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Pheme Perkins
Hellenistic philosophy, Pauline epistles, Johannine writings, Resurrection and early Christian eschatology. Nag Hammadi corpus, Gnosticism. These are only a few of the many interests of feminist biblical theologian Pheme Perkins as listed on the faculty web pages of Boston College. Perkins specializes in criticism and analysis of the New Testament and currently teaches a range of courses at this Jesuit University. Having received her education from schools like St. John's College and Harvard University, Perkins has been exposed to the best of American universities, and her prolific writings have been influenced by her experience as a Roman Catholic. Although born in Louisville, KY, Perkins has spent most of her life in the Boston area and has taught at Boston College since 1972. From the topics listed above, one can assume that Perkins has a wide range of interests in biblical scholarship and continues to produce intriguing works about the world of Jesus and the early movements in Christianity.Kiley Moore Currently as a faculty member at Boston College, she is involved in many research projects including work on Gnostic traditions and Gnostic authors. Particularly, her work concentrates on Sethian Gnostic traditions, the use of scripture, and other authoritative sources of Gnostic authors. She looks for the influence of Gnosticism on the emergence of the Johannine community and the Gospel of John. In addition to her special interests in the Gnostic movement, Perkins is also researching the Pauline epistles and how they shaped the transformation of Jewish eschatological traditions of resurrection, eternal life, and visionary ascent. Furthermore, at the present time she is working on another new book about an introductory reading of the synoptic gospels. While Pheme Perkins remains a active and engaged biblical theologian who continues to write books and articles today, she has always been very involved in several different biblical and Catholic organizations. One profile listed her as a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, the Studiorum Novi Testament! Societas, and the Association of Theological Schools. In each of these prestigious societies or associations she has been an active member on the executive board. She was editor of the New Testament dissertation series for the Society of Biblical Literature, a group dedicated to fostering biblical scholarship. She served as past president for the Catholic Biblical Association whose purpose is also to promote scholarly study of Scripture and related fields. Her work in these organizations led to her involvement in many others especially scholarly journals such as Catholic Biblical Quarterly and the Journal of Biblical Literature. She not only submitted article, but also served as a member of the editorial boards. Perkins' extensive contribution to so many of these societies and groups gives certain merit to her theological writings. Because she has been able to work with other scholars to this extent, her writings have received favorable reviews. Other theologians claim that she challenges contemporary scholarship and research on the topics she engages in, but Perkins' writings are lively and appealing. In all of her writings, Perkins disputes conventional or traditional readings and interpretations of women in the bible, much like other feminist biblical scholars. She offers new interpretations of their roles in the Gospels and how writers, especially Paul and John, respond to and use women. Also, because she is a college professor, her books and articles tend to be accessible to most readers, especially readers just beginning to study the bible. She approaches the scriptures with a specific lens so as to offer new and profound meanings for the role or women in the biblical writings and how these roles apply to women of today. Pheme Perkins, Jesus As Teacher, Chapter Two Abstract by Brad Bergan In chapter two of Pheme Perkins' Jesus As Teacher, she describes Jesus as a teacher who possess charisma, namely because the sociological word "charismatic," is used "to describe persons who become leaders outside the normal patterns by which societies grant some people authority to control the actions or beliefs of others" (23). Perkins goes on to explain that there are two things being said when Jesus is referred to as a "charismatic" leader. "First, that he does not have the normal status, authority, or power systems to back up what he says, and second, that he is able to convey his message to groups of people through his personal appeal"(24). The Bible is filled with characters which seem to fit the criteria to be called "charismatic" leaders or teachers. In Perkins' definition of charisma, she explains that charisma does not submit to the definition of traits a person possesses, and the impact of those traits on others. Rather, she argues that, charisma means to take up a cause granted by God and for the person taking up the cause to attempt to execute to mission granted by God (24). Overall, the purpose of this chapter in Jesus As Teacher is to convey to the readers the circumstances that surrounded the mission, or "charisma" of Jesus' teachings. It has been said by some that Jesus' mission on Earth came to surface and expanded as the Old and New Testaments overlapped when Jesus met and was baptized by John the Baptist. Perkins supports this statement by stating from Mark's gospel that, "Jesus' baptism leads to a vision in which he sees the open heavens and the Spirit, and hears God's voice addressed to him" (25). This revelation where Jesus' charisma has surfaced is a signal to the world that Jesus is "the 'son' or servant of the Lord" (25). The reader of the Bible here is readied for the gospels and ministries of Jesus by the encounter with John the Baptist. Jesus is even compared to the prophet of John the Baptist by Perkins when she says that "Like the Baptist, Jesus went about preaching to the crowds" (26). The author, however, also notices the differences between the two when she refers to the fact that Jesus did not perform water baptisms as abundantly as John the Baptist. The ritual of baptism became less dominant during the ministry of Jesus, but "the earliest Christians, however, returned to the practice of baptism to express the new relationship between the believer and Jesus" (26). The relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist is given so much time in Perkins book because she recognizes and needs to convey how John the Baptist could be described as ringing in the new era of worship to God by baptizing Jesus and lighting the spark and light of Christianity that Jesus would soon deliver. Charisma can guide people to lead different lives; in the teachings of Jesus, his aim was to aid people in leading more holy lives that would bring them along with the rest of humanity to the grace of God. Most people awe struck by Jesus' charismatic teachings would apply the learned characteristics to their ordinary lives, without causing much change in living style. However, there was a select group of Jesus' disciples that were changed completely by Jesus' teachings. This group of disciples has come to be known as the "Twelve Apostles." The first of these twelve addressed by Jesus are referred to by Perkins, "Jesus summons Peter, James, and John, to leave their lives as fishermen and follow him" (27). In addition to recognizing the twelve apostles, the author also says that "several women who had been healed by Jesus were also part of the mission" (27). While this is very well true, Perkins' statement here fails to acknowledge any men being healed that joined in following Jesus in his mission. This is probably due to the fact that Perkins, in her theology, wants to get across to her readers the important role women played in the early days of Christianity. Perkins brings to our attention that the followers of Jesus were "uprooted" from their daily lives to follow him. She alludes to the fact that today it is perfectly common for individuals and families to completely change lifestyles and residences, but in the day of Jesus, it was highly uncommon for anyone to change occupations and to go against the traditions of their family's trade. Perkins states, "The traditional villager would have been quite shocked to have Jesus and his followers break with the ancestral ways of life" (28). The enemies of Jesus even went as far as to call him "possessed by Satan" (28). In the time of Jesus, a person's identity was determined by where they were from and what the family did; because it was thought that those who leave their roots loose their identity and self. For this reason, Jesus' teachings must have been extraordinarily "charismatic" to have the result of great numbers of followers leaving everything behind to follow Christ. The lesson plan of Jesus was meant and still is meant for all who walk the earth. There is no limited audience; the message of God is open to everybody, no matter race, ethnicity, or wealth. Perkins states, "The 'prophetic' character of... Jesus is shown in the fact that they are not primarily teachers of specialized disciples" (30). The author calls Jesus and John the Baptist "Wisdom's children." Not all who were addressed by Jesus were renewed, that is why the gospels differentiate between the two groups, the "crowd-disciples" contrast (32). This, to some, created a different level of teaching between the two groups. Perkins also provides the role of women some room in her chapter, though she never states them as a completely separate group. It is her intention to prove a women's important role in the ministry of Jesus, however. The author singles out Martha and Mary; she says "the picture of Mary at Jesus' feet makes it clear that she is receiving instruction just as male disciples would have done. Martha's preoccupation with preparing Jesus' meal has kept her from the role of student" (34). Jesus criticizes Martha's actions and says, "Mary has chosen the good part...he breaks with society's expectation that women should behave as Martha does and busy themselves with honoring Jesus with a special meal" (34). Children are also addressed by Perkins. Perkins addresses the role of women again along with children by saying "If the children were pushed aside, then the women looking after them would have to return to their homes. By accepting the children, Jesus enables their mothers to hear his world and become believers" (35). It is easy to see, that children too, were allowed to also hear the word of Jesus. The teachings of Jesus have transformed the entire world. Christianity is now the dominant religion in today's world. And, it is easy to conclude that no one will ever be able to match the charisma of Jesus the teacher. His style of teaching awe-struck many who listened, and those who followed have taught the same message to those of their generations. The reason for today's domination of Christianity in the world is thanks to Jesus, Charismatic teacher and prophet. A Pheme Perkins Bibliography
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