Jamey Walters
LightNews LightNews
banner
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Jamey Walters
@jedwardwalters.bsky.social
2.5K followers 1.3K following 830 posts
Teaching history, geography, and interdisciplinary studies. Former manuscript cataloger. Research: Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Syriac manuscripts, Syriac Literature. He/him.
Posts Replies Media Videos
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
It’s really too bad that I have so many things I need to do today, because all I want to do is sit and read this new book by @maiakotro.bsky.social
Picture of the cover of “After Transformation: A Lyrical History of Late Antiquity” by Maia Kotrosits
November 8, 2025 at 3:25 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Hanging out at the Lilly Network Conference for a couple of days. Great time of the year to be in Connecticut.
Picture of the program for the Lilly network 2025 national conference
October 31, 2025 at 7:18 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Spotted some friends among the early changing colors on my walk to work.
A buck stands in a small clearing of tall brownish grass with trees in the background. Two small deer stand by a clump of trees with tall grass around them.
October 3, 2025 at 1:24 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
My hard copies arrived over the weekend 😍
Image of a red book with gold lettering on a wooden desk. The book is a new translation of 3-4 Maccabees and the Apocalypse of Baruch. Image of the first two pages from the text of the Apocalypse of Baruch, with Syriac text on the right and English translation on the left.
September 29, 2025 at 5:52 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Gross. No thank you.
Advertisement for Pearson Education Global EdTech Summit about "AI" in education.
September 26, 2025 at 8:04 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Sharing this on behalf of George Kiraz: There will be an introductory Syriac course at Cambridge in the winter term (January 2026). Please share with anyone who might be interested!
Poster advertisement for a course at Cambridge called "Explore Syriac."
September 25, 2025 at 2:22 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Really excited about this haul of books I got for contributing to a volume. @simchagross.bsky.social @letteney.bsky.social @markdelcogliano.bsky.social @emuehlbe.bsky.social @argphd.bsky.social
September 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
The students in my World History class may not know it yet, but their lives are about to change. There's even an altar call at the end about how there were no "dark ages" in western Europe.
Picture of title slide for a lecture called "What is Late Antiquity", with white background and black text at the top and purple at the bottom.
September 25, 2025 at 1:32 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Uuuhhh, I once again have some questions for the authors of my World History textbook, this time of the very easily fact-checked variety 😬
Image from a digital textbook with the heading "Asceticism" and the following text: "Byzantine monasticism grew out of the efforts of devout individuals to lead especially holy lives. Drawing inspiration from early Christian ascetics in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia, these individuals observed regimes of extreme asceticism and self-denial. During the fifth century, for example, a few men and at least two women demonstrated their ascetic commitments by perching for years at a time atop tall pillars. Because of the extreme dedication of ascetics, disciples often gathered around them and established communities of men and women determined to follow their example. These communities became the earliest monasteries of the Byzantine church. They had few rules until St. Basil of Caesarea (329–379 c.e.), the patriarch of Constantinople during the mid-fourth century, urged them to give up their personal possessions and live communally, to observe the rule of elected superiors, and to devote themselves to work and prayer. After the fourth century, Basilian monasticism spread rapidly throughout the Byzantine empire." Note for context: Basil of Caesarea was never the patriarch of Constantinople.
September 20, 2025 at 3:46 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
I happen to know of a recent publication that might help someone stop using the word “Nestorians” and properly contextualize non-chalcedonian positions. 🤣
September 13, 2025 at 3:55 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
I mostly like the textbook I'm using this semester for World History, but...this little paragraph leaves a lot to be desired.
Screenshot from digital textbook. Text reads as follows: "After the fifth century c.e. Christian communities in southwest Asia and the Mediterranean basin increasingly went separate ways. Most of the faithful in southwest Asia became Nestorians—followers of the Greek theologian Nestorius, who lived during the early fifth century and emphasized the human as opposed to the divine nature of Jesus. Mediterranean church authorities rejected Nestorius’s views, and many of his disciples departed for Mesopotamia and Iran. Although they had limited dealings with Mediterranean Christians, the Nestorians spread their faith east across the Silk Roads, and by the early seventh century they had established communities in central Asia, South Asia, and China."
September 13, 2025 at 3:52 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
I had an occasion to pull this volume out yesterday to consult something, and I was reminded of how truly great it is to finally have a facing-page text and translation of the Syriac New Testament. @gorgiaspress.bsky.social
Image of a leather bound volume with gold lettering titled Syriac-English New Testament, edited by George A. Kiraz.
September 10, 2025 at 1:38 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Finally got my contributor copy of this great new resource!
Image of a book laying on a brown table. The book is titled “The Cambridge Companion to Christian Heresy”. Image of the first page of my chapter in the book on The Nestorian Controversy.
September 9, 2025 at 8:17 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
I highly recommend having a walk through the woods as your commute to work.
A narrow walking trail through tall grass with even taller yellow flowers and various trees.
September 9, 2025 at 1:18 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Incredible restaurant naming here (in a town near Sleeping Bear Dunes).
Sign over a restaurant called “Slurping Bear Asian Bistro” Picture of a ramen dish
August 31, 2025 at 5:35 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Hello there, Sleeping Bear.
Picture looking down a beach with water on the left, sand on the right, and sleeping bear dunes in the distance.
August 30, 2025 at 6:44 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
The broken metaphor at the end of this observation that "traditional" fields like the humanities, and especially history, are hesitant to advocate for a 3-year bachelor's degree (instead of four years) is, truly, ::chef's kiss::

[Link to full story in thread below.]
Screen capture from online article. The text says: That doesn’t necessarily mean those are the only types of programs that suit the three-year model, Zemsky argued. But faculty in “traditional” majors, like the humanities, are especially resistant to taking on the challenge of offering a shortened degree, he said. “The bad news is, I think in the traditional disciplines, there isn’t as much movement,” he said. “I wish some history department would take it on. We don’t have a history department yet that’s said, ‘We’re going to do a history degree in three years,’ and in some ways, it makes our life harder because it looks like we aren’t interested in traditional higher education, and we are. But we can’t lead people to water.”
July 31, 2025 at 8:01 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Although somewhat depressing at the institutional level, I’m happy to have been the recipient of this mostly complete Loeb collection when our university library decided to deaccession them.
July 28, 2025 at 7:06 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
43 years old = 43 miles on the bike. I like this birthday tradition.
July 16, 2025 at 5:08 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Now that the contract is signed, I'm very pleased to announce that this book--A Guide to Preaching and the Homiletic Genre in Late Antique Syriac Literature, co-edited by myself and @philipforness.bsky.social, will finally be making its way to publication, either at the end of 2025 or early 2026.
Screen capture image of a publishing agreement for a book with Brill publishers.
July 3, 2025 at 2:17 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Ah yes, Neptunes and Mermaids: the two genders. (Seem at the aquarium in Newport, KY.)
Image of two restroom doors, one said neptunes and the other says mermaids.
June 28, 2025 at 8:16 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
View of downtown Cincinnati from across the river in Newport, KY.
Three people looking out over a river and a bridge with skyscrapers in the background.
June 28, 2025 at 2:59 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
In Cincy for the weekend, so we figured we may as well catch a baseball game.
June 27, 2025 at 11:50 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
Doing some textbook research for courses in my department. How absurd is it to have a photo of a protest sign that says "Cancel Student Debt" on the cover of a book whose list price is $217?
Amazon listing for a Public Policy textbook.
June 20, 2025 at 7:06 PM
jedwardwalters.bsky.social
More classical reception in beer naming.
Picture of a beer can names Burn the Ships. Description on the same beer can of the story of Alexander the Great telling his army to burn their ships when they landed for the Persian invasion.
June 17, 2025 at 1:50 AM