I missed this the other day, but Daniel tagged me in the Bible movie meme. Honestly, I can’t think of all that many Bible movies that I have seen and remember enough to list them. Here’s my list, in no particular order, included for a variety of reasons.

Life of Brian – There is so much here. “Did he say ‘blessed are the cheesemakers?’” But the best scene is “What have the Romans ever done for us?” A brilliant commentary on the ambivalence of Judean feeling towards their Roman occupiers.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSELOCMmw4A]

Prince of Egypt – Unforgettable. Great music.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – This may be cheating. I haven’t seen the DVD version. But I saw Donny Osmond play Joseph twice on the stage in Boston while I was in high school. The guy’s got lungs! Again, great music.

Gladiator – Okay, so this isn’t a “Bible” film as such. But if we consider themes of imperialism, Roman spectacle, and the arena — particularly when discussing Revelation — then this actually is a pretty cool movie to show some of that social world.

The Miracle Maker – Claymation Jesus. Need I say more?

Jesus – All I remember about this movie is that there was a scene of Jesus laughing with a bunch of playful children. I liked that. I seem to remember there being some psychological takes on Jesus trying to understand his identity and mission. I’m not crazy about that stuff, but it’s interesting to see people try.

The Gospel of John – I don’t recall being that enthused about the film itself. But it deserves a mention just because I didn’t see it until after Henry Ian Cusick became a star as Desmond Hume on Lost. I was just imagining him saying, “I am the way, brother.”

I actually never saw Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, so I don’t have anything to say about that one. One of these days maybe.

I’m going to skip the tagging part of this one, except to say, feel free to do it if you feel so inspired.

Picking up on the gender, gender, gender theme of the week, Mike has initiated a helpful new meme. As I was talking with a friend about the issue of female bibliobloggers, we wondered how the percentage of female bibliobloggers differed from the percentage of female biblical scholars. We tried to name as many female biblical scholars as we could off the cuff. It seems like a round on this meme would help that exercise be a little bit easier. Given the conversation we’ve been having, that seems like a good idea. This is what Mike has to say:

I want to propose a hopefully constructive way of responding to one underlying issue.  When Ken Brown summarized the results of his fantastic meme on the top 5 books, he noted “a shameful under-representation of women (only Margaret Barker and Toni Morrison received more than one vote, with two each).”  So I want people to list the 5 most influential female scholars on their scholarship and tag 5 or 6 others.

That last line is a little ambiguous, but I think he means for us to share those five female biblical scholars who have influenced us the most. So, here’s my (slightly extended) list:

1. Marianne Meye Thompson (books): Her particular interests in Johannine literature and her emphasis on theology in biblical interpretation are not exactly what set my heart a flutter. But no other female biblical scholar has had a greater influence on my scholarship, research methods, and writing. While at Fuller, I took three master’s level courses (NT 1: Gospels; The Cross in the New Testament; NT Exegesis: Gospel of John) and two doctoral level seminars (NT Research Methods; Johannine Theology) with her. She is known on campus as a stickler for precision, but also one to provide extensive feedback for each paper even for master’s students. While our primary research interests don’t perfectly align, she taught me how to ask better research questions, use primary sources more effectively, and make better arguments. [Update: Nick has reminded me that I should note here my gratitude for all MMT has taught me about John and using theology in biblical interpretation. I don't get as excited about those things as I do social history, identity formation, and apocalyptic thought, but that is precisely why here insight is so valuable to me. She has filled in an area that would otherwise constitute a gap in my attempt to be a generalist.]
2. Adela Yarbro Collins (books): Prof. Yarbro Collins’ is known for her work in apocalyptic literature and thought from a socio-historical perspective. Yarbro Collins is a solid historical-critical scholar and she has been a surefooted guide as I attempt my way around the maze that is apocalyptic thought and social history. She is also a very warm person to talk to in person, which is always a plus for any scholar.
3. Paula Fredriksen (books): Paula Fredrickson is just plain fun. Her scholarship is lively and asks intriguing questions. I appreciate her desire to question the “parting of the ways” assumptions of so many. I think I’m persuaded that, at the ground level, there was no great schism for centuries. Have you seen her most recent book on Augustine and the Jews? Very exciting! Incidentally, she is someone I’d very much like to see with a blog.
4. Martha Himmelfarb (books): I have been introduced to the writings of Prof. Himmelfarb via one of my profs at UCLA, Ra’anan Boustan, who worked closely with her getting his Ph.D. at Princeton. She is a master of apocalyptic thought and literature, writing her scholarship with precision and insight. Precision, when it comes to scholarship on apocalyptic literature, is a scarce resource. What I have appreciated about her scholarship is its ability to navigate visionary symbolism in a manner that makes logical sense! I am very excited about her forthcoming survey of apocalyptic writing.
5. Margaret M. Mitchell (books): Need I say more? I will simply say that I have a deep admiration for her skill with Greco-Roman literature and its relevance for the study of New Testament and early Christian writings, not to mention her seamless (and relevant) use of items from popular culture. Her article in the book that I am indexing is probably the best of the bunch and inspires me to become a better writer. She is another scholar I’d love to see with a blog. There is so much character and insight to her writing.
6. Judith Lieu (books): I am going to cheat and add a sixth. Judith Lieu is a thoughtful scholar, adept at handling complex problems with the utmost care. As I am entering into the fray of social identity and Christian origins, she is one of the able guides I am looking to for help!
7. Reta Halteman Finger (books): I am going to cheat some more and add a seventh. Reta was one of my professors in college. Though my feminism has many roots, her influence is among them. Interestingly, at the time I took her survey course on the New Testament (early as an undergraduate), I was not thinking I would become a biblical scholar. Also, I was not an Anabaptist yet. It was fun to catch up with her for the first time a couple years ago at SBL in DC and again in San Diego. She was surprised to find out that I had not only become an Anabaptist, but had also pursued social history in New Testament studies, which was her approach as well. Feminism, Anabaptism, social history. I can’t let that go unmentioned in this list. If any of those topics interest you, she came out with two books recently with Eerdmans that would be right up your alley.

Now for the tagging. First, I’d like to tag Daniel O. McClellan even though he already completed the meme, just so he knows he’s tag-worthy. Then, let’s see, how about my UCLA colleague Kevin Scull, upcoming SBL roommate Brandon Wason, Julia O’Brien because she’s got a great blog, Loren Rosson III (who extended a nice comment on my Jim West post), and Chris Spinks (who mediated what could have been a disastrous collision with Jim West ). And anyone else who feels like doing this one.

Thanks for getting the ball rolling, Mike.

Update: If I had been thinking clearly, I would’ve included Carolyn Osiek (books) as an 8th. Outstanding stuff.

Geez, Kevin, I just got caught up on the last meme. But I concur with Jim that this new twist has the potential for some interesting thoughts. Here are Kevin’s rules:

1.) List the 5 primary sources that have most affected your scholarship, thoughts about antiquity, and/or understanding of the NT/OT.

2.) Books from the Bible are off limits unless you really want to list one, I certainly will not chastise you for it.

3.) Finally, choose individual works if you can.  This will be more interesting than listing the entire corpus of Cicero as one of your choices.

Here are my texts:

1. Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch) – see my explanation on my last meme response.
2. The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas – How awesome is this text! It really stokes my imagination about both gender roles and the martyr impulse within in early Christianity.
3. Two Spirits Treatise + War Scroll combo – Wow. Just dripping with rich dualistic sweetness.
4. Ben Sira – Single most important book in the search for the social location and roles of scribes in his time. It also contains some really beautiful texts.
5. Tobit – I read this somewhat neglected ancient “Touched By an Angel” episode early on and it has always made an impression on me as I consider piety and compassion in Second Temple life.

The last two are not in the canon that I use. It’s hard to leave off Josephus and the Didache, but the list has to stop somewhere. And I shall tag: Nijay Gupta, Mark Goodacre (I know his list will include Q), Loren Rosson, Mike Koke, and April DeConick.

Though it is a late in coming, I was previously busy with my grand translation project earlier. So, here’s my stab at the five books meme begun and cataloged by Ken Brown. I was tagged by Kevin Scull and kind of unofficially by John Hobbins, so it’s time to live up to my tagged responsibilities. Here are the rules:

1. Name the five books (or scholars) that had the most immediate and lasting influence on how you read the Bible. Note that these need not be your five favorite books, or even the five with which you most strongly agree. Instead, I want to know what five books have permanently changed the way you think.
2. Tag five others.

I appreciate Ken’s first rule. These are not my favorite books per se, but books that have changed the way I think about the Bible. Most of these go back to my foundational years, just as I was beginning to discover what it might mean to become a scholar of the Bible.

1. Let Wives Be Submissive: The Domestic Code in I Peter by David L. Balch. This is the first piece of critical scholarship I ever read. I was a freshman at Messiah College and it was for a paper on the household codes. I probably only understand about 30% of it at the time (and that’s generous), but this was probably the single biggest push for me to go into critical scholarship. This book helped me realize the difference it makes to work deeply with the historical context of biblical texts. I have been a fan of Balch ever since.
2. Slavery, Sabbath, War, and Women: Case Issues in Biblical Interpretation by Willard M. Swartley. I read this book as a junior at Messiah College in Brian Smith’s course on Biblical Interpretation and Criticism. The class itself had a profound and foundational impact on my reading of the Bible–and another required book for the course, To Each Its Own Meaning, is nearly worthy of this list. If Balch’s book stoked the flames of historical-critical work for me, Swartley’s started another fire for me: the history of interpretation. The chapter on slavery is worth buying by itself. Reading the actual words of the pro-slavery and anti-slavery interpreters from 19th century America simply blew my mind.
3. Biblical Interpretation in the Anabaptist Tradition by Stuart Murray. In line with my interest with the history of interpretation, Murray’s book offers a glance into the way 16th century Anabaptists read the Bible. With its chapter on “congregational hermeneutics,” I am encouraged to struggle with the “elitism” of biblical scholarship in a congregational context (on congregational hermeneutics, check out Chris Spinks’ dissertation). With Murray’s account of the “hermeneutic of obedience,” I am reminded of the importance of the biblical texts intended to transform the daily lives of obedient followers. In other words, I suppose this book contributes to my desire to “stay grounded” as a biblical scholar. For more on this topic, see an early post of mine: The Baptism Hermeneutic. See a survey of the book here. All of this said, I seek to have balanced and solid scholarship grounded in the historical facts before considering an “Anabaptist perspective” on a particular text–though I may begin that scholarship with a kind of “Anabaptist question,” I suppose. Thomas Yoder Neufeld is my idea of a solid Anabaptist scholar of the Bible.
4. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. This may be the most beautiful piece of fiction I have ever read. Beyond its beauty, however, it punctured my perspective on the Bible in two ways: (1) the use of a kind of realistic imagination when searching the texts and (2) paying attention to the stories of women who do not receive much notation in the texts.
5. 1 Enoch: A New Translation by George W. E. Nickelsburg and James C. VanderKam. My interest in social concerns and social history can be seen to some extent in all the previous books, but my interest in apocalyptic thought needs some introduction. If you take a glance at the sorts of posts that I put up on my blog, you may think that I have always been interested in apocalyptic literature. Not so. Up until I read 1 Enoch, I pretty much ignored apocalyptic themes like many (most?) New Testament scholars. I read this edition of 1 Enoch when James VanderKam came to teach “Introduction to Early Judaism” at Fuller as a visiting summer professor. Simply reading 1 Enoch lit me up and that was enough to set me on the path toward apocalyptic research. Other than that, my reading into apocalyptic thought has been more recent and hasn’t had time to show fruits of true impact in my biblical interpretation.

A couple runners up include Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes by Robert McAfee Brown (I had a bout with liberation theology, which still lingers with me to some extent… it also often frustrates me when it comes to biblical interpretation) and The Story We Find Ourselves in by Brian McLaren (I’m not totally gung ho with everything emergent, nor was this book super literature, but it pushed me to consider what the overall story or “metanarrative” of the Bible might be). I’m sure there are others that escape me at the moment.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Oh, and as for the tagging others thing… if you haven’t been, then consider youself tagged

Jim Getz tagged me in a meme the other day. The idea is . . .

• Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more (no cheating!)
• Find page 123
• Find the first five sentences
• Post the next three sentences
• Tag five people

My nearest book is History of New Testament Research (vol. 2) by William Baird, which certainly does have 123 pages in it. Page 123 is in the middle of a section on “The Zenith of Liberalism: Adolf von Harnack (1851-1930),” in a chapter entitled, “The Triumph of Liberalism on the Continent.” Here are sentences 6-8 on the page:

The appointment had been contested by officials of the Prussian church who were shocked by Harnack’s skepticism concerning the miracles and the virgin birth. The appointment was supported by Bismarck and finally confirmed by Kaiser Wilhelm II. During his tenure at Berlin, Harnack taught a host of students, including Adolf Jülicher and Karl Barth, and Americans such as S. J. Case and E. J. Goodspeed.

An interesting set of sentences, I have to admit. It could have been much more boring: a list of titles, for example.

Like my friend, Chris, I am wary of the last bit of this meme: to tag five people. But I will nevertheless tag Matt and I don’t know who else hasn’t been tagged. If you haven’t been tagged and you’d like to be: have at it.

I’ve been tagged by Nick Norelli to say what’s in/on my:

• CD Player
• DVD Player
• To Read List
• To See List
• Mind

So, here goes.

• What’s a CD player? Are CDs the things that look like DVDs?
• As for DVDs, we are going to watch Amazing Grace soon (yes, it is actually in the DVD player), but just watched Ratatouille, and before that Notes on a Scandal. We like cinematic diversity.
• Reading? Well, I’m reading some books for the seminar I’m taking next quarter on the history of NT scholarship, including Yarchin’s History of Biblical Interpretation, Neill and Wright’s The Interpretation of the New Testament, 1861-1986, and William Baird’s two volume History of New Testament Research. But right now, I’m thinking about what will get me through the cross-continental flights for our trip to Maryland and Virginia, which I think will be Hosseini’s Kite Runner and Dickens’ Hard Times along with some good magazines and my primary voter guide.
• To see? Atonement was on the “to see” list, but we watched that this past weekend. Other “to see” movies are No Country for Old Men, I Am Legend, Juno, and The Kite Runner (after I read the book). Though it isn’t a movie, quite high on my “to see” list is Wicked: The Musical at the Pantages Theater.
• What’s on my mind? Where we will be living and I will be studying in the fall of 2008. Also: Christmas.

I tag: anybody who so desires to answer