Dr. James F. McGrath is the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature, and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, at Butler University in Indianapolis. Beginning his career in the field of New Testament working on the portrait of Jesus (“Christology”) of the Gospel of John, his research continued to explore how early Christian views of Jesus relate to Jewish monotheism. His work on the historical figure of Jesus has included groundbreaking work on the influence upon Jesus of various women that he knew (published in various places, in particular his book What Jesus Learned from Women).
Dr. McGrath has become one of the leading experts on the only ancient Gnostic group to survive continuously from ancient times down to the present day: the Mandaeans. The Mandaeans hold John the Baptist in high esteem, and after working on the first ever scholarly edition of the Mandaean Book of John in English, McGrath brought that work back into connection with the New Testament by undertaking a detailed exploration of the life of John the Baptist, one that takes Christian, Mandaean, and Jewish sources into account. The results include his first of its kind biography of John the Baptist, titled Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist. The biography is full of insights not only from relevant textual sources, but from time spent visiting the places connected with John in both history and legend.
Dr. McGrath has also explored the intersection of religion with popular culture. Science fiction and music are areas of particular interest, and McGrath is the author of several science fiction and historical fiction short stories, as well as being someone who studies what others have produced in these genres. He has given talks at places like Theology Beer Camp and Starbase Indy as well as numerous universities and churches.
Dr. McGrath has one of the most robust social media presences of any academic in his field, and he can be found online at his blog as well as on Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Bluesky, and others, where he is known through his handle ReligionProf. He has been interviewed frequently in the media and on podcasts and YouTube channels about his areas of expertise.
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