Earlham School of Religion
presents

The Willson Lectures
May 1-2, 2005
The Public is Welcome

The Willson Lectureship was established in 1967 by Dr. and Mrs. J.M. Willson of Floydada, Texas. Each year, ESR seeks to bring to campus an engaging personality who will further stimulate the community's theological reflection and pursuit of truth.

Scripture and Discernment: Exegesis as an Ecclesial Practice

Luke Timothy Johnson

What would it mean for the church to read Scripture as church and for church? These presentations take up the challenge, possibilities and problems of a communal exegesis and hermeneutic of Scripture. They describe the causes that have made texts first written to communities of faith as instruments of unity and edification become among contemporary Christians instruments of division and individualism. They propose an overall sense of how to “imagine the world that Scripture imagines,” as well as some practical steps toward the recovery of practices of local presence centered in the word of God.

This year’s lecturer:

Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University. A Roman Catholic, Dr. Johnson was for a considerable time a Benedictine Monk and Priest before becoming a Biblical scholar. He remains a lay person in the Roman Catholic community. After having completed his Master of Divinity degree at St. Meinrad, Indiana, as well as a M.A. in Religious Studies at Indiana University in 1970, he finished his Ph.D. in 1976 at Yale University. Dr. Johnson has taught in the field of New Testament studies at Yale Divinity School (1976-1982) and Indiana University (1982-1992) before taking his present position. Dr. Johnson has written a large introduction to the New Testament writings called The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation, now in its second edition, which is widely used in both colleges and seminaries.

In addition, he has written a number of scholarly books, including his recent two-volume commentary on Luke-Acts for the Sacra Pagina series from Liturgical Press (1991 and 1992) and commentaries on James and the Pastorals for the Anchor Bible (1995 and 1999). He has also written a number of books and articles for the church, including Sharing Possessions: Mandate and Symbol of Faith (1981), Faith’s Freedom: A Classic Spirituality for Contemporary Christians (1990), and Scripture and Discernment: Decision-Making in the Church (1996). Most recently, he has written on the person of Jesus in two widely discussed books, The Real Jesus: the Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels (1996), and Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospel (1998).

Bibliography

BOOKS

Teaching Religion to Undergraduates: Some Approaches and Ideas from Teachers to Teachers (editor) Society for Religion in Higher Education, l973.

The Literary Function of Possessions in Luke-Acts . Society for Biblical Literature Dissertation Series 39. Missoula: Scholars Press, l977.

Invitation to the Letters of Paul III: Ephesians, Colossians, Pastorals . Invitation to the New Testament. Garden City: Doubleday, l980.

Sharing Possessions: Mandate and Symbol of Faith . Overtures to Biblical Theology. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, l981. London: SCM Press, l986.

Some Hard Blessings: Meditations on the Beatitudes in Matthew . Niles, Illinois: Argus Communications, l981.

Decision Making in the Church: A Biblical Model . Philadelphia: Fortress Press, l983.

The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation . Philadelphia: Fortress Press, l986. London: SCM Press, l986; translated into Korean, 2000; second revised and enlarged English edition with the assistance of Todd Penner, 1998.

First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus . John Knox Preaching Guides. Atlanta: John Knox Press, l987; translated into Korean, 1999.

Faith's Freedom: A Classic Spirituality for Contemporary Christians . Philadelphia: Fortress Press, l990.

A Commentary on the Gospel of Luke . Sacra Pagina. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, l991. Italian Edition, 2004.

A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles . Sacra Pagina. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, l992.

Proclamation 5: Interpreting the Lessons of the Church Year (Pentecost 3). Minneapolis: Fortress Press, l993.

The Letter of James . The Anchor Bible 37A; New York: Doubleday, 1995.

The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels . San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996. Korean translation by Hae Sook Son [Seoul, Korea: Christian Literature Crusade, 2003].

Scripture and Discernment: Decision Making in the Church . Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996.

Letters to Paul's Delegates: A Commentary on 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus . Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1996.

Reading Romans: A Literary and Theological Commentary . New York: Crossroad, 1997; reissued by Smyth and Helwys, 2001.

Religious Experience: A Missing Dimension in New Testament Studies . Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998.

Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospels . San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998.

The First and Second Letter to Timothy . The Anchor Bible 35A; New York: Doubleday, 2001.

The Future of Catholic Biblical Scholarship: A Constructive Conversation (with William Kurz) Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

Septuagintal Midrash in the Speeches of Acts. Pere Marquette Lectures 33; Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 2002.

The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters. New York: Doubleday, 2003. In UK, published by Darton, Longman, and Todd.

Brother of Jesus, Friend of God: Studies in the Letter of James (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004).

The Living Gospel (London: Continuum, 2004).

SCHOLARLY ARTICLES

"Gnosticism in the Rabbinic Tradition," Resonance 4 (l969) 5-17.

"The Natural Knowledge of God according to Vatican I's Dei Filius," Resonance 5 (l970) 9-17.

"Norms for True and False Prophecy in I Corinthians 12-14," American Benedictine Review 22 (l971) 29-45.

"II Timothy and the Polemic Against False Teachers: A Re-Examination," Journal of Religious Studies 6/7 (l978-79) 1-26.

"On Finding the Lukan Community: A Cautious Cautionary Essay," l979 SBL Seminar Papers ed. P. Achtemeier (Missoula: Scholars Press, l979) 87-100.

"The Use of Leviticus 19 in the Letter of James," Journal of Biblical Literature 101 (l982) 391-401.

"Romans 3:21-26 and the Faith of Jesus," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 44 (l982) 77-90.

"The Lukan Kingship Parable (Lk 19:11-27)," Novum Testamentum 24 (l982) 139-159; reprinted in The Composition of Luke's Gospel, ed. D. Orton (Brill's Readers in Biblical Studies 1; Leiden: Brill, 1999) 69-89.

"James 3:13-4:10 and the Topos PERI PHTHONOU," Novum Testamentum 25 (l983) 327-347.

"Friendship with the World and Friendship with God: A Study of Discipleship in James," Discipleship in the New Testament ed. F. Segovia. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, l985. 166-183.

"The Mirror of Remembrance (James 1:22-25)," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 50 (l988) 632-645.

"The New Testament's Anti-Jewish Slander and the Conventions of Ancient Polemic," Journal of Biblical Literature 108 (l989) 419-441.

"The Authority of the New Testament in the Church: a Theological Reflection," Conservative, Moderate, Liberal: The Biblical Authority Debate ed. C.R. Blaisdell (St. Louis: CPB Press, l990) 87-99.

"Fragments of an Untidy Conversation: Theology and the Literary Diversity of the New Testament," Biblical Theology: Problems and Perspectives; in Honor of J. Christiaan Beker ed. S.J. Kraftchick, C.D. Myers, B.C. Ollenburger (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995) 276-289.

"Taciturnity and True Religion (James 1:26-27)," Greeks, Romans, and Christians: Essays in Honor of Abraham J. Malherbe ed. D. Balch et al. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, l990) 329-339.

"The Social World of James: Literary Analysis and Historical Reconstruction," The Social World of the First Christians: Essays in Honor of Wayne A. Meeks eds. L. Michael White and O. Larry Yarbrough (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995) 178-197.

"The Social Dimensions of Soteria in Luke-Acts and Paul," Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers ed. E.H. Lovering (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1993) 520-536.

"Religious Rights and Christian Texts," Religious Human Rights in Global Perspective Vol 1: Religious Perspectives, edd. J. Witte Jr., and J. van der Vyver (Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff, 1995) 65-96.

"The Sayings of Jesus in the Letter of James," (with Wesley Wachob) in Authenticating the Words of Jesus, ed. B. Chilton and C.A. Evans (New Testament Tools and Studies 28,1; Leiden: Brill, 1999) 431-450.

"Imagining the World Scripture Imagines," Modern Theology 14/2 (1998) 165-180; appearing also in Theology and Scriptural Imagination ed. L.G. Jones and J.J. Buckley (Directions in Modern Theology; Oxford: Blackwell, 1998) 3-18.

"Glossolalia and the Embarrassments of Experience," The Princeton Seminary Bulletin 18 (1997) 113-134.

"Proselytism and Witness in Earliest Christianity: A Study in Origins" Sharing the Book: Religious Perspectives on the Rights and Wrongs of Proselytism, ed. J. Witte, Jr., and R.C. Martin (Religion and Human Rights 4; Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999) 145-157, 376-384.

"The Humanity of Jesus: What's At Stake in the Quest for the Historical Jesus," in The Jesus Controversy: Perspectives in Conflict (with John Dominic Crossan and Werner Kelber)[Rockwell Lecture Series, ed. G.P. McKenny](Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1999)48-74.

"The Christology of Luke-Acts," Who Do You Say That I Am? Essays in Christology in Honor of Jack Dean Kingsbury ed. M.A. Powell and D.R. Bauer (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1999) 49-65.

"A Historiographical Response to Wright's Jesus," in Jesus and the Restoration of Israel: A Critical Assessment of N.T. Wright's Jesus and the Victory of God, ed. C.N. Newman (Downer's Grove, Il: InterVarsity Press, 1999) 206-224.

"Gender in the Letter of James: A Surprising Witness," A Feminist Companion to the Catholic Epistles and Hebrews, ed. A.J. Levine (Feminist Companion to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings 8; New York: T & T Clark International, 2004), 103-113.

" Oikonomia Theou: The Theological Voice of 1 Timothy from the Peerspective of Pauline Authorship," and "Response to Margaret Mitchell," in Horizons in Biblical Theology 21/2 (1999) 87-104, 140-144.

"Koinonia: Diversity and Unity in Early Christianity," Theology Digest 46 (1999) 303-313.

“God Ever New Ever the Same: The Witness of James and Peter,” The Forgotten God: Perspectives in Biblical Theology ed. A.D. Das and F.J. Matera (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002) 211-227.

“The Jewish Bible after the Holocaust: a Response to Emile Fackenheim,” in A Shadow of Glory: Reading the New Testament After the Holocaust, edited by Tod Linafelt (New York: Routledge, 2002)216-231.

“The Scriptural World of Hebrews,” Interpretation 57 (2003) 237-250.

“The Revelatory Body: Notes toward a Somatic Theology,” The Phenomenology of the Body, ed. D.J. Martino (Pittsburgh: Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center at the University of Duquesne, 2003) 69-85.

“Transformation of the Mind and Moral Discernment in Paul,” in Early Christianity and Classical Culture: Comparative Studies in Honor of Abraham J. Malherbe edd. J.T. Fitzgerald, et. al. (NovTSupp 110; Leiden: Brill, 2003) 215-236.

“The Material Expression of Friendship in the New Testament,” Interpretation 58 (2004) 158-171.

“Reading Wisdom Wisely,” Louvain Studies (forthcoming).

“Does a Theology of the Canonical Gospels Make Sense?” Robert Morgan Festschrift (forthcoming).

“Anti-Judaism and the New Testament,” The Handbook for the Study of the Historical Jesus (forthcoming).

POPULAR ARTICLES

"Theology and the Spiritual Life," Reflection (l981) 9-11.

Luke-Acts: A Story of Prophet and People [Pamphlet] New York: Franciscan Herald Press, l982.

"Conflict and Christian Self-Definition," The Bible Today 25 (1987) 215-219.

"The Bible and the Poor," Biblical Literacy Today 3 (l989) 8- 9.

" Shattering the Closure of Unbelief," in "Living by the Word" The Christian Century 107 (7/11-18/90) 668.

"Discerning What is Right," in "Living by the Word," The Christian Century 107 (7/25-8/1/ 90) 699.

"Participating in Revelation," in "Living by the Word," The Christian Century 107 (8/8-15/90) 731.

"Two Divine Promises," in "Living by the Word," The Christian Century 107 (8/22-29/90) 763.

"Obedience in Context," in "Living by the Word," The Christian Century 107 (9/5-12/90) 795.

"Seeking God While God is Near," in "Living by the Word," The Christian Century 107 (9/19-26/90) 828.

"Luke 24:1-11: The Not-so-Empty Tomb," Interpretation 46 (l992) 57-61.

"How Saint Luke Affirms the World," Priests and People 6 (1992) 202-206.

"How Saint Luke Challenges the World," Priests and People 6 (1992) 280-284.

"In the Catholic Tradition: G.K. Chesterton," Priests and People 7 (l993) 67-71.

"Debate and Discernment/ Scripture and the Spirit," in "Disputed Questions: Homosexuality," Commonweal 121:2 (1994) 11-13; reprinted in Virtues and Practices in the Christian Tradition, ed. N. Murphy, B. Kallenberg and M.T. Nation (harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1997) 215-220.

"Preaching the Resurrection," Priests and People 8 (1994) 133- 135.

"Discerning God's Word," Priests and People 9 (1995) 137-140.

"The New Testament and the Examined Life: Thoughts on Teaching," The Christian Century 112/4 (1995) 108-111.

"Sickness and the Stoic Sage," Voices in our Midst: Spiritual Resources ed. G.R. Gary (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1996) 9-11.

"The Search for the (Wrong) Jesus," Bible Review 11/6 (December, 1995) 20-25, 44.

"The Holy Spirit in the New Testament," Priests and People 10 (1996) 138-142.

"Who is Jesus? The Academy vs. the Gospels," Commonweal 122 (1995) 12-14.

"The Jesus Seminar's Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus," Christian Century 113 (1996) 16-22.

"John the Baptist: Prophet of the Great Reversal," The Bible Today 34 (1996) 295-299.

"Decision-Making as a Theological Process: The Necessity and Difficulty of Discernment," Sewanee Review 39:4 (1996) 353-361.

"Edification as a Formal Criterion for Discernment in the Church," Sewanee Review 39:4 (1996) 362-372.

"Holiness as a Material Criterion for Discernment in the Church," Sewanee Review 39:4 (1996) 373-384.

"How Does Jesus Save Us: The New Testament Witness," Priests and People 11 (1997) 129-133.

"Response to Criticism of The Real Jesus," Bulletin for Biblical Research 7 (1997) 249-254.

"A Message from Caravaggio: A Symposium on Revelation" with Kathleen Norris, Sandra Schneiders, Donald Senior, Susan Ross, in Commonweal 124 (1997/12) 14-18.

"What is a Seminar? Two Views of the Same Course," (With Carl Holladay) Teaching Theology and Religion 1 (1998)27- 30.

"Current Publishing in the Field of New Testament: A Not Disinterested Review," Nexus Libri (Spring/Summer, 1997)1-3.

"Wealth and Property in the New Testament," Priests and People 12 (1998) 181-184.

"Atlanta, Georgia" in ‘Liturgical Reports’ Commonweal January 30, 1998, p. 10

"So What’s Catholic About It?" Commonweal (Jan 16, 1998) 11- 15.

"A Scholar's Life in the Church: Raymond E. Brown," Commonweal 125 (1998) 7.

"Learning Jesus," The Christian Century 115 (Dec 2, 1998) 1142-1146.

"Suffering, Sin, and Scripture," Priests and People 13 (1999) 87-90.

"Is History Essential For Christians to Understand the Real Jesus?" The CQ Researcher 8/46 (Dec. 11, 1998) 1089.

"Learning Jesus in Liturgy," Theology, News, and Notes (Fuller Theological Seminary) 46/2 (June, 1999) 20-23.

"Shaping a Citizen Faculty," Academic Exchange (Emory University, December, 1999) 10.

"The Mystery that is Christmas," Internet article for Beliefnet.com, December, 1999.

"Teaching Theology in Context," (With Charlotte McDaniel), Christian Century 117/4 (2000) 118-122.

"Why We Must Practise our Faith," Priests and People 14/6 (2000) 213-217.

"An Introduction to the Letter of James," Review and Expositor 97 (2000)155-167.

"Minding Our Business: Conflicting Construals of Faculty Citizenship" Emory Academic Exchange (February, 2000)

"Knowing Jesus through the Gospels: A Theological Approach," The World of the Bible 3 (2000) 19-23.

"A Jesus to Ponder," Christian Century 117 (2000) 626-629.

"A Disembodied ‘Theology of the Body’: John Paul II on Love, Sex, and Pleasure" Commonweal (128/2; 2001)11-17.

"Leaving Priesthood," BeliefNet (October, 2000).

"The Eucharist and the Identity of Jesus," Priests and People 15 (2001) 230-235.

“The Real Jesus: The Challenge of Contemporary Scholarship and the Truth of the Gospels,” The Historical Jesus through Catholic and Jewish Eyes, ed. B.F. LeBeau, L. Greenspoon, D. Hamm (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2000) 51-65.

“Forward” to Richard B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ 2 nd edition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), xi-xv.

“Isaiah the Evangelist,” Milltown Studies 48 (2001) 88-105.

“Reading Patristic Exegesis,” Luce Fellows Papers (forthcoming)

“Renewing Catholic Biblical Scholarship,” Priests and People

16 (August/September, 2002) 297-301.

“Jesus” A Flyer Published and Distributed by Claretian Press, 2002.

“Sacrifice is the Body-Language of Love,” Priests and People 16:3 (March 2002)87-91.

“Continuing the Conversation: The Church and Daniel Goldhagen,” Commonweal 129 (March 8, 2002) 7-8.

“The Church as the House/Household of God,” The Bible Today 40/4 (2002) 224-228.

“ The Last Word: A Way Forward,” Commonweal 129/10 (2002) 31.

“The Biblical Foundations for Matrimony,” The Bible Today 41/2 (2003) 113-116.

“Christians and Jews: Starting Over” Commonweal 130:2 (Jan 31, 2003) 15-19.

“Jesus and the Little Children,” Priests and People 17/3 (2003) 102-105.

“Sex, Women, and the Church,” Commonweal 130 (June 20, 2003) 11-17; also appears as “Abortion, Sexuality, and Catholicism’s Public Presence,” in American Catholics, American Culture: Tradition and Resistance, edited Margaret O’Brien Steinfels (New York: Rowman and Littlefield, 2004) 27-38.

“Hebrews’ Challenge to Christians: Christology and Discipleship,” Preaching Hebrews, ed. D. Fleer and D. Bland (Rochester College Lectures on Preaching 4; Abilene, TX” ACU Press, 2003) 11-28.

“The Things that Make for Peace,” The Sign of Peace Journal of the Catholic Peace Fellowship 3 (2004) 7-9.

“Reconciliation in the New Testament,” Priests and People 18 (2004) 87-91.

“Creation and the Care of the Earth,” Commonweal (in press).

“What Christians Believe Matters: The Church as Creedal,” The Marks of the Church (Forthcoming).

“Building the Church in Love,” Priests and People 18 (2004) 305-309.

Previous Willson Lecturers Include: Charles Davis, Wayne Oates, Langdon Gilkey, Bishop Stephen Neill, J. Calvin Keene, Martin Marty, James Fowler, Virginia Ramey, Mollenkott Demaris Wehr, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Krister Stendahl, Walter Brueggemann, Schubert M. Ogden, Elise Boulding, John Howard Yoder, Alan Geyer, James Forbes, Barbara G. Wheeler, Donald Bloesch, Majorie Hewitt Suchocki, and Daniel Smith-Christopher, James Walvin, Margary Post Abbott, Jim Wallis, Margaret Kornfeld, Ted Peters.

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