Background
Malina, Bruce John was born on October 9, 1933 in Brooklyn. Son of Joseph Francis and Mary Magdalene (Wesolowski) Malina.
(As one of the pioneers of applying social criticism to th...)
As one of the pioneers of applying social criticism to the biblical text, author Bruce Malina has helped revolutionize the way we think about the text and our models for interpretation. Now in a compelling new study--and one that will surely be his most controversial--Malina offers a completely new lens for viewing the book of Revelation. Malina contends that John the Seer's milieu was one of intense interest and fascination with the sky, especially with those "beings" in the sky--constellations, planets, comets, sun, moon, and zodiac--that controlled the destiny of the Earth and its inhabitants. He asserts that John has his own interpretation of the sky that follows not the Greco-Roman astrological myths but the Jewish and Christian story of God's salvation in Messiah. John thus stands as an "astral prophet" who interprets the sky in accordance with what has taken place in Christ. This vibrant reading of Revelation is buttressed by innumerable ancient literary and archeological sources that demonstrate that John's world was indeed one enamored with the sky and its significance for planet Earth. According to Revelation 4:1, John the Seer looks in the sky and observes an "open door." Then the "first voice" invites John "up" to the heavens to witness what must take place. "In the spirit," John describes what he sees in the sky. Is John really looking at the sky? If he is, then what he sees are the fixtures of heaven: sun, moon, planets, stars, comets, and the like. Is it possible that John, in an effort to reach the people of his day, who were plainly enamored with the sky and its happenings, speaks to his contemporaries about the victory of God's Messiah as attested in the sky? Is John the Seer's language of special numbers, brilliant colors, heavenly thrones, elders, angels, sun, moon, and stars more in keeping with descriptions of the sky than with apocalyptic visions? Bruce Malina thinks so, and he builds an unusually impressive case that will surely stir the interpretive waters surrounding John's Apocalypse. On the Genre and Message of Revelation does what Bruce Malina has done so well for decades: he challenges Western readers to think like ancient Mediterraneans, to slough off biased, scientific presuppositions, and to explore the world of Jesus and his followers with a new map, one that leads to a richer understanding of the New Testament witness of Revelation.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080104698X/?tag=2022091-20
(This work assembles and catalogs the values, conflicts, a...)
This work assembles and catalogs the values, conflicts, and mores of ancient Mediterranean culture pertinent to the Fourth Gospel. In many ways, the authors disclose, the Fourth Gospel addresses an alienated antisociety, fundamentally at odds with its predominant culture. With its unique format, charts, and photos, this social-science commentary is the ideal companion for the study of the Fourth Gospel.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0800629922/?tag=2022091-20
( A classroom standard for two decades, The New Testament...)
A classroom standard for two decades, The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology has introduced students to both the New Testament and the social-scientific study of the New Testament. This revised and expanded third edition offers new chapters on envy and the Jesus movement, updates chapters from earlier editions, augments the bibliography, and offers student study questions.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0664222951/?tag=2022091-20
(The authors build on their earlier social-scientific work...)
The authors build on their earlier social-scientific works and enhance the highly successful commentary model they developed in their social-scientific commentaries. This volume is a thoroughly revised edition of this popular commentary. They include an introduction that lays the foundation for their interpretation, followed by an examination of each unit in the Synoptics, employing methodologies of cultural anthropology, macro-sociology, and social psychology.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0800634918/?tag=2022091-20
Malina, Bruce John was born on October 9, 1933 in Brooklyn. Son of Joseph Francis and Mary Magdalene (Wesolowski) Malina.
Bachelor, St. Francis College, Burlington, Wisconsin, 1956. Licentiate in Sacred Scripture, Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, 1966. STD, St. Anthony University, Jerusalem, 1968.
STD (honorary), St. Andrews (Scotland) University, 1995.
Among Bruce Malina"s studies are gender roles in the New Testament world. Malina has recently come under fire for his controversial views on the Israel/Palestine conflict and how this has influenced his scholarship. On the one hand, it is claimed that he takes a firm stance against the modern state of Israel, going as far as to deny the Semitic ancestry of modern Israelis.
On the other hand, critics say that Malina often ends up buying into Zionist discourses on the meaning of the term ‘Jew’ or ‘Judean’ (hoi ioudaioi), arguing that it refers to "the land".
( A classroom standard for two decades, The New Testament...)
(As one of the pioneers of applying social criticism to th...)
(The authors build on their earlier social-scientific work...)
(This work assembles and catalogs the values, conflicts, a...)
Fellow International Context Group. Member Society Biblical Literature, Catholic Biblical Association.
Married Diane Loraine Jacobs, August 1, 1972. Children: Musa Al Hindi, Said Al Hindi.