St Mary's Research Centre Publishes Conference Proceedings in Prestigious Monograph Series

The Centre for the Social-Scientific Study of the Bible (CSSSB) at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, has recently published Evil in Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity, a 400-page collection of essays on how ancient Jews and Christians conceptualized evil, Satan, and demons. The volume, edited by Prof Chris Keith, Director of the Centre for the Social-Scientific Study of the Bible, and Prof Loren T. Stuckenbruck, Professor of New Testament and Ancient Judaism at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Germany, appeared in the prestigious Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament monograph series of Mohr Siebeck Press (Tübingen, Germany) in June 2016. Most of the chapters of the book were initially presented at CSSSB’s May 2014 conference, though a few were solicited separately. The conference featured presentations from PhD students, junior scholars, and senior scholars, with participants coming from the UK, Ireland, USA, Sweden, South Africa, Israel, and Germany. The book features this same international makeup and includes studies on topics from evil at the Qumran community associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls to the portrayal of Satan in early Christian accounts of martyrdom. In addition to Prof Keith, Prof Steve Walton and Prof James Crossley, both also of CSSSB, contributed chapters. Prof Keith said of the book, “We’re very pleased with how Evil in Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity turned out. It’s the inaugural publication of the Centre for the Social-Scientific Study of the Bible and well reflects our identity as an international research centre that approaches the Bible and its worlds with the tools of the social sciences. We eagerly look forward to future projects that similarly reflect our commitment to critical research in Biblical Studies and our commitment to the mission and identity of St Mary’s.” The Centre for the Social-Scientific Study of the Bible was founded in 2013. Its forthcoming publications include Cities of God? Early Christian Engagement with the Ancient Urban Environement (2016, Eerdmans) and Engaging Poverty in the Early Church and Today (2017).