Jennifer Strawbridge | University of Oxford (original) (raw)

Books by Jennifer Strawbridge

This monograph is a study of the interpretation and reception of the writings attributed to the a... more This monograph is a study of the interpretation and reception of the writings attributed to the apostle Paul based on the collation of references to Pauline texts in early Christian writings (primarily pre-Nicene). The material is analysed utilising a method worked out by Teresa Morgan and Raffaella Cribiore to understand the nature and extent of indebtedness to literary authorities in ancient pedagogy. The application of their method means that the most frequently cited passages from the Pauline corpus become the focus for detailed examination, and a chapter is devoted to the following passages: 1 Corinthians 2.6-16, Ephesians 6.10-17, 1 Corinthians 15.50-58, and Colossians 1.15-20. In each chapter, selections from early Christian texts which use these passages are chosen for in-depth analysis because they are representative in their interpretative approaches of the totality of texts examined. Across many different early Christian writings, images and phrases from these Pauline pericopes were used to support and defend a wide range of theological arguments about the nature of divine wisdom and its contrast with human wisdom, the importance of standing firm in faith, the nature of resurrection and the body, and the nature of Christ. On the basis of the analysis throughout this work, conclusions are drawn firstly, about the close connection between scriptural interpretation and theological doctrines; secondly, about early Christian formation, separate from scholarly attempts to recover early Christian catechesis, school teaching, and pedagogy; and finally, about early Christian identity and how it is formed and informed by early Christian use of these four passages.

Articles and Book Chapters by Jennifer Strawbridge

While the locus classicus for early Christian arguments concerning resurrection of the flesh is P... more While the locus classicus for early Christian arguments concerning resurrection of the flesh is Paul’s first Corinthian letter, the statement in 15.50 that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” complicates early Christian understandings of resurrection and its form. Such explicit denial of fleshly inheritance and resurrection within Paul’s writings leads to widely conflicting interpretations of this Corinthian passage. Consequently, early Christian writers such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Augustine engaged other New Testament texts such as John 11 in order to subvert the claim of 1 Cor 15.50 and develop their argument for fleshly resurrection.

Epigraphic evidence offers an important and yet oft-neglected dimension to the history of biblica... more Epigraphic evidence offers an important and yet oft-neglected dimension to the history of biblical reception. One of the most curious cases of epigraphic incidence of a biblical text is the use of Romans 8.31. Within early Christian writings, this Pauline passage is used approximately 20 times across nine different writers before 604 CE. However, the words of Romans 8.31 may be found on at least 15 epigraphic artifacts from this same period, and in particular, on the door lintels of homes. This article explores what might account for the discrepancy between the literary and epigraphic use of Romans 8.31, the possible apotropaic function of this phrase, and how such evidence might inform the interpretation and reception of this Pauline passage.

This article builds on recent criticism of form-critical approaches to so-called hymnic material ... more This article builds on recent criticism of form-critical approaches to so-called hymnic material in Paul’s letters, in an effort to reset the default interpretive stance with respect to Phil. 2.6-11 and Col. 1.15-20. Beginning with a review and critique of previous form-critical criteria, the authors then survey ancient deﬁnitions of ὕμνος to demonstrate that the oft posited ‘Christ-hymns’ do not fulﬁll these deﬁnitions. In an effort to broaden out the discussion, the reception of these passages in early Christian writings is surveyed, showing that it provides no positive support for identifying these passages as ‘hymns’. The authors conclude that, given the lack of constructive evidence, scholars should reconsider the enduring and widespread operative assumption that these passages are hymns.

This chapter offers an overview of the use of the most frequently cited Pauline pericope in early... more This chapter offers an overview of the use of the most frequently cited Pauline pericope in early Patristic texts: Colossians 1.15-20. As early Christians were challenged by the notions of a divided Christ (human and divine) and a divided God (Father and Son), the phrases and images from Colossians 1 are used to support theological conclusions about the nature of Christ and to argue for unity rather than division. However, this unity was achieved through increasingly complex hermeneutical moves as the limitations of this Colossian passage and its ability to support Christological arguments on its own were exposed. A significant section of this chapter, therefore, focuses on the hermeneutical and exegetical effects of these limitations and explores how the Christological/Trinitarian questions raised by the Arian controversy affected early Christian use of Colossians 1.

Ancient Education and Early Christianity, eds. Matthew Hauge and Andrew Pitts, May 2015

Of the small number of extant early Christian school exercises (before the fourth century), as ma... more Of the small number of extant early Christian school exercises (before the fourth century), as many as one-third include extracts from the Pauline epistles. These early documentary texts are rarely cited in modern scholarship and when cited, are used primarily for biblical textual criticism. However, these texts offer an exceptional glimpse of the Pauline epistles in an educational setting and of the intersection between biblical texts and everyday life. This chapter proposes to examine the use of Pauline texts in ancient school exercises, investigating what these school exercises might disclose about the connection between the Pauline letters and early Christian pedagogy and formation. Utilizing a methodology employed by ancient historians who study literate education (best attested in a recent work by Teresa Morgan), this chapter will examine the role of material evidence in reconstructing ancient education. In the process, the question will be addressed about whether the presence of Paul’s letters within this material might confirm the presence, as suggested by some scholars, of a School of Paul.

Studia Patristica

This paper proposes to examine a passage from the Pauline epistles that occurs with great frequen... more This paper proposes to examine a passage from the Pauline epistles that occurs with great frequency in early Christian writings up to the middle of the fourth century: 1 Corinthians 2.6-9. This paper is based upon a methodology employed by the classical study of literate education – a survey of all explicit quotations of Pauline writings within our time period – applied to the wide variety of genres of extant Christian texts (school exercises, apologies, homilies, to name a few). With this survey as a basis, this paper will seek to answer the questions: for what purpose is 1 Corinthians 2.6-9 referenced over 350 times by more than 35 patristic authors? Is it being used to make the same argument across a wide range of texts—is there a community of interpretation among patristic authors who rely upon 1 Corinthians 2.6-9—or is there great diversity in its use?

A Journey with Mark, ed. Marek Zabriskie, 2015

Of the nine extant Christian school exercises from the third and fourth centuries, as many as one... more Of the nine extant Christian school exercises from the third and fourth centuries, as many as one-third feature extracts from Paul’s Roman epistle. The complicating factor behind a deeper exploration of what this might mean for early Christian pedagogy lies in the identity of papyrus fragment P.Lond.Lit. 207. This fragment has been catalogued as a catena of Psalms beginning with Psalm 13.3 (LXX). However, this catena of citations is the same as that used by Paul in Romans 3.13-18. Has this fragment been mislabelled by papyrologists and could this be another instance of the Roman epistle’s presence in a school exercise? This paper will explore this question by investigating extant manuscripts of Romans 3 from the same time period. Through this comparison, can we conclude that the source text for P.Lond.Lit 207 is in fact a Roman manuscript? This paper will focus not only upon what the high proportion of the Roman epistle’s presence in early Christian school exercises can tell us about early Christian teaching, but also upon how in the present time we examine biblical papyrus fragments and the complicating factors behind determining their identity and source.

Anglican Theological Review

The 2003 report by the Episcopal Church Foundation, The Search for Coherence, concludes that the ... more The 2003 report by the Episcopal Church Foundation, The Search for Coherence, concludes that the Episcopal Church has no theology of leadership. This paper posits that a strong and coherent theology of leadership does exist for the Episcopal Church to reclaim. This theology is based not on pragmatic methods of discernment and experience, but first and foremost, must be grounded in scripture and tradition, particularly Anglican. Furthermore, this theology of leadership must have as its foundation a theological understanding of the mission of the church, to save souls, and the power of God, often confused with human power. This paper seeks to challenge the Church to reclaim this coherent theology of leadership, through the theological understanding of mission and power in the Pauline corpus, in Gregory the Great’s medieval ecclesiastical texts, and in the letters, sermons, and writings of William Temple.

This article builds on recent criticism of form-critical approaches to so-called hymnic material ... more This article builds on recent criticism of form-critical approaches to so-called hymnic material in Pauls’ letters in an effort to reset the default interpretive stance with respect to Phil 2:6–11 and Col 1:15–20. Beginning with a review and critique of previous form-critical criteria, the authors then survey ancient definitions of ὓμνος to demonstrate that the oft posited ‘Christ-hymns’ do not fulfill these. In an effort to broaden out the discussion, the reception of these passages in early Christian writings is surveyed, showing that it provides no positive support for identifying these passages as ‘hymns’. The authors conclude that given the lack of constructive evidence, scholars should reconsider the enduring and widespread operative assumption that these passages are hymns.

Conference Presentations by Jennifer Strawbridge

Early documentary papyrological texts are rarely cited in modern scholarship and when cited, are ... more Early documentary papyrological texts are rarely cited in modern scholarship and when cited, are used primarily for biblical textual criticism. Early Christian schooltext papyri, in particular, are overlooked. Yet, these texts offer an exceptional glimpse of the Pauline epistles in an educational setting and of the intersection between biblical texts and everyday life. Of the small number of extant early Christian school exercises (before the fourth century), as many as one-third include extracts from the Pauline epistles. Of these few surviving texts, the majority are excerpts from Romans 1. This paper proposes to examine the use of Pauline texts in ancient school exercises, investigating what these school exercises might disclose about the connection between the Pauline letters and early Christian pedagogy and formation. Utilizing a methodology employed by ancient historians who study literate education and best attested in the works of Teresa Morgan and Raffaella Cribiore, this paper explores the role of material evidence in reconstructing ancient education. In the process, the question will be addressed about whether the presence of Paul’s letters within this documentary material might confirm the presence, as suggested by some scholars, of a School of Paul or simply offer a clearer picture of the early ordering of the Pauline epistles and the place of the Roman letter.

This paper proposes to examine a passage from the Pauline epistles that occurs with great frequen... more This paper proposes to examine a passage from the Pauline epistles that occurs with great frequency in early Christian writings up to the middle of the fourth century: Colossians 1.15-20. This paper is based on a methodology employed by the classical study of literate education – a survey of all explicit quotations of Pauline writings within our time period – applied to the wide variety of genres of extant Christian texts. Serving as a basis to determine the most highly referenced Pauline passages in early Christian writings, this comprehensive survey suggests that Colossians 1.15-20 is the most referenced pericope in our time period. Therefore, this paper will seek to answer the question: for what purpose is Colossians 1.15-20 referenced over 600 times by more than 35 patristic authors? Is it being used to make the same argument across a wide range of texts—is there a community of interpretation among patristic authors who rely upon Colossians 1.15-20—or is there great diversity in its use? Is there any consistency in the application of Colossians 1.15-20 theologically and across time? The paper will conclude with reflections on how this community of interpretation is revised and adapted once Colossians 1.15-20 becomes a focus of the Arian controversy.

Talks by Jennifer Strawbridge

Ancient Education and Early Christianity, eds. Matthew Hauge and Andrew Pitts, May 2015

Studia Patristica

A Journey with Mark, ed. Marek Zabriskie, 2015

Anglican Theological Review

This article builds on recent criticism of form-critical approaches to so-called hymnic material ... more This article builds on recent criticism of form-critical approaches to so-called hymnic material in Pauls’ letters in an effort to reset the default interpretive stance with respect to Phil 2:6–11 and Col 1:15–20. Beginning with a review and critique of previous form-critical criteria, the authors then survey ancient definitions of ὓμνος to demonstrate that the oft posited ‘Christ-hymns’ do not fulfill these. In an effort to broaden out the discussion, the reception of these passages in early Christian writings is surveyed, showing that it provides no positive support for identifying these passages as ‘hymns’. The authors conclude that given the lack of constructive evidence, scholars should reconsider the enduring and widespread operative assumption that these passages are hymns.

This paper proposes to examine a passage from the Pauline epistles that occurs with great frequen... more This paper proposes to examine a passage from the Pauline epistles that occurs with great frequency in early Christian writings up to the middle of the fourth century: Colossians 1.15-20. This paper is based on a methodology employed by the classical study of literate education – a survey of all explicit quotations of Pauline writings within our time period – applied to the wide variety of genres of extant Christian texts. Serving as a basis to determine the most highly referenced Pauline passages in early Christian writings, this comprehensive survey suggests that Colossians 1.15-20 is the most referenced pericope in our time period. Therefore, this paper will seek to answer the question: for what purpose is Colossians 1.15-20 referenced over 600 times by more than 35 patristic authors? Is it being used to make the same argument across a wide range of texts—is there a community of interpretation among patristic authors who rely upon Colossians 1.15-20—or is there great diversity in its use? Is there any consistency in the application of Colossians 1.15-20 theologically and across time? The paper will conclude with reflections on how this community of interpretation is revised and adapted once Colossians 1.15-20 becomes a focus of the Arian controversy.