Books by Reed Carlson
De Gruyter, 2022
Spirit possession is more commonly associated with late Second Temple Jewish literature and the N... more Spirit possession is more commonly associated with late Second Temple Jewish literature and the New Testament than it is with the Hebrew Bible. In Unfamiliar Selves, however, Reed Carlson argues that possession is also depicted in this earlier literature, though rarely according to the typical western paradigm. This new approach utilizes theoretical models developed by cultural anthropologists and ethnographers of contemporary possession-practicing communities in the global south and its diasporas. Carlson demonstrates how possession in the Bible is a corporate and cultivated practice that can function as social commentary and as a means to model the moral self.
Carlson treats a variety of spirit phenomena in the Hebrew Bible, including spirit language in the Psalms and Job, spirit empowerment in Judges and Samuel, and communal possession in the prophets. Carlson also surveys apotropaic texts and spirit myths in early Jewish literature—including the Dead Sea Scrolls. In The Spirit and the Self, two recent scholarly trends in biblical studies converge: investigations into notions of evil and of the self. The result is a synthesizing project, useful to biblical scholars and those of early Judaism and Christianity alike.
Papers by Reed Carlson
Currents in Biblical Research, 2024
The term rûaḥ (plural: rûḥôt) is usually translated into English as ‘wind’, ‘breath’, or ‘spirit’... more The term rûaḥ (plural: rûḥôt) is usually translated into English as ‘wind’, ‘breath’, or ‘spirit’. With such a wide semantic range, scholars have debated the meteorological, anthropological, and theological nuances of the term. This article surveys five themes in the history of that scholarship: (1) diachronic approaches to mapping the meaning of rûaḥ; (2) attempts to track two modes of rûaḥ: the so-called life-giving vs. empowering aspects; (3) distinctions between the meanings of rûaḥ and nepeš; (4) the functions of rûaḥ in designating ecstatic experience; and (5) the role of rûaḥ-language in describing notions of human subjectivity and moral agency.
Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2021
Divine beings who are opposed to God and God's people in Second Temple Jewish literature are ofte... more Divine beings who are opposed to God and God's people in Second Temple Jewish literature are often interpreted shallowly in comparison to other figures in their respective stories (e.g. they can be subsumed under the equivocal term " evil, " interpreted as a means for vindictive communities to demonize others, or seen as an imposition by " foreign " ideologies). This essay argues that these figures more often play a crucial and nuanced role to develop and compare " therapeutic " answers to difficult theological questions such as the nature of suffering, the extent of human moral agency, and the rewards of resilience. It explores these issues through examining the wide range of oppositional divine figures who appear in receptions of the Aqedah (Gen 22) in Second Temple Jewish and Rabbinic texts. Literature discussed includes the Jubilees tradition, Pseudo-Philo 32, Genesis Rabbah 55–56, b. Sanhedrin 89b, and Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer 31.
Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 2018
This essay argues that Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1–2 is an example of a ‘spirit phenomenon’ in t... more This essay argues that Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1–2 is an example of a ‘spirit phenomenon’ in the Hebrew Bible. The story displays an uncanny sensitivity to Hannah’s psychological state, which is consistent with how spirit language is used as self-language in biblical literature. Hannah describes herself as a ‘woman of hard spirit’ (1 Sam 1.15) and engages in a kind of trance, which is disruptive enough to draw the attention of Eli. Through inner-biblical allusion and intentional alterations in the Old Greek and Dead Sea Scroll versions of 1 Samuel, Hannah comes to be associated with other prophetic women in biblical literature. Several Second Temple Jewish interpreters read Hannah as a prophetess and as a practitioner of spirit ecstasy, culminating in Philo’s association of Hannah with Bacchic possession and in Hannah’s experience at Shiloh serving as a model for Pentecost in the book of Acts.
Die Welt des Orients, 2017
In Historical and Biblical Israel, Reinhard Kratz attempts to review the entire history of Israel... more In Historical and Biblical Israel, Reinhard Kratz attempts to review the entire history of Israel and Judah (from around 1200 BCE to 135 CE) arguing that for most of this period, the form of Judaism known to us from the Hebrew Bible and parabiblical literature was a minority movement located among elite scribes separated from the cult and the state. He makes this argument in part by reviewing six Jewish archives from the Second Temple Period. While lingering questions remain regarding Kratz’s methodology and the identities of these scribes, Kratz’s rescaling of the margin and the center in Judaism during this period potentially has broad implications for future studies in the field.
Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 2012
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah often evokes images of a closed God who acts unilaterally i... more The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah often evokes images of a closed God who acts unilaterally in judgment. This article, however, will argue for an Open God who collaborates with creation towards a unique future. This article is intended to make a small contribution to recent Pentecostal engagement with Terence E. Fretheim’s Relational Theology. Part 1 is a discussion of the Open God in Pentecostal context. Part 2 is a close reading of the Sodom Cycle with special attention to the Masoretic Text. Part 3 is a short discussion of theological implications for Pentecostal reflection including the normalization of biblical narrative, the Open God of Pneumatic experience and the freedom of evil.
Book Reviews by Reed Carlson
Anglican Theological Review, 2022
A review of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church. Year W: A Multi-Gospel Single-Year Lection... more A review of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church. Year W: A Multi-Gospel Single-Year Lectionary. By Wilda C. Gafney. New York: Church Publishing, 2021.
Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, 2017
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Books by Reed Carlson
Carlson treats a variety of spirit phenomena in the Hebrew Bible, including spirit language in the Psalms and Job, spirit empowerment in Judges and Samuel, and communal possession in the prophets. Carlson also surveys apotropaic texts and spirit myths in early Jewish literature—including the Dead Sea Scrolls. In The Spirit and the Self, two recent scholarly trends in biblical studies converge: investigations into notions of evil and of the self. The result is a synthesizing project, useful to biblical scholars and those of early Judaism and Christianity alike.
Papers by Reed Carlson
Book Reviews by Reed Carlson
Carlson treats a variety of spirit phenomena in the Hebrew Bible, including spirit language in the Psalms and Job, spirit empowerment in Judges and Samuel, and communal possession in the prophets. Carlson also surveys apotropaic texts and spirit myths in early Jewish literature—including the Dead Sea Scrolls. In The Spirit and the Self, two recent scholarly trends in biblical studies converge: investigations into notions of evil and of the self. The result is a synthesizing project, useful to biblical scholars and those of early Judaism and Christianity alike.