martens1000

John W. Martens

John W. Martens is an associate professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn,where he teaches early Christianity and Judaism. He also directs the Master of Arts in Theology program at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. He was born in Vancouver, B.C. into a Mennonite family that had decided to confront modernity in an urban setting. His post-secondary education began at Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kansas, came to an abrupt stop, then started again at Vancouver Community College, where his interest in Judaism and Christianity in the earliest centuries emerged. He then studied at St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, and McMaster University, with stops at University of Haifa and University of Tubingen. His writing often explores the intersection of Jewish, Christian and Greco-Roman culture and belief, such as in "let the little children come to me: Children and Childhood in Early Christianity" (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2009), but he is not beyond jumping into the intersection of modernity and ancient religion, as in "The End of the World: The Apocalyptic Imagination in Film and Television" (Winnipeg: J. Gordon Shillingford Press, 2003). He blogs at  www.biblejunkies.com and at www.americamagazine.org for "The Good Word." You can follow him on Twitter @biblejunkies, where he would be excited to welcome you to his random and obscure interests, which range from the Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Timberwolves, to his dog, and 70s punk, pop and rock. When he can, he brings students to Greece, Turkey and Rome to explore the artifacts and landscape of the ancient world. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and has two sons. He is certain that the world will not end until the Vancouver Canucks have won the Stanley Cup, as evidence has emerged from the Revelation of John, 1 Enoch, 2 Baruch, and 4 Ezra which all point in this direction.
Posted inThe Word

What Time It Is

martens1000 by John W. Martens

Still reeling from the trauma of the crucifixion and then the shattering of all earthly expectations by Jesus rsquo resurrection from the dead the apostles trying to make sense of the common Jewish beliefs regarding the Messiah and the apocalyptic establishment of God rsquo s kingdom pose a simp

Posted inThe Word

Same as It Ever Was?

martens1000 by John W. Martens

In the Talking Heads song ldquo Once in a Lifetime rdquo the refrain repeats over and over ldquo Same as it ever was same as it ever was rdquo Whether the refrain is meant to reflect the constancy of sameness or the inevitability of change is an open question There is in life a tension b

Posted inThe Word

Disciples I Fear

martens1000 by John W. Martens

We might not say it outright although unfortunately many of us do but we are often not convinced that so-and-so is a true Christian We might know the person well by public reputation or just by name or we might not know the name of the person at all who bothers us or worse with their words an

Posted inThe Word

The Shepherd’s Love

martens1000 by John W. Martens

In 4 Ezra 5 18 a Jewish apocalyptic text of the first century A D Ezra is asked by ldquo Phaltiel a chief of the people rdquo whether he knows ldquo that Israel has been entrusted to you in the land of their exile Rise therefore and eat some bread and do not forsake us like a shepherd who

Posted inThe Word

Our Witnesses

martens1000 by John W. Martens

To what do the apostles and the other disciples witness when they are called to be witnesses to Jesus Christ On the one hand they bear witness to his death ldquo but you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you and you killed the Author of life rdquo Yet

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