. That gospel procl... more The gospel promoted by Paul has for many generations stirred passionate debate. That gospel proclaimed equal salvific access to Jews and gentiles alike. But on what basis? In making sense of such a remarkable step forward in religious history, Jason Staples reexamines texts that have proven thoroughly resistant to easy comprehension. He traces Paul's inclusive theology to a hidden strand of thinking in the earlier story of Israel. Postexilic southern Judah, he argues, did not simply appropriate the identity of the fallen northern kingdom of Israel. Instead, Judah maintained a notion of 'Israel' as referring both to the north and the ongoing reality of a broad, pan-Israelite sensibility to which the descendants of both ancient kingdoms belonged. Paul's concomitant belief was that northern Israel's exile meant assimilation among the nations – effectively a people's death – and that its restoration paradoxically required gentile inclusion to resurrect a greater 'Israel' from the dead.
Cambridge University Press, 2021
In this book, Jason A. Staples proposes a new paradigm for how the biblical concept of Israel bot... more In this book, Jason A. Staples proposes a new paradigm for how the biblical concept of Israel both shaped and was shaped by early Jewish apocalyptic hopes for restoration after the Babylonian Exile. Challenging conventional assumptions about Israelite identity in antiquity, his argument is based on a close analysis of a vast corpus of biblical and other early Jewish literature and material evidence. Staples demonstrates that continued hopes for Israel’s restoration in the context of diaspora and imperial domination remained central to Jewish conceptions of Israelite identity throughout the final centuries before Christianity and even into the early part of the Common Era. He also shows that Israelite identity was more diverse in antiquity than is typically appreciated in modern scholarship. His book lays the groundwork for a better understanding of the so-called “parting of the ways” between Judaism and Christianity and how earliest Christianity itself grew out of hopes for Israel’s restoration.
Articles by Jason A Staples
Harvard Theological Review, 2022
[OPEN ACCESS] Starting from the concept of divine patience in Rom 9:22, this article argues that ... more [OPEN ACCESS] Starting from the concept of divine patience in Rom 9:22, this article argues that Paul employs the potter/clay metaphor not (as often interpreted) to defend God’s right to arbitrary choice but rather as an appeal to what Abraham Heschel called divine pathos—the idea that God’s choices are impacted by human actions. The potter/clay imagery in Rom 9:20–23 thus serves to highlight the dynamic and improvisational way the God of Israel interacts with Israel and, by extension, all of creation.
Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2019
Peter’s vision in Acts 10 ostensibly concerns dietary laws but is interpreted within the narrativ... more Peter’s vision in Acts 10 ostensibly concerns dietary laws but is interpreted within the narrative as a revelation of God’s mercy towards the Gentiles, culminating in the baptism of Cornelius’ household. How this vision pertains to the immediately following events has remained a problem in scholarship on Acts. This article argues that the vision depends on earlier apocalyptic Jewish depictions of various nations as animals (and empires as hybrid beasts) and allegorical explanations of the food laws familiar in the Second Temple period in which the forbidden animals are understood as representing those peoples with whom Israel must not mix. What seems on the surface to refer to food is therefore naturally understood within this genre as a reference to nations and peoples. Acts 10 thus makes use of standard Jewish apocalyptic tropes familiar to its audience but less familiar to modern readers.
New Testament Studies, 2018
Despite numerous studies of the word κύριος (‘Lord’) in the New Testament, the significance of t... more Despite numerous studies of the word κύριος (‘Lord’) in the New Testament, the significance of the double form κύριε κύριε occurring in Matthew and Luke has been overlooked, with most assuming the doubling merely communicates heightened emotion or special reverence. By contrast, this article argues that whereas a single κύριος might be ambiguous, the double κύριος formula outside the Gospels always serves as a distinctive way to represent the Tetragrammaton and that its use in Matthew and Luke is therefore best understood as a way to represent Jesus as applying the name of the God of Israel to himself.
Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 106.1, 2015
Although the textual variants of Gal 3,19a have typically been dismissed as the result of inatten... more Although the textual variants of Gal 3,19a have typically been dismissed as the result of inattentive copyists, one variant appears to be an orthodox corruption aimed at eliminating Marcionite and other demiurgic interpretations as well as an intriguing example of a Latin harmonization influencing P46 and other early Greek witnesses. This variant is thus valuable for its illumination of the doctrinal battles over Paul in this early period and its implications about Latin influence at a very early stage of textual transmission.
Journal of Biblical Literature 130.2 , 2011
Interpreters have struggled mightily with Paul's declaration that "all Israel will be saved," pri... more Interpreters have struggled mightily with Paul's declaration that "all Israel will be saved," primarily because most modern interpreters assume that "Israel" is simply a synonym for "the Jews." But once it is understood that the latter is a subset of the former, Paul's larger argument makes much more sense and fits much better in the larger context of apocalyptic Judaism in the Second Temple period.
Book Chapters by Jason A Staples
Biblical Themes in Science Fiction, edited by Kelly J. Murphy and Nicole L. Tilford, 2023
A look at the biblical theme of "Babylon" and its impact on the "evil empire" trope in science fi... more A look at the biblical theme of "Babylon" and its impact on the "evil empire" trope in science fiction.
Encyclopedia Articles by Jason A Staples
The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 2nd Ed., edited by Nijay K. Gupta and Lynn H. Cohick, 2023
pp. 83–85
Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 2nd Ed., edited by Nijay K. Gupta and Lynn H. Cohick, 2023
pp. 242–50
The Encyclopedia of World History, vol. 1 (“Ancient World, 8000 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.”). New York: Facts on File, 2008
The Encyclopedia of World History, vol. 1. (“Ancient World, 8000 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.”). New York: Facts on File, 2008
Available here: http://www.jasonstaples.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Staples-Old-Kingdom-Egypt.pdf
Review Articles by Jason A Staples
Journal of Religion and Film, 2010
Reviews of the Enoch Seminar, 2018
Journal of Theological Studies 67.2, 2016
Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations 12.1, 2017
Journal of Religion and Film, 15.1, 2011
Selected Conference Presentations by Jason A Staples
Helping introductory students understand the social world and theological system of the apostle P... more Helping introductory students understand the social world and theological system of the apostle Paul is always one of the most daunting tasks of any introductory Bible or New Testament class. One of the primary difficulties is helping students grasp Paul’s terminology, a job made more challenging by theological presuppositions and definitions many students bring into the course.
One effective introduction to the covenantal (patron-client) thought world and terminology of Pauline literature can be found in the first scene from the classic film, The Godfather. In this scene, Amerigo Bonasera petitions Vito Corleone for “justice” in the wake of a crime committed against his daughter. Bonasera’s offer to pay for this favor angers Corleone for the disrespect implied in such a request, as Bonasera is “afraid to be in [Corleone’s] debt.” Only after Bonasera asks “in friendship” (that is, having given a pledge of loyalty) does Corleone grant the favor, explaining, “Some day … I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, please accept this justice as a gift on my daughter’s wedding day.”
I typically introduce the concept of patronage, allegiance, and exchange and then show five-minute scene, which gives a poignant demonstration of quite Pauline definitions for terms and concepts such as favor (χάρις), allegiance/faithfulness (πίστις), justice, gift, friendship, and reciprocity, while also highlighting the grave and fearful obligation the client now feels to his benefactor. The concepts of reciprocity and obligation reflected in this scene also nicely set up a discussion of Pauline ethics, allowing students to view such relational obligations (and therefore Paul’s own understanding) from outside a typical western/American perspective.
Plotinus’ treatise, “On Eternity and Time,” (Ennead III 7), reformulates and, in several places, ... more Plotinus’ treatise, “On Eternity and Time,” (Ennead III 7), reformulates and, in several places, outright contradicts Plato’s concept of time. When Plotinus finally unveils his own theory, he does so in mythological form (III 7.11.12–20), an unusual move within the Plotinian corpus. In this myth, the Soul, though originating in eternity, produces time due to its “hyperactive nature,” which is dissatisfied with the homogeneity which the Soul sees in the realm of Being, longing for extension, progression, and self-rule. The soul’s desire for extension ultimately results in the division of the unity of Being—“temporalizing itself and [producing] time rather than eternity” (III 7.11.30). Peculiarly, Plotinus breaks into the first-person plural form, concluding, “We made time as the image of eternity,” a conclusion that differs from the Timaeus’ explanation that time was the creation of the Demiurge.
Surprisingly, Plotinus’ explanation of time parallels closely with Philo’s allegorical reading of the Adam and Eve story, in which the Soul is deceived by its own desire for extension and and generation, resulting in the cycle of procreation and death. My paper argues that Plotinus’ understanding of time was indebted to Philo’s allegorical interpretation of the Adam and Eve myth, with Plotinus’ own myth effectively a re-mythologizing of the Genesis story as understood by Philo. The paper suggests that Plotinus was likely exposed to Philo’s writings (in addition to Numenius, who was himself likely indebted to Philo) while being trained under Ammonius Saccas in Alexandria, while this reading of Plotinus’ myth in Ennead III 7 also lends strength to the theory that Plotinus identified time as “Evil itself.”
Many students feel threatened by textual criticism, suspicious of anyone who tells them that Bibl... more Many students feel threatened by textual criticism, suspicious of anyone who tells them that Biblical manuscripts contain errors and changes. One popular pedagogical approach to seems to be to confront this suspicion head-on in a “shock and awe” campaign in the attempt to disabuse students of prior simplistic conceptions of textual transmission. The objective to this approach seems to be to shatter the students’ perspectives and then pick up the pieces. Though this approach does work well with many students, it only serves to heighten the resistance of some students who perceive this approach as an aggressive “liberal” attack on the roots of their faith.
This paper argues that, rather than taking an aggressive approach in the effort to shock their systems, instructors should try to meet these suspicious students on their turf, starting with a biblical witness for the need of textual criticism. Jeremiah 8:8 provides just such a witness, complaining that the “lying pen of the scribe” has changed the Torah and giving evidence that even biblical writers recognized the limitations of textual transmission. Starting with this verse has a disarming effect, building trust with suspicious students. The instructor can then explain ancient concerns about textual transmission and the higher value placed on oral transmission (referencing Papias, Herodotus, and others) in antiquity to a more receptive audience. Finally, the rise of wikis (such as Wikipedia) can fruitfully be used to explain how textual transmission is often a fluid process, involving mistakes, corrections, and improvements.
By starting with canonical testimony to scribal changes and exhibiting modern “scribal” technologies, instructors can better reach all of their students without alienating those who might otherwise be predisposed to reject this important part of the discipline of biblical studies.
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Books by Jason A Staples
Articles by Jason A Staples
Book Chapters by Jason A Staples
Encyclopedia Articles by Jason A Staples
Review Articles by Jason A Staples
Selected Conference Presentations by Jason A Staples
One effective introduction to the covenantal (patron-client) thought world and terminology of Pauline literature can be found in the first scene from the classic film, The Godfather. In this scene, Amerigo Bonasera petitions Vito Corleone for “justice” in the wake of a crime committed against his daughter. Bonasera’s offer to pay for this favor angers Corleone for the disrespect implied in such a request, as Bonasera is “afraid to be in [Corleone’s] debt.” Only after Bonasera asks “in friendship” (that is, having given a pledge of loyalty) does Corleone grant the favor, explaining, “Some day … I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, please accept this justice as a gift on my daughter’s wedding day.”
I typically introduce the concept of patronage, allegiance, and exchange and then show five-minute scene, which gives a poignant demonstration of quite Pauline definitions for terms and concepts such as favor (χάρις), allegiance/faithfulness (πίστις), justice, gift, friendship, and reciprocity, while also highlighting the grave and fearful obligation the client now feels to his benefactor. The concepts of reciprocity and obligation reflected in this scene also nicely set up a discussion of Pauline ethics, allowing students to view such relational obligations (and therefore Paul’s own understanding) from outside a typical western/American perspective.
Surprisingly, Plotinus’ explanation of time parallels closely with Philo’s allegorical reading of the Adam and Eve story, in which the Soul is deceived by its own desire for extension and and generation, resulting in the cycle of procreation and death. My paper argues that Plotinus’ understanding of time was indebted to Philo’s allegorical interpretation of the Adam and Eve myth, with Plotinus’ own myth effectively a re-mythologizing of the Genesis story as understood by Philo. The paper suggests that Plotinus was likely exposed to Philo’s writings (in addition to Numenius, who was himself likely indebted to Philo) while being trained under Ammonius Saccas in Alexandria, while this reading of Plotinus’ myth in Ennead III 7 also lends strength to the theory that Plotinus identified time as “Evil itself.”
This paper argues that, rather than taking an aggressive approach in the effort to shock their systems, instructors should try to meet these suspicious students on their turf, starting with a biblical witness for the need of textual criticism. Jeremiah 8:8 provides just such a witness, complaining that the “lying pen of the scribe” has changed the Torah and giving evidence that even biblical writers recognized the limitations of textual transmission. Starting with this verse has a disarming effect, building trust with suspicious students. The instructor can then explain ancient concerns about textual transmission and the higher value placed on oral transmission (referencing Papias, Herodotus, and others) in antiquity to a more receptive audience. Finally, the rise of wikis (such as Wikipedia) can fruitfully be used to explain how textual transmission is often a fluid process, involving mistakes, corrections, and improvements.
By starting with canonical testimony to scribal changes and exhibiting modern “scribal” technologies, instructors can better reach all of their students without alienating those who might otherwise be predisposed to reject this important part of the discipline of biblical studies.
One effective introduction to the covenantal (patron-client) thought world and terminology of Pauline literature can be found in the first scene from the classic film, The Godfather. In this scene, Amerigo Bonasera petitions Vito Corleone for “justice” in the wake of a crime committed against his daughter. Bonasera’s offer to pay for this favor angers Corleone for the disrespect implied in such a request, as Bonasera is “afraid to be in [Corleone’s] debt.” Only after Bonasera asks “in friendship” (that is, having given a pledge of loyalty) does Corleone grant the favor, explaining, “Some day … I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, please accept this justice as a gift on my daughter’s wedding day.”
I typically introduce the concept of patronage, allegiance, and exchange and then show five-minute scene, which gives a poignant demonstration of quite Pauline definitions for terms and concepts such as favor (χάρις), allegiance/faithfulness (πίστις), justice, gift, friendship, and reciprocity, while also highlighting the grave and fearful obligation the client now feels to his benefactor. The concepts of reciprocity and obligation reflected in this scene also nicely set up a discussion of Pauline ethics, allowing students to view such relational obligations (and therefore Paul’s own understanding) from outside a typical western/American perspective.
Surprisingly, Plotinus’ explanation of time parallels closely with Philo’s allegorical reading of the Adam and Eve story, in which the Soul is deceived by its own desire for extension and and generation, resulting in the cycle of procreation and death. My paper argues that Plotinus’ understanding of time was indebted to Philo’s allegorical interpretation of the Adam and Eve myth, with Plotinus’ own myth effectively a re-mythologizing of the Genesis story as understood by Philo. The paper suggests that Plotinus was likely exposed to Philo’s writings (in addition to Numenius, who was himself likely indebted to Philo) while being trained under Ammonius Saccas in Alexandria, while this reading of Plotinus’ myth in Ennead III 7 also lends strength to the theory that Plotinus identified time as “Evil itself.”
This paper argues that, rather than taking an aggressive approach in the effort to shock their systems, instructors should try to meet these suspicious students on their turf, starting with a biblical witness for the need of textual criticism. Jeremiah 8:8 provides just such a witness, complaining that the “lying pen of the scribe” has changed the Torah and giving evidence that even biblical writers recognized the limitations of textual transmission. Starting with this verse has a disarming effect, building trust with suspicious students. The instructor can then explain ancient concerns about textual transmission and the higher value placed on oral transmission (referencing Papias, Herodotus, and others) in antiquity to a more receptive audience. Finally, the rise of wikis (such as Wikipedia) can fruitfully be used to explain how textual transmission is often a fluid process, involving mistakes, corrections, and improvements.
By starting with canonical testimony to scribal changes and exhibiting modern “scribal” technologies, instructors can better reach all of their students without alienating those who might otherwise be predisposed to reject this important part of the discipline of biblical studies.
After briefly critiquing prior intertextual readings of the Prodigal Son parable (e.g. the Exodus or Jacob’s return to Canaan as the narrative backdrop), the paper will show that the parable actually stands within a narrative trajectory (also witnessed in 4Q372 1) depicting the return of the lost northern house of Israel from among the Gentiles in a personified form. The prodigal “younger brother,” who intermingles with the Gentiles (swine), represents these “dead” and “lost” (Luke 15:24) northern tribes.
Unlike the expectations of 4Q372 1, however, this restoration is not accompanied by the destruction of the Samaritans (or Gentiles). Rather, the Lukan parable makes a radical reversal: these once unfaithful and lost tribes will indeed return (as depicted in Jer 31), but in a form unpalatable to the faithful brother—since these tribes “intermingled” among the nations (no longer ethnically distinct), the “returning” northern kingdom will actually consist of Samaritans and Gentiles.
The Prodigal Son Parable (along with the “Good Samaritan,” and other ethnic reversals in Luke) thus serves as a proleptic setting of the stage for the later Gentile mission of Acts—with the audience expected to identify with the faithful brother (=Judah), admonished to receive these “returnees” joyfully.