Ten Theology Books to Watch For – April 2025

Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts

Christy Cobb, Katherine A. Shaner, Eds.

(Eerdmans)

An essential resource for understanding slavery in the New Testament and early Christianity

Slavery permeated society in the ancient world. The realities of slavery and its shadows pervade the New Testament and other early Christian texts. Yet enslavement remains an under-taught aspect of the context of the New Testament and early Christianity. Because of this, readers are left with numerous questions about ancient slavery. How did people become enslaved? What kinds of work did enslaved people do? Who enslaved people? How did ancient slavery compare with more contemporary enslavement eras? Did anyone in the ancient world criticize slavery? Was ancient slavery racialized? Did Christians have a different understanding of slavery than others? These are just some of the questions students ask in higher education and in Bible study classrooms alike.

This volume takes on these questions, introducing students to the textures, complexities, and material realities of slavery in the Greco-Roman world. Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts draws on the expertise of scholars around the world with a focus on introductory information, accessibility, and readability. It does not attempt to dismiss or downplay the role of New Testament texts in the perpetuation of either ancient slavery or slavery in the North American context. Rather, the volume helps students and teachers alike wrestle with the ongoing historical, theological, and ethical legacies of slavery in their own faith formation and engagement with the biblical text.

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Judeophobia and the New Testament: Texts and Contexts

Sarah E. Rollens, Eric M. Vanden Eykel, Meredith J. C. Warren, Eds.

(Eerdmans)

This eye-opening collection of essays is essential reading for anyone concerned about the ways that Christian scripture has been used—both in the past and the present—in service of anti-Semitism. The authors seek to identify, contextualize, and problematize New Testament “Judeophobia,” a broad heading that encompasses anti-Semitism, supersessionism, and various discriminatory practices against Jews at different points in history.

In the first half of Judeophobia and the New Testament: Texts and Contexts, readers engage with the subject matter through thematic essays. In the second half, readers engage with text-based essays that focus on individual books of the New Testament as well as relevant non-canonical literature. Throughout, the book’s goal is to educate readers about the ways that New Testament texts have been used to engender Judeophobia from the early church to today. While the book is designed primarily as a resource for teachers and students, it also aims to help New Testament scholars account for Judeophobic interpretations, take responsibility for them, and encourage the discipline to work against its own role in rising anti-Jewish rhetoric and violence.