New Project: Agents of Reform

Part of working in an academic context is displaying a commitment to research. Where I work, Asbury Theological Seminary, there’s a history of emphasizing this responsibility. In fact, over the decades of the institution’s existence, faculty have proven themselves to be leaders in evangelical thought and theological research in general and Wesleyan thought and theology specifically. Practically, this means that I have to start thinking about the next project before the current project is actually finished.

I recently received word that a project I have been developing will be picked up by Baker Academic. In an ever-changing world, Baker has proven to be a consistent leader in evangelical scholarship. Needless to say, I am really excited about this project. It's tentatively titled, Agents of Reform: What Comparing Old Testament Reforms Can Teach Us About God’s Economy and Resilience, and it will center around an inner-biblical comparison between the reforms of Hezekiah/Josiah and Ezra/Nehemiah. Indeed, these are well-trodden trails, particularly in the case of Hezekiah and Josiah (being a Kings scholar, everyone and their grandma seems to have something to say). However, to my knowledge, there has never been a study that compares these reforms. In particular, I am intrigued that in the case of Hezekiah and Josiah, the reforms have a distinctly anti-empire function to them while the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah owe a lot to the Persian empire. That is, what are efforts, in one way or another, to shed the impact of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (Hezekiah/Josiah) give way to efforts that are beholden to the Persian imperial system (Ezra/Nehemiah).

I want to look at the mechanisms of these reforms, their intentions, their effects, and what they tried to accomplish theologically, culturally, and historically. And I want to discover what I can about the historical realities that ended up giving us two different postures toward imperial systems. Why do I want to do this? Well, Philip Jenkins’s Kingdoms of this World is a new book that paints an important picture of the mercurial relationship between empires and religion. In fact, it reminds us that the structures of empires allowed religions to grow and develop. In addition to Jenkins, Mark Leuchter recently published An Empire Far and Wide, which considers the textual endeavors of Ezra vis-à-vis the mythologies of the Achaemenid Dynasty. What I appreciate about Leuchter's work is its open acceptance of and discussion about Ezra’s ties with the Persian system.

In addition to these two recent works, which I believe establish an important foundation for this project, I think that a comparison between these two different reforms will show us some things about God’s economy. How does he work in the context of the world? How do his efforts change over time? Perhaps most interesting, how does he manipulate and/or undermine political systems to realize his economy?

So, "Here, Here," to a foreseeable future that continues research into ancient Israel's history!