Philip F. Esler

Professor of Biblical Criticism

Philip Esler has a particular interest in the reading of biblical texts using the tools provided by social-scientific research. He also publishes and teaches in the areas of the Bible and the Visual Arts, and early Christian identity in Rome.

He has extensive experience in managing complex change at a senior level of a university from his recent three years as the Vice-Principal for Research at St Andrews. Earlier in his career he worked for ten years as a litigation solicitor and then barrister. He was also a co-founder of a successful Christian monthly news-magazine in Australia.

For a period of four years from 1 September 2005 Professor Esler held the position of Chief Executive of the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council and took leave from the University of St Andrews for that purpose.

Education

B.A.(Hons),

LL.B., LL.M., Sydney;

D.Phil. Oxford

Publications

Research interests include

• The social-scientific interpretation of biblical texts
• Paul
• The development of early Christian identity
• Hermeneutics
• Visuality and the Bible
• Ethics and contemporary issues

Books

New Testament Theology: Communion and Community, (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2005; 353 pp).

Conflict and Identity in Romans :The Social Setting of Paul's Letter (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2003; 460 pages). Spanish translation: Conflicto e identidad en la carta a los Romanos. El contexto social de la carta de Pablo. (Navarra: Editorial Verbo Divino, 2006; 544 pp)

Galatians. (London and New York: Routledge, 1998; 290 pages)

The First Christians in Their Social Worlds: Social-Scientific Approaches to New Testament Interpretation. (London and New York: Routledge, 1994; 164 pp)

Community and Gospel in Luke-Acts: The Social and Political Motivations of Lucan Theology. Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, No. 57. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987; reprinted 1990 and 1994; 270 pp)

Books co-authored

Lazarus, Martha and Mary: A Social-Scientific and Theological Reading of John, jointly co-authored with Ronald A. Piper, totalling 72,000 words. (London: SCM, forthcoming in mid 2006).

Visuality and Biblical Text: Interpreting Velázquez' Christ with Martha and Mary as a Test Case, jointly authored with British artist Jane Boyd. Arte e Archeologia: Studi e Documenti, 26. (Florence: Leo S. Olschki Editore, 2004; 156 pages, twenty six plates and six illustrations).

• Jane Boyd's web site
• Information on the book, from publisher's web site: http://www.olschki.it/plus/53698/53698e.pdf
  

Books edited

Ancient Israel: The Old Testament in Its Social Context, edited by Philip F. Esler. (Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 2005); twenty chapters and xvii + 420 pages.

The Early Christian World, edited by Philip F Esler, two volumes, totalling 1,350 pages. (London and New York: Routledge, 2000)

Christianity for the Twenty First Century, edited by Philip F Esler. (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1998; 278 pages)

Modelling Early Christianity: Social-Scientific Studies of the New Testament in its Context, edited by Philip F Esler. (London and New York: Routledge, 1995; 349 pp)

Contributions to books

The Biblical Paintings of Ivor Williams (1908-1984), 6,000 words, in Martin O'Kane and John Morgan-Guy, eds., Imaging the Bible in Wales 1800-1975. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2009.

'Ethnic Identity in Josephus' Contra Apionem', 8,000 words, to appear in a FS in 2008/09.

'La muerte de Jesús y el Siervo sufriente de Isías: aproximación psico-sociológica a una cuestión histórica y teológica', in Carmen Bernabé and Carlos Gil, eds., Reimaginando los orígenes del cristianismo (FS for Rafael Aguirre), Estella: EVD, 2008, 171-92.

'From Ioudaioi to Children of God: The Development of a Non-Ethnic Group Identity in the Gospel of John', in Anselm C. Hagedorn, Zeba A. Crook and Eric Stewart, eds., In Other Words: Essays on Social Science Methods and the New Testament in Honor of Jerome H. Neyrey. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2007, 106-37.

`Filiación en Gálatas. Un Estudio Sociocientífico y Teológico', in Juan José Ayán Calvo, Patricio de Navascués Benlloch and Manuel Aroztegui Esnaola, eds., Filiación: Cultura Pagana, Religión de Israel, Orígenes del Cristianismo. Volume 3. Madrid: Editorial Trotta, 2007, 219-35.

'"Remember My Fetters": A Social- and Cognitive Science Approach to the Memorialisation of Paul's Imprisonment in the Pseudo-Pauline Letters', in Petri Luomanen, Illka Pyysiäinen and Risto Uro, eds., Explaining Early Judaism and Christianity: Contributions from Cognitive and Social Science Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2007, 231-58.

'Understanding the Death of Jesus in Its Ancient Context: Perpetrator and Victim Perspectives', 10,000 words,  W. Mayer, P. Allen and L. Cross  (eds), Prayer and Spirituality in the Early Church . Volume 3. (Strathfield, NSW: St Paul's Publications, 2006.)

'The Role of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:1-2: 21: Understanding a Biblical Narrative in Its Ancient Context', 13, 800 words, in Christian Strecker, editor, Kontexte der Schrift.  Band II: Kultur, Politik, Religion, Sprache. Festschrift fur Wolfgang Stegemann.  (Stuttgart: Kohlhammer,2005), 15-36.

'New Testament Interpretation as Interpersonal Communion: The Case for a Socio-Theological Hermeneutics', 9000 words, in Christopher Rowland and Christopher Tuckett, eds., The Nature of New Testament Theology (Oxford: Blackwells; forthcoming 2005).

'Social-Scientific Models in Biblical Interpretation', in Philip F. Esler, editor, Ancient Israel: The Old Testament in Its Social Context. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005), 3-14.

'2 Samuel - David and the Ammonite War: A Narrative and Social-Scientific Study of 2 Samuel 10-12', in Philip F. Esler, editor, Ancient Israel: The Old Testament in Its Social Context. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005), 191-207.

Philip F. Esler and Anselm Hagedorn, 'The Social-Scientific Analysis of the Old Testament: A Brief History and Overview', in Philip F. Esler, editor, Ancient Israel: The Old Testament in Its Social Context. ( Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005), 15-32.

'Paul and the Agon: Understanding a Pauline Motif in Its Cultural and Visual Context', in Annette Weissenrieder and Friederike Wendt, eds. , Iconography and the New Testament. WUNT. (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005), 356-84.

'The Context Group Project: An Autobiographical Account', in Mario Aguilar and Louise Lawrence, eds, Anthropology and Biblical Studies: Avenues of Research. (Leiden: Deo Publishing, 2004), 46-61.

'Rome in Apocalyptic and Rabbinic Literature', in John Riches and David Sim, eds. Matthew in Colonial Perspective. (Continuum 2005), 151-71.

'Collective Memory and Hebrews 11: Outlining a New Investigative Framework ', in Alan Kirk and Tom Thatcher, eds., Social Memory and Christian Origins, Semeia Monographs, Society of Biblical Literature, 2005, 52: 151-71.

'The Character of Early Christianity in Rome', in Prayer and Spirituality in the Early Church, Vol. 3, edited by Bronwen Neil, Geoffrey D. Dunn and Lawrence Cross (Homebush, NSW: St Paul Publications, 2003)' , 19-42 (including eight illustrations).

'Jesus in the Social, Political and Religious Context of His Time', an article of some 6,000 words to appear in Jesus in History, Culture and Thought: An Encyclopedia, edited by Leslie Houlden and published by ABC Clio Publishers (2004), 462 -76.

'Social Scientific Approaches' (2,000 words) in Stanley E. Porter and Brook Pearson, eds. Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation and Criticism (London and New York: Routledge, forthcoming 2003/4)

'Jesus und die Reduzierung von Gruppenkonflikten: Das Gleichnis vom barmherzigen Samaritaner im Rahmen der Theorie der sozialen Identität', a German translation of the following essay, in Wolfgang Stegemann, Bruce J. Malina and Gerd Theissen, eds., Jesus in Neuen Kontexten. (Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 2003), 197-211.

'Jesus and the Reduction of Intergroup Conflict,' an abridged version of the article of similar title in Biblical Interpretation, 2000, in Bruce J. Malina, Wolfgang Stegemann and Gerd Theissen, eds. The Social Setting of Jesus and the Gospels (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2002) 185-205.

'Making and Breaking an Agreement Mediterranean Style: A New Reading of Galatians 2:1-14', in Nanos, Mark D., ed., The Galatians Debate (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002), 261-81 (this is a reprint of the article of the same name published in Biblical Interpretation in 1995, infra).

'1 Thessalonians', a mini-commentary (of 16,000 words) one of the chapters in John Barton and John Muddiman, eds. The Oxford Bible Commentary. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 1200-12.

'2 Thessalonians', a mini-commentary (of 8,500 words) one of the chapters in John Barton and John Muddiman eds. The Oxford Bible Commentary. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 1213-20.

Preface to a new imprint by SCM of L. William Countryman, Dirt, Greed and Sex. (London: SCM, 2001), ix-xiii.

'Palestinian Judaism', in Dan Cohn-Sherbok and John M. Court, eds., Religious Diversity in the Greco-Roman World. (Sheffield: Sheffield University Press, 2001), 21-46

'The Mediterranean Context of Early Christianity', Chapter One, in The Early Christian World, edited by Philip F Esler. (London and New York: Routledge, 2000), 3-25

'"Keeping it in the Family": Culture, Kinship and Identity in 1 Thessalonians and Galatians', in Jan Willem van Henten and Athalya Brenner, eds., Families and Famly Relations as Represented In Early Judaisms and Early Christianities: Texts and Fictions. Papers Read at a NOSTER Colloquium in Amsterdam, June 9-11, 1998. Studies in Theology and Religion, Volume 2. Leiden: Deo Publishing, 2000, 145-84

'"By the Hand of a Woman": Culture, Story and Theology in the Book of Judith', in John J. Pilch, ed., Social Scientific Models for Interpreting the Bible: Essays by the Context Group in Honor of Bruce J. Malina. (Leiden: E J Brill, 2001), 64-101

'The Socio-Redaction Criticism of Luke-Acts', in Horrell, David G., ed, Social-Scientific Approaches to New Testament Interpretation (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1999), 123-50 (this is a reprint of Chapter 1 of my Community and Gospel in Luke Acts, 1987, supra).

'The Madness of Saul: A Cultural Reading of 1 Samuel 8-31' , in Cheryl J. Exum and Stephen D Moore eds. Biblical Studies/Cultural Studies. (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998), 220-262

'Introduction: Christianity for the Twenty First Century', in Philip F Esler, ed., Christianity for the Twenty First Century. (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1998), 1-21

'Poverty and Riches in the Bible and the Third World', in Philip F Esler, ed., Christianity for the Twenty First Century. (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1998), 145-179

Entry on the Letters to the Corinthians in the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, (Downer's Grove, Ill and Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 165-166

'Family Imagery and Christian Identity in Gal. 5.13-6.10', in Halvor Moxnes, ed., Constructing Early Christian Families: Family as Social Reality and Metaphor. (London and New York: Routledge, 1997), 121-149

'Science, Culture and Ethics: Striking a Balance', in Science and Society, a 1995 conference volume published by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (London: Pilkington Press, 1997), 13-26

'Group Boundaries and Intergroup Conflict in Galatians: A New Reading of Gal. 5:13-6:10', in Mark Brett, ed., Ethnicity and the Bible, (Leiden: E J Brill, 1996), 215-240

'Introduction: Models, Context and Kerygma in New Testament Interpretation', in Philip F Esler, ed., Modelling Early Christianity: Social-Scientific Studies of the New Testament in its Context. (London and New York: Routledge, 1995)

'God's Honour and Rome's Triumph: Responses to the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE in Three Jewish Apocalypses', in Philip F Esler, ed., Modelling Early Christianity: Social-Scientific Studies of the New Testament in its Context. (London and New York: Routledge, 1995), 239-258

'Acts of the Apostles', in R J Coggins and J L Houlden, eds., A Dictionary of Biblical Theology. (London and Philadelphia: SCM Press and Trinity Press International, 1990), 2-5

Academic articles in recognised journals

Bible and Theology

'Prototypes, Antitypes and Social identity in First Clement: Outlining a New Intrepretative Model', Annali di sotria dell'esegesi (2007): 125-45.

'Paul's Contestation of Israel's (Ethnic) Memory of Abraham in Galations 3', Biblical Theology Bulletin 2006 Volume 36: 23-34.

'The Incident of the Withered Fig Tree in Mark 11: A New Source and Redactional Explanation', Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2005, 28: 41-67..

'The Sodom Tradition in Romans 1:18-32', Biblical Theology Bulletin Volume 34, 2004, 4-16.

'Paul and Stoicism: Romans 12 as a Test Case', 8,000 words, in New Testament Studies, Volume 50, 2004, 106-24.

'Ancient Oleiculture and Ethnic Differentiation: The Meaning of the Olive-Tree Image in Romans 11', in Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Volume 26, 2003, 103-124.

'Ezra-Nehemiah as a Narrative of (Re-Invented) Israelite Identity', Biblical Interpretation, Volume 11, 2003, 413-26.

'Social Identity, the Virtues and the Good Life: A New Approach to Romans 12:1-15:13', 10,000 words, Biblical Theology Bulletin, Volume 33, 2003, 51-64

'Ludic History in the Book of Judith: The Reinvention of Israelite Identity?' Biblical Interpretation, Volume 10, 2002, 107-43.

'Jesus and the Reduction of Intergroup Conflict: The Parable of the Good Samaritan in the Light of Social Identity Theory', Biblical Interpretation, Volume 8, 2000, 325-57

'Models in New Testament Interpretation: A Reply to David Horrell' in Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Volume 78, 2000, 107-113 (a reply to David G Horrell's article 'Models and Methods in Social Scientific Interpretation: A Response to Philip Esler' in the same issue of this journal)

'Community and Gospel in Early Christianity: A Response to Richard Bauckham's Gospels for All Christians', Scottish Journal of Theology Volume 51, 1998, 235-248

'"House Members of the Faith": Domestic Architecture and Early Christian Identity', Cosmos, Volume 12, 1996, 223-239

'Making and Breaking an Agreement Mediterranean Style: A New Reading of Galatians 2.1-14', Biblical Interpretation, Volume 3, 1995, 285-314

'Mountaineering in Matthew: A Response to K C Hanson', in Mark McVann, ed., Passages, Transformations and Processes: Ritual Appraoches to Biblical Texts, a special issue of Semeia, Volume 67, 1994, 171-177

'The Social Function of 4 Ezra', Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Volume 53, 1994, 99-123

'Political Oppression in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature: A Social-Scientific Approach', Listening: Journal of Religion and Culture , Volume 28, 1993, 181-99

'Glossolalia and the Admission of the Gentiles into the Early Christian Community', Biblical Theology Bulletin, Volume 22, 1992, 136-42

`A Reply to A G Van Aarde, 'The Most High God does Live in Houses, but not Houses Built by Men.¿'. The Relativity of the Metaphor "the Temple" in Luke-Acts', in Neotestamentica, Volume 25, 1991, 51-64, in Neotestamentica, Volume 25, 1991, 173-74

International Relations/Law/Ethics

David W Brannan, Philip F Esler, N T Anders Strindberg, 'Talking to "Terrorists": Towards an Independent Analytical Framework for the Study of Violent Substate Activism', Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 24, 2001, 3-24.

'Anti-Discrimination Law in Australia', The Australian Catholic Record 64 (1987), 263-69.

'Government Regulation and the Short-term Money Market', The Commercial Law Association Bulletin, January 1982

'Resale Price Maintenance', one of the chapters in The Australian Trade Practices Reporter. (Sydney: Commerce Clearing House, 1981)