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Papers by Jordan Ryan

Article link (open access): https://journal.fi/nj/article/view/100583 The curious name of Golgo... more Article link (open access):
https://journal.fi/nj/article/view/100583

The curious name of Golgotha, and its translations provided by the evangelists, became a focal point for interpretation, opening the door for new Christological concepts to become affixed to it. As these novel Christological interpretations accrued around Golgotha, they would eventually crystallise, and become a fixed part of the commemoration of Jesus in Palestine. Starting with Origen, third and fourth century Christian authors strongly associate the place of Jesus’s crucifixion with the burial place of Adam.

The curious name of Golgotha and the translations of it provided by the canonical evangelists bec... more The curious name of Golgotha and the translations of it provided by the canonical evangelists became a focal point for early Christian interpretation, opening the door for new Christological readings to become affixed to it. As these novel Christological interpretations accrued around Golgotha, they would eventually crystallize, and become a fixed part of the memory of Jesus in Palestine. This lecture examines the exegesis and traditions associated with Golgotha from the first to fourth centuries CE, with special attention paid to the tradition of Adam's burial at Golgotha. These traditions are brought into conversation with parallel Jewish traditions concerning the burial of Adam.

Note: this is a draft version of a paper that served as the basis and notes for my Oslo Lecture in New Testament and Early Christian Studies in early 2020. The research in this lecture comes out of a bigger project (my then-forthcoming book, From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre).

UPDATED 5/8/2020 (minor grammar, fixed and added some citations)

Transformations in Stone: Archaeological Testimonies to Transitions within and between Religious Traditions in Antiquity, 5 March 2020

The fourth century saw the emergence of Christian commemorative architecture in Palestine. Beginn... more The fourth century saw the emergence of Christian commemorative architecture in Palestine. Beginning with the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre under Constantine circa 324 CE, monumental churches were constructed by imperial authority, localizing events in the life of Jesus, while also fundamentally altering the architectural landscape of the region. Their appearance also marked a new development in the way that the life of Jesus could be remembered, experienced, and interpreted. They functioned as commemorative monuments, presenting, interpreting, and instantiating memories of specific events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The aim of this paper is to examine the emergence of the earliest life-of-Jesus churches in order to consider the ways in which these structures functioned simultaneously to commemorate and thus interpret the person of Jesus of Nazareth, while contributing to the formation of Christian identity through the construction of a public memory of Jesus.

In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus becomes embroiled in a controversy over conflicting interpretations of th... more In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus becomes embroiled in a controversy over conflicting interpretations of the Sabbath law in a local synagogue. Interpreters have tended to neglect the local-official background and synagogue context of the passage. Some scholars have even gone so far as to treat the synagogue setting as Lucan redaction, thus trivializing its relevance for historical investigation. In contrast, I situate the interpretation of this passage within the evidence pertaining to the mechanics and procedure of legal interpretation and deliberation in early synagogue settings. I con­clude that Luke 13:10-17 is best understood in light of current synagogue scholarship on both the Lucan and historical levels.

This is an abbreviated and adapted version of my JSHJ article that I delivered at the 'Future of ... more This is an abbreviated and adapted version of my JSHJ article that I delivered at the 'Future of Historical Jesus Research' panel at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Journal For the Study of the Historical Jesus

A significant re-evaluation of the historiographical methods and approaches used in historical Je... more A significant re-evaluation of the historiographical methods and approaches used in historical Jesus research has been underway in recent years. Some scholars have begun to look to social memory theory for a way forward. Although social memory theory provides some valuable insights, a solid methodological foundation is still lacking. The intention of this article is to advance the discussion by drawing attention to R.G. Collingwood’s contributions to the philosophy of history and historiography in The Idea of History (1946). In particular, I will discuss his historiographical principles of inference, evidence, question and answer, historical imagination, along with his critique of ‘scissors-and-paste’. These principles have the potential to form the foundation of a theoretically grounded historiographical practice in Jesus research.

UPDATE 12/17/2018: The review that this piece was responding to has been removed from publicatio... more UPDATE 12/17/2018:

The review that this piece was responding to has been removed from publication.

In my recent work, The Role of the Synagogue in the Aims of Jesus, I attempt to bring the fields of the study of early synagogues in the Land of Israel and historical Jesus together in order to determine what role the institution of the synagogue played in the aims of the historical Jesus. While criticism and disagreement are a welcome and natural facet of academic discourse, there is a distinction between negative evaluation and misrepresentation or misquotation. McCane's review misrepresents, misquotes, and inaccurately presents my thought and work to a degree that is disappointing. It also fails to present the overarching hypothesis of the book altogether. This piece is written in response to those misrepresentations, and will leave aside my thoughts on areas where there is genuine disagreement between my own interpretations of the evidence and those of the author of the review. Despite my deep concerns and disappointment with the aspects of the review that are misrepresentative, I would nevertheless like to extend thanks to McCane for taking the time to review the work, and to point out some helpful criticisms.

Note - reuploaded on 12/2/2018. Two minor typos were corrected, and an additional misrepresentation that was drawn to my attention has been added.

An examination of the function of the Magdala synagogue in light of comparison with other synagog... more An examination of the function of the Magdala synagogue in light of comparison with other synagogues from the Land and synagogue data from the Second-Temple period.

A brief popular-level article discussing the findings of synagogue research in light of the disco... more A brief popular-level article discussing the findings of synagogue research in light of the discovery of a first-century synagogue at Magdala. Includes photographs and an early reconstruction of the Magdala synagogue.

(Note: new evidence concerning the location of the entrance of the synagogue indicates that it may have faced the street. The reconstruction featured in this paper needs to be updated.)

Message me directly for access to the article.

Conference Presentations by Jordan Ryan

ASOR 2017, Boston, 2017

The discovery of the synagogue at Magdala in 2009 has provided archaeologists and scholars of ear... more The discovery of the synagogue at Magdala in 2009 has provided archaeologists and scholars of early Judaism with crucial data for understanding early Roman period synagogue art and architecture. One of the lesser known mysteries of the Magdala synagogue is the location of its main entrance, whose architectural elements were not discovered in context. However, the IAA has suggested that the primary entrance was located on the west side of the building, and has reconstructed it there. The work of restoration involves interpretation, and may not always accurately represent the past exactly "as it was." An analysis of the synagogue's architecture, the archaeological drawings of it, and the early photos taken when the structure was first excavated in 2009, leads us to conclude that the primary entrance to was located on the south side, bordering with the southern east-west street. So far as we know, the whole town of Magdala is located to the southeast , and there is no clear evidence of settlement to the west. A secondary access by the west is not denied, but the current evidence is not sufficient to support its existence. The location of the entrance impacts our understanding of the functions of the rooms on the west and south sides of the building, as well as our understanding of the architecture of the Magdala synagogue as a whole. This, in turn, should influence our broader understanding of the architecture and functions of early synagogues in general.

Drafts by Jordan Ryan

Article link (open access): https://journal.fi/nj/article/view/100583 The curious name of Golgo... more Article link (open access):
https://journal.fi/nj/article/view/100583

The curious name of Golgotha, and its translations provided by the evangelists, became a focal point for interpretation, opening the door for new Christological concepts to become affixed to it. As these novel Christological interpretations accrued around Golgotha, they would eventually crystallise, and become a fixed part of the commemoration of Jesus in Palestine. Starting with Origen, third and fourth century Christian authors strongly associate the place of Jesus’s crucifixion with the burial place of Adam.

The curious name of Golgotha and the translations of it provided by the canonical evangelists bec... more The curious name of Golgotha and the translations of it provided by the canonical evangelists became a focal point for early Christian interpretation, opening the door for new Christological readings to become affixed to it. As these novel Christological interpretations accrued around Golgotha, they would eventually crystallize, and become a fixed part of the memory of Jesus in Palestine. This lecture examines the exegesis and traditions associated with Golgotha from the first to fourth centuries CE, with special attention paid to the tradition of Adam's burial at Golgotha. These traditions are brought into conversation with parallel Jewish traditions concerning the burial of Adam.

Note: this is a draft version of a paper that served as the basis and notes for my Oslo Lecture in New Testament and Early Christian Studies in early 2020. The research in this lecture comes out of a bigger project (my then-forthcoming book, From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre).

UPDATED 5/8/2020 (minor grammar, fixed and added some citations)

Transformations in Stone: Archaeological Testimonies to Transitions within and between Religious Traditions in Antiquity, 5 March 2020

The fourth century saw the emergence of Christian commemorative architecture in Palestine. Beginn... more The fourth century saw the emergence of Christian commemorative architecture in Palestine. Beginning with the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre under Constantine circa 324 CE, monumental churches were constructed by imperial authority, localizing events in the life of Jesus, while also fundamentally altering the architectural landscape of the region. Their appearance also marked a new development in the way that the life of Jesus could be remembered, experienced, and interpreted. They functioned as commemorative monuments, presenting, interpreting, and instantiating memories of specific events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The aim of this paper is to examine the emergence of the earliest life-of-Jesus churches in order to consider the ways in which these structures functioned simultaneously to commemorate and thus interpret the person of Jesus of Nazareth, while contributing to the formation of Christian identity through the construction of a public memory of Jesus.

In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus becomes embroiled in a controversy over conflicting interpretations of th... more In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus becomes embroiled in a controversy over conflicting interpretations of the Sabbath law in a local synagogue. Interpreters have tended to neglect the local-official background and synagogue context of the passage. Some scholars have even gone so far as to treat the synagogue setting as Lucan redaction, thus trivializing its relevance for historical investigation. In contrast, I situate the interpretation of this passage within the evidence pertaining to the mechanics and procedure of legal interpretation and deliberation in early synagogue settings. I con­clude that Luke 13:10-17 is best understood in light of current synagogue scholarship on both the Lucan and historical levels.

This is an abbreviated and adapted version of my JSHJ article that I delivered at the 'Future of ... more This is an abbreviated and adapted version of my JSHJ article that I delivered at the 'Future of Historical Jesus Research' panel at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Journal For the Study of the Historical Jesus

A significant re-evaluation of the historiographical methods and approaches used in historical Je... more A significant re-evaluation of the historiographical methods and approaches used in historical Jesus research has been underway in recent years. Some scholars have begun to look to social memory theory for a way forward. Although social memory theory provides some valuable insights, a solid methodological foundation is still lacking. The intention of this article is to advance the discussion by drawing attention to R.G. Collingwood’s contributions to the philosophy of history and historiography in The Idea of History (1946). In particular, I will discuss his historiographical principles of inference, evidence, question and answer, historical imagination, along with his critique of ‘scissors-and-paste’. These principles have the potential to form the foundation of a theoretically grounded historiographical practice in Jesus research.

UPDATE 12/17/2018: The review that this piece was responding to has been removed from publicatio... more UPDATE 12/17/2018:

The review that this piece was responding to has been removed from publication.

In my recent work, The Role of the Synagogue in the Aims of Jesus, I attempt to bring the fields of the study of early synagogues in the Land of Israel and historical Jesus together in order to determine what role the institution of the synagogue played in the aims of the historical Jesus. While criticism and disagreement are a welcome and natural facet of academic discourse, there is a distinction between negative evaluation and misrepresentation or misquotation. McCane's review misrepresents, misquotes, and inaccurately presents my thought and work to a degree that is disappointing. It also fails to present the overarching hypothesis of the book altogether. This piece is written in response to those misrepresentations, and will leave aside my thoughts on areas where there is genuine disagreement between my own interpretations of the evidence and those of the author of the review. Despite my deep concerns and disappointment with the aspects of the review that are misrepresentative, I would nevertheless like to extend thanks to McCane for taking the time to review the work, and to point out some helpful criticisms.

Note - reuploaded on 12/2/2018. Two minor typos were corrected, and an additional misrepresentation that was drawn to my attention has been added.

An examination of the function of the Magdala synagogue in light of comparison with other synagog... more An examination of the function of the Magdala synagogue in light of comparison with other synagogues from the Land and synagogue data from the Second-Temple period.

A brief popular-level article discussing the findings of synagogue research in light of the disco... more A brief popular-level article discussing the findings of synagogue research in light of the discovery of a first-century synagogue at Magdala. Includes photographs and an early reconstruction of the Magdala synagogue.

(Note: new evidence concerning the location of the entrance of the synagogue indicates that it may have faced the street. The reconstruction featured in this paper needs to be updated.)

Message me directly for access to the article.

ASOR 2017, Boston, 2017

The discovery of the synagogue at Magdala in 2009 has provided archaeologists and scholars of ear... more The discovery of the synagogue at Magdala in 2009 has provided archaeologists and scholars of early Judaism with crucial data for understanding early Roman period synagogue art and architecture. One of the lesser known mysteries of the Magdala synagogue is the location of its main entrance, whose architectural elements were not discovered in context. However, the IAA has suggested that the primary entrance was located on the west side of the building, and has reconstructed it there. The work of restoration involves interpretation, and may not always accurately represent the past exactly "as it was." An analysis of the synagogue's architecture, the archaeological drawings of it, and the early photos taken when the structure was first excavated in 2009, leads us to conclude that the primary entrance to was located on the south side, bordering with the southern east-west street. So far as we know, the whole town of Magdala is located to the southeast , and there is no clear evidence of settlement to the west. A secondary access by the west is not denied, but the current evidence is not sufficient to support its existence. The location of the entrance impacts our understanding of the functions of the rooms on the west and south sides of the building, as well as our understanding of the architecture of the Magdala synagogue as a whole. This, in turn, should influence our broader understanding of the architecture and functions of early synagogues in general.