I’m delighted to share a new article published in Judaica, in the thematic special issue Nature, Miracles, and Paradoxography in Biblical Reception of the First Centuries CE (2026). My contribution, “The ‘Miracle-Mongers’: The Gospels at the Edges of Empire,” reconsiders how we read the canonical gospels by placing them alongside a genre that ancient readers would have found immediately familiar: paradoxography, or literature of wonders.

Ancient paradoxographical writing collected accounts of extraordinary phenomena—marvelous births, strange landscapes, unusual bodies, and astonishing healings. These texts functioned as ethnography, entertainment, and intellectual provocation, especially when describing places and peoples at the perceived "edges" of the Roman world.

In this article, I argue that the gospel writers are participating in precisely this literary project. Their accounts of Jesus’ miraculous conception and birth, his healings, and their depictions of Judea as a conceptually “foreign” space within the imperial imagination align the gospels with broader Greco-Roman practices of writing wonders. Rather than standing apart from elite literary culture, the gospels engage it—strategically and creatively.

A central case study is the Gospel of Mark. I suggest that Mark presents Jesus as a literary thauma—a “wonder” crafted to intrigue and unsettle readers. From this perspective, familiar theological categories such as the so-called "Messianic Secret" look less like purely doctrinal puzzles and more like recognizable literary topoi: techniques designed to instruct, entice, and withhold in ways that would resonate with Roman audiences accustomed to paradoxographical and epic traditions.

Reading the gospels in conversation with paradoxography does not diminish their theological significance--instead, it sharpens our understanding of how theological meaning is produced through literary form, genre, and imperial context. The gospels emerge not as naïve miracle collections, but as sophisticated works situated at the edges of empire—negotiating wonder, authority, and cultural difference through shared ancient conventions.

https://judaica.ch/article/view/12668

The “Miracle-Mongers”: the Gospels at the Edges of Empire | Judaica. Neue digitale Folge

JudaicaRobyn Walsh

This past weekend I was in Chicago for a conference titled The Emergence of the Gospels, which brought together scholars working on early Christian literature, ancient Mediterranean contexts, and the historical and literary questions surrounding gospel "origins."

The conference featured a wide range of papers and conversations on topics including authorship, genre, reception, and the relationship between early Christian texts and broader Greco‑Roman literary culture. It was a stimulating few days of discussion, and a pleasure to be part of such a thoughtful and interdisciplinary gathering.

For those who weren’t able to attend in person, registration is still open, and registrants can receive access to video recordings of the conference presentations. More information about the program and registration is available here:

Emergence of the Gospels

On GOSPELS SCHOLARSHIP

I’m grateful to the organizers and participants for a rich set of conversations, and I look forward to seeing how this work continues to develop!

I really enjoyed this conversation with C. J. Cornthwaite, now available on YouTube.

We talked about early Christianity in its ancient Mediterranean contexts, how historians approach figures like Jesus and Paul, and why paying attention to literary and historical framing matters for understanding these texts responsibly. I’m especially grateful to C. J. for such a thoughtful, wide‑ranging exchange and for creating space for nuance rather than easy answers.

Always a pleasure!

You can watch the interview here:

I recently joined The Uncertainty Podcast for a wide‑ranging conversation on how early Christians understood resurrection and what historians can responsibly say about the origins of Christianity. Check it out here on YouTube or as a podcast here.

Adam Gopnik's recent essay in The New Yorker reflects on current debates about Paul, early Christianity, and their place within the wider Greco‑Roman world. I am extremely flattered and grateful that my work is discussed alongside that of several scholars whose research has shaped this ongoing conversation.

The piece also engages a recent book edited by Alexander Chantziantoniou, Paula Fredriksen, and Stephen L. Young, and offers a thoughtful overview of how questions of history, interpretation, and context continue to animate the study of Paul.

You can read the essay here:

St. Paul Remade Human History. How Did He Do It?

New scholarship reconsiders the apostle who turned a Jewish sect into a world religion—and whose legacy remains contested two millennia later.

The New YorkerAdam Gopnik

I recently joined The Uncertainty Podcast for a wide‑ranging conversation on how early Christians understood resurrection and what historians can responsibly say about the origins of Christianity. Check it out here on YouTube or as a podcast here.

In the episode, we talk about how people in antiquity would have understood concepts like “resurrection,” what Paul meant when he spoke of being raised with a “spiritual body,” and how these ideas relate to broader Greco‑Roman views of the body, death, and the afterlife. We also discuss the perennial question of whether Jesus or Paul can be understood as the “founder” of Christianity, and what the historical record allows us to say about the period before and after Jesus’ death.

I’m really grateful for the opportunity to revisit these questions in a format that allows for careful nuance and open inquiry, and for a conversation that treats uncertainty as an honest feature of “doing history” well!

I’m delighted to share that I’ll be giving a guest lecture at the University of Innsbruck this spring.

Event details, including date, time, and location, can be found here:

Gastvortrag – Robyn Faith Walsh

Montag, 31. Januar 202418:00 Uhr

Universität Innsbruck

I joined the Bible and Archaeology podcast to talk about “The Real Paul”—who he was (and wasn’t), early Christian texts, and whether or not Paul actually baptized a talking lion. 🤓 Check it out!

🎥 YouTube: https://youtu.be/sJqX-7NxVMg?si=BgAjRaka8Gm1cVQ3

🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-paul-robyn-faith-walsh-challenges-everything/id1753393688?i=1000749221363

I had a blast talking to Dr. Jordan Jones at uiowa.edu/bam!

I just had a piece published in Zeitschrift für Neues Testament (ZNT) with the help of Jan Heilmann: "Jenseits der Gemeinde. Eine Neubewertung der Entstehungskontexte der Evangelien." It is a translation of pieces from my Origins book.

I'm a part of an upcoming conference this Spring at Loyola University Chicago. If you're in the area, there is a fantastic lineup of scholars!

Emergence of the Gospels - Schedule

The conference will take place April 10-11, 2026.The following schedule may change.

Schedule

I've been traveling and teaching a lot and a little dormant when it comes to interviews. But I manged to fit this one in with Jordan Jones on why Jesus holds a magic wand in some early Christian art! Check it out!

In the last few months I've had two articles published on Roman portraiture and early Christian art. Please find the abstracts and links to the articles below. If you have any trouble with access, please feel free to reach out!

Cobbled Fictions

Abstract This article interrogates the aesthetic and ideological frameworks that inform scholarly judgments of authenticity in classical art and material culture. Through three case studies – the so-called Barberini Togatus, the statue of Marcia Furnilla, and the Fonseca Bust – it explores how objec…

BrillRobyn Faith Walsh

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/735346

To my great surprise, Adam Gopnik discussed The Origins of Early Christian Literature– as well as the recent interest in the study of the New Testament and early Christian literature in public media– in a piece titled "We're Still Not Done With Jesus" : https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/03/31/miracles-and-wonder-elaine-pagels-book-review-heretic-catherine-nixey

I am a fan of Gopnik, so this was particularly fun for me. I also think he's noting an interesting, recent trend with this move towards more biblical and religious literacy through various social media channels. As we continue to become even more hyper selective and less institutional in our consumption of news, information, scholarship, etc it's important to discuss the issues of access and options.

I dropped in on Jacob and Dennis MacDonald at the Society of Biblical Literature conference last November for an in-person conversation. Check it out! I actually made Jacob smile a few times!

I also had the chance to sit down with Dr. Dennis MacDonald, which is always a huge, huge privilege! I'm grateful to Jacob for making it happen!