Joan Taylor
banner
joantaylor.bsky.social
Joan Taylor
@joantaylor.bsky.social

Historian; works in archaeology, film, art, material culture; writes on 2T Judaism, early Christianity & beyond; novelist; poem-maker; illustrator; wife; mum; immigrant; Anglo-Danish Kiwi. Relaxes by walking, chatting, gardening, pottering, seeing films. .. more

Joan E. Taylor is a New Zealand writer and historian of Jesus, the Bible, early Christianity, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Second Temple Judaism, with special expertise in archaeology, and women's and gender studies. Taylor is Professor Emerita of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King's College, London and Honorary Professor at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, Australia. She identifies as a Quaker. .. more

History 52%
Philosophy 18%

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

An academic job in Exegesis of Biblical and Extra-Biblical Texts at University of Louvain
An academic in Exegesis of Biblical and Extra-Biblical Texts
An academic in Exegesis of Biblical and Extra-Biblical Texts
jobs.uclouvain.be
We are now accepting applications for the 2026-2027 Shohet Scholars Grant for research on the Ancient Mediterranean! Awards range from $2,000-$30,000.

Deadline is Feburary 1, 2026.

More information: www.catacombsociety.org/shohet-schol...

My book Boy Jesus is now out in Italy, so do tell your Italian friends! Published by Sonda. Gesu Bambino.

sonda.it/prodotto/la-...
La vera storia di Gesù Bambino - Edizioni Sonda
Crescere in Giudea in tempi turbolenti
sonda.it

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

On Sunday, I debated with Bart Ehrman, "Did John Know the Other Gospels?" It ended up being a bit more spicy than the "fireside chat" we had anticipated. The first half of the debate is now on Youtube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=REXn...
Did John Copy the Other Gospels? | Bart Ehrman vs. Mark Goodacre, Face to Face on the Bible
YouTube video by Bart D. Ehrman
www.youtube.com
Announcing the launch of the open-access Journal of Christian Apocryphal Literature (JCAL). Sign up if you are interested in being a contributor or reviewer! journals.aperio.press/jcal/submiss...

Very important article by @mmonier.bsky.social on Codex Alexandrinus, with mention too of scribe Thecla.

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

Undoubtedly will stir up much controversy, and that can only be good for our field, but my my!

What a great idea for a book. Wow.
We have a cover!!! The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Monsters is in production. We tried to put together articles that would foster a dialogue between traditional scholarship and more contemporary monster/horror. Now it's waiting, and preparing for the fun that will be proofing and indexing.

Thanks Katie!

No it really wasn't a tomb for a Herodian princess. Evidence? None. What a lot of twaddle for the sake of the Israel tourism industry.

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

Very good to talk with the great team at The Two Cities podcast about Boy Jesus. Btw he wasn't born into an easy time. Demonstrations, massive clampdowns, imperialism and violence ... threats to his own family.
www.thetwocities.com
www.thetwocities.com

So glad this is happening for the immensely talented @mmonier.bsky.social
So, here's the webpage of our project on Gospel harmonies. I will be working with a wonderful advisory board, including my wonderful Doktormutter @joantaylor.bsky.social, and @mcrawford.bsky.social .
mf.no/en/ungos
Unconventional Gospels | MF
A Computer–Assisted Analysis of Complex Harmonic Traditions in Newly Discovered Manuscripts
mf.no

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

So, here's the webpage of our project on Gospel harmonies. I will be working with a wonderful advisory board, including my wonderful Doktormutter @joantaylor.bsky.social, and @mcrawford.bsky.social .
mf.no/en/ungos
Unconventional Gospels | MF
A Computer–Assisted Analysis of Complex Harmonic Traditions in Newly Discovered Manuscripts
mf.no

Very interesting new study dating the Dead Sea Scrolls.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Many of Dead Sea scrolls may be older than thought, experts say
Researchers enlisted help of AI along with radiocarbon dating to produce new insights into ancient texts
www.theguardian.com

Interesting discussion.

Talking here with Megan Lewis about Boy Jesus on the Bart Ehrman podcast.
youtu.be/XUskxQZZyZI?...
Boy Jesus: Growing Up Judean in Turbulent Times Featuring Joan Taylor
YouTube video by Bart D. Ehrman
youtu.be

A Joan and Helen double act again, this time reflecting on #JohntheBaptist
John the Baptist
The Ancients · Episode
open.spotify.com

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

Ever wonder why we dye eggs red for Pascha? The red symbolizes Christ’s blood shed for us. There are a few traditions about the pascha eggs involving Mary Magdalene. The one I grew up with was that Mary Magdalene put a basket of eggs at the foot of the cross and Christ’s blood flowed onto the eggs.

Love this curious painting. Great commentary too.
There is a dreamlike quality to Holman Hunt’s depiction of the flight to Egypt, particularly in the presence of the holy innocents joining the travellers on their #journey.

Our eleventh commentary for #Lent is called 'Revelation by Dream'.

thevcs.org/campaign/rev...

#CofEPeeps #narthex

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

There is a dreamlike quality to Holman Hunt’s depiction of the flight to Egypt, particularly in the presence of the holy innocents joining the travellers on their #journey.

Our eleventh commentary for #Lent is called 'Revelation by Dream'.

thevcs.org/campaign/rev...

#CofEPeeps #narthex

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

Hooray! You can read my new Journal of Early Christian Studies article arguing that we might have a new possible fragment of the Gospel of Mary ;) muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

A reminder to all academics researching John the Baptist that there is now a Society of Biblical Literature program unit focused on him. Please submit your paper proposals!
SBL Meetings and Events
Program Units Academic Teaching and Biblical Studies John Hilton Description: Pedagogy and the classroom each provides a hermeneutical and heuristic frame of reference for the reading and…
www.sbl-site.org

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

➡️ Available now: 'Reimaging the Magdalene' by
@siobhanjolley.bsky.social

This book offers a new, intersectional feminist approach to utilising and interpreting the visual reception of Mary Magdalene.

Find out more ➡️ www.bloomsbury.com/9780567714268