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Papers by Nathan Nadeau

McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry, 2020

A number of propositions are defended: (1) Christianity became widespread among Hellenized popula... more A number of propositions are defended: (1) Christianity became widespread among Hellenized populations in the Roman Empire in the early centuries (standard demographic and social-scientific studies are presented). (2) Such populations would have been open to accepting the proclamation of a physically resurrected Lord based on the fact—contrary to the consensus—that such populations exhibit a diverse array of beliefs in vitality after death (a number of studies are brought together alongside ancient evidence). (3) The Gospel of Luke is the most “Greek” of the Gospels (this is defined and discussed), and has as its unique emphasis the expressly physical nature of Jesus’ resurrection in its resurrection narrative (a linguistic analysis of Luke 24 is provided). I suggest that the Gospel of Luke may have thus had a special purchase among an audience uniquely “fit” to its content, and that a number of inferences can be drawn regarding the acceptance of the Christian proclamation of physical resurrection among Hellenized populations beyond the merely social aspects of the movement.

Biblical Interpretation, 2021

*First page only; access article at: https://brill.com/view/journals/bi/30/3/bi.30.issue-3.xml. T... more *First page only; access article at: https://brill.com/view/journals/bi/30/3/bi.30.issue-3.xml. This article surveys a selection of figures in the recent history of historiography with particular focus on their discussion of the nature of historical epistemology (including facts, evidence, and knowledge) and concludes with implications for New Testament history. Figures and works are selected for their representativeness of new thinking in the field at their time, their critique of prior thinking, and in some cases their reception/critique by representatives of that prior thinking. Specifically, I consider in varying depth the historical epistemology of E. H. Carr, G. R. Elton, Hayden White, Richard Evans, Frank Ankersmit, John Zammito, and Aviezer Tucker. These exemplars are considered in order to construct a landscape of traditional, postmodern, and postpostmodern philosophy of historical epistemology. The survey is selective, but the effect is dialectic; ending with recent post-positivist historical epistemology, I raise a number of considerations for thinking about New Testament history.

Filología Neotestamentaria, 2021

Not all accepted readings deserve the security they enjoy by way of their place and rating in ou... more Not all accepted readings deserve the security they enjoy by way of their place and rating in our modern critical editions of the Greek New Testament; consequently, some variant readings deserve re-examination. One such variant reading is that of the first-person plural ἡμᾶς in Acts 17,28. Considering both internal and external evidence, as well as the history of the text-critical discussion on the variant, I argue that doubt is warranted regarding the security of the accepted reading of the second-person plural ὑμᾶς in Acts 17,28, and that the importance of the variant reading ἡμᾶς should be reconsidered.

Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, 2020

Theories and tools in the philosophy of history, specifically those concerning epistemology, are ... more Theories and tools in the philosophy of history, specifically those concerning epistemology, are helpful for structuring reasoning about the plausibility of historiographic hypotheses in New Testament studies. Since the epistemology attending such investigations is probabilistic in nature, a Bayesian approach is especially useful. In this article I appropriate such tools to critically engage Ryan Schellenberg’s 2015 article ‘The First Pauline Chronologist?’, wherein he presents an argument for the dependency hypothesis—that the author of Acts knew and used the Pauline corpus⸺regarding the topographical and toponymical data in Paul’s itinerary in Acts 15.36–20.16. I introduce and commend Bayesian reasoning as a useful tool for historical epistemology, summarize and represent Schellenberg’s argument along a Bayesian framework and apply critical insights from this framework to evaluate its final plausibility. I show that Schellenberg’s hypothesis is especially impaired where he attempts to strengthen it: in his consideration of evidence beyond his initial scope.

Book Reviews by Nathan Nadeau

Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, 2023

Review of Reece, The Formal Education of the Author of Luke-Acts, in JGRChJ.

Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies, 2022

Review of Dating Acts in its Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts by Karl L. Armstrong ~ 1200 words; [... more Review of Dating Acts in its Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts by Karl L. Armstrong ~ 1200 words; [submitted spring 2021].

Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism, 2021

Review for the Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism of Craig Blomberg's historical com... more Review for the Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism of Craig Blomberg's historical commentary on the reliability of John's Gospel (based on the paperback reprint in 2011).

McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry, 2021

This is a published review of Jake H. O'Connell, Jesus’ Resurrection and Apparitions: A Bayesian ... more This is a published review of Jake H. O'Connell, Jesus’ Resurrection and Apparitions: A Bayesian Analysis; ~2,000 words.