Center for the Study of Ancient Religious Texts

04/10/2024

A look at an ancient Christian practice that turned friends into family.

https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1243606135/124360613

03/22/2024

CSART students learn about manuscripts and textual criticism in their field trip to the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts in Plano!

02/21/2024

We enjoyed a sensational lecture by Mark Hamilton on the book of Genesis last night at our first public lecture of 2024.

02/01/2024

The website of the International Greek New Testament Project now hosts 175 new transcriptions of Greek manuscripts of Colossians, prepared by CSART (including many students) under the direction of fellow Curt Niccum! Check out the News page on the website for details. http://igntp.org

09/26/2023

Students and faculty enjoy conversation today with Cliff Barbarick about biblical performance criticism at a CSART luncheon.

09/04/2023

https://www.thedailybeast.com/scholars-publish-new-papyrus-with-early-sayings-of-jesus

Papyrologists date the fragment to the second century CE, making it one of the earliest examples of Christian writing, even before the formation of the New Testament.

06/22/2023

Turns out books were even older than previously thought.

Writing towards the end of the first century AD, the Latin poet Martial praised a new-fangled kind of “little book with small pages” that you could buy from a s

04/19/2022

In this episode, Old Testament scholar Mark Hamilton helps us to understand the scriptures many churches will be reading the third week after Easter, 2022—Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/preaching-in-season/id1611225388?i=1000557950122

‎Show Preaching in Season, Ep Third Sunday after Easter - Apr 18, 2022

04/15/2022

Check out this fine interview with CSART lecturer Brad East on the vital role of scripture in the life of the church and in worship!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg8Fe6VAT1o

The Bible is the word of the Lord Jesus to his church. But what is it meant to do in the life of God’s people? What is it for, how should we understand it, a...

04/12/2022

Looking for some inspiration for preaching and teaching after Easter? Check out our new series of short podcasts that walk you through the texts.

https://blogs.acu.edu/csart/podcast-episodes/

03/30/2022

Check it out — this brief podcast can help you get ready for Easter!

https://blogs.acu.edu/csart/podcast-episodes/

03/24/2022

Preparing for Palm Sunday? Check this out.

https://blogs.acu.edu/csart/podcast-episodes/

03/23/2022

We had a rich panel discussion of "The First 100 Years of Christianity" this week, celebrating one of the recent books to come from our scholar-in-residence, James W. Thompson.

03/23/2022

We had an informative and inspiring CSART luncheon today with Pioneer Bible Translators.

03/07/2022

The fifth episode has just dropped!

https://blogs.acu.edu/csart/podcast-episodes/

03/06/2022

Today GST prof Wes Crawford will deliver his paper on "Walter Ellis Burch, Jr.: The Forgotten Voice of Racial Justice," at the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies in Dallas, Texas!

03/01/2022

High praise for the new book on the Apostle Paul by GST scholar in residence James Thompson: "One of the most important and convincing books on Paul’s theology and rhetoric written in the last decade or so…"

See the first part of Ben Witherington's review and interview here: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/bibleandculture/2022/02/25/apostle-of-persuasion-part-one/

Certainly one of the most important and convincing books on Paul's theology and rhetoric written in the last decade or so is James Thompson's Apostle of

02/24/2022

Check out our podcast on interpreting scripture for preaching: Preaching in Season. A series designed to help ministers in their work of interpreting the Bible and preaching the Word throughout the seasons of the Church's life.
Listen to it wherever you get your podcasts!

02/24/2022

We had a terrific webinar today about ministering to local congregations through preaching during this difficult season. Thanks to our gifted panelists and participants!

02/16/2022

We had a splendid CSART public lecture this week by theologian Brad East, "The Word of the Lord: Preaching in and for Christ's Body."
Check out his recent book, The Doctrine of Scripture (Cascade 2021), and his new book coming in April—The Church's Book: Theology of Scripture in Ecclesial Context (Eerdmans 2022).

01/28/2022

In the new series, "To Listen" A Global Journey," Dr. Robin Darling Young tells about her journey to Syriac studies and about her oral history work with Iraqi Chaldean immigrants in the Detroit area.

Fr. Columba Stewart, OSB interviews Dr. Robin Darling Young, associate professor of church history at Catholic University of America, who focuses on the Chal...

01/22/2022

Monday, January 31st, ACU Biology alumna Janet Kellogg Ray is coming to Abilene to talk about the message of her new book:
Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark?: The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making It All Fit.

First 100 guests will receive a free copy of her book!

Janet's visit will be hosted by Highland Church of Christ (https://www.facebook.com/highlandabilene).
- book signing at 6pm
- presentation at 7pm

01/07/2022

It contains works in various languages including Greek, Arabic, Syriac, Georgian, Armenian and more, which library officials say is a “treasure trove” of text related to early Christianity.

11/23/2021

CSART fellow Jeff Childers will participate in a panel discussion today at 9:00am in a panel discussion of the new book, "Invisible Manuscripts: Textual Scholarship and the Survival of 2 Baruch," in the Pseudepigrapha session at the annual AAR/SBL Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

11/22/2021

CSART fellow Mark Hamilton will participate in a panel today at 4:00 pm on the subject, "Exile (Forced Migrations) in Biblical Literature," at the annual AAR/SBL Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

11/22/2021

CSART fellow Jacob Lollar will present a paper today entitled, "'Between History and Myth: Stories of Edessa's Christianization in Apocrypha and Hagiography: the Case of BL Add MS 14,644" at 9:01 am in the Christian Apocrypha session at the Annual AAR/SBL Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

11/22/2021

CSART fellow Penny Biddy will present a paper today at 9:30am entitled, "And Eve," in the Syriac Studies session at the annual AAR/SBL Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

11/22/2021

CSART alum Laura Locke Estes will present a paper today at 3:21pm entitled, "Ephrem and the Construction of 'Paganism' on the Roman-Persian Border," in the Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity session at the annual AAR/SBL Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

11/22/2021

CSART fellow Jeff Childers will present a paper today at 10:00am entitled, "Why Brides Evoke Great Desire: Performative Aspects of a Memra Attributed to Jacob of Serug," in the Syriac Studies session at the annual AAR/SBL Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.