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9781532659577

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"""For nearly fifty years David Balch has been an internationally renowned interpreter of the social and cultural aspects of the New Testament and early Christian literature. In this remarkable collection of essays, Balch's wide-ranging interpretive skills are on full display as he explores issues of class, ethnicity, gender, and orientation with an eye toward both the ancient context in which these texts were written and the (post-)modern context in which they are now read. To have these (mostly) previously published essays in one place is a treasure. This is vintage Balch at its best--a must-read!"" --Mikeal C. Parsons, professor of New Testament, Baylor University ""From the very beginning of his academic career, David Balch has been at the forefront of a fearless vanguard of biblical scholars who are relentless in probing ancient texts, works of art, and artifacts in light of pressing contemporary concerns. In these eleven essays, which are brimming with penetrating insights and observations, we see Balch at his intrepid best, addressing and illuminating a variety of complex issues, including social class, ethnicity, gender, violence, and sexual orientation. Highly recommended!"" --John T. Fitzgerald, professor of New Testament and early Christianity, University of Notre Dame ""Publication of selected essays from the productive career of David Balch is an event to celebrate. The eleven papers republished here exhibit the versatility and range of this scholar who has moved about comfortably not only in New Testament studies, the center of his contributions, but in Roman history, classical historiography, Greek philosophy, and the visual arts. The ample variety of topics in the collection offer thoughtful reflections for scholars of ancient history, religion, art, mythology, and cultural studies generally."" --Erich S. Gruen, professor emeritus of history and classics, University of California, Berkeley ""David Balch's new collection of essays is an impressive achievement, documenting the career of one of the most generative scholars of early Christianity in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Eleven chapters, originally published between 1991 and 2022, illuminate passages in Luke-Acts, the Pauline Epistles, and the so-called First Epistle of Clement. Balch draws upon his encyclopedic knowledge of the Greco-Roman world, assembling evidence from diverse sources--political histories, philosophical treatises, wall paintings, honorific inscriptions, public monuments, etc."" --L. L. Welborn, professor of New Testament and early Christian literature, Fordham University ""Readers will appreciate David Balch's attention to the cultural and material context of early Christianity and his conviction that their surroundings not only influenced writers of early Christian texts but that they also can illuminate our understanding of those texts."" --Robin M. Jensen, professor of theology, University of Notre Dame ""This collection of essays by David Balch offers thought-provoking approaches to key issues in the history of religion. Organized around the themes of liminality, acculturation, and intersectionality, Balch's essays take on topics as seemingly disparate as Epicureanism, the meaning of violent spectacles, foundation myths, Christian martyrs under Nero, gender and ethnicity, and homosexuality and Romans 1:24-27. Balch's scholarship is rock-solid, yet filled with original interpretations that take the reader into uncharted territory. This collection is a showcase for Balch's interdisciplinary methodologies, particularly timely because they offer a roadmap for scholars investigating the cultural formation of Christianity under Rome."" --John R. Clarke, professor of art history, U"

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David L. Balch studied in Tübingen with Ernst Käsemann (1968-70) and then at Yale University with Abraham Malherbe and Wayne Meeks. From 1983 to 2006 he taught at Brite Divinity School/TCU in a program focused on postcolonial studies. In 1990 he became fascinated with the domestic art and architecture of Pompeii. Later he taught at PLTS/GTU/CLU (2006-16) and then concluded his career as a staff chaplain in the ICU at the VA hospital in Portland, Oregon.

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