Five Candler faculty have contributed to the development of Bible Odyssey, a new educational website designed to make the Bible more accessible to the general public.

Charles Howard Candler Professor of Old Testament Carol A. Newsom, Professor of Old Testament Brent A. Strawn, Candler Associate Professor of Old Testament Joel M. LeMon, and Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible Jacob L. Wright  wrote articles for the site, and R.W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins Luke Timothy Johnson served as a consultant on the project. Strawn and Wright also served on the editorial board.

Sponsored by the Society of Biblical Literature and funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, this new resource seeks to offer clear and comprehensive biblical scholarship from world-renowned theologians. 

According to the Bible Odyssey site, studies show that though the Bible holds an iconic status in global culture, many people are unfamiliar with its key themes or stories. Even those familiar with the Bible through religious Bible study are unfamiliar with academic approaches to the text. The Bible Odyssey site takes these things into consideration, addressing not only the literacy gap but also the gap between the academy and the “street.”

Articles contributed by Candler’s four participating faculty:

Joel LeMon:

“Beheading in the Ancient World”

Carol Newsom:

“Ancient Near Eastern Context of Proverbs”

“Job”

“Woman Wisdom and Woman Folly in Proverbs 9”

Brent Strawn:

“The Lord is My Shepherd: Psalm 23”

“The Ten Commandments”

“Was There a Lions’ Den?”

Jacob Wright:

“How Was the Bible Formed?” (Co-written with Justin Walker 12T, 13T)

“In What Ways Is the Bible a Religious Text?”

For more information about the Bible Odyssey project, visit http://www.bibleodyssey.com.