Hidden Transcripts And The Arts Of Resistance: Applying The Work Of James C. Scott To Jesus And Paul (Society of Biblical Literature Semeia Studies)

The essays in this volume develop the highly suggestive insights and theory of James C. Scott—especially those related to patterns of domination and subordination, the role of religion in supporting or opposing the powerful, and the “arts of resistance” by the subordinated—to tackle key issues in the interpretation of Jesus and Paul. All the contributors implicitly or explicitly assume a stance sympathetic with subordinated peoples of the past and present. While all pursue primarily critical literary, historical, and social analysis on New Testament texts in historical contexts, some also examine illuminating historical or contemporary comparative materials. In addition, some even find Scott useful in critical self-examination of our own scholarly motives, stances, and approaches in relation to texts and their uses.

Richard A. Horsley is Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion at University of Massachusetts Boston. His work includes Jesus and Empire: The Kingdom of God and the New World Disorder; The Message and the Kingdom: How Jesus and Paul Ignited a Revolution and Transformed the Ancient World; and Jesus and the Spiral of Violence: Popular Jewish Resistance in Roman Palestine.