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Joan Taylor

@joantaylor.bsky.social

420 followers 120 following 34 posts

Historian; works in archaeology, film, art, material culture; writes on 2T Judaism, early Christianity & beyond; novelist; poem-maker; illustrator; wife; mum; immigrant; Anglo-Danish Kiwi. Relaxes by walking, chatting, gardening, pottering, seeing films. .. more

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Joan E. Taylor is a New Zealand writer and historian of Jesus, the Bible, early Christianity, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Second Temple Judaism, with special expertise in archaeology, and women's and gender studies. Taylor is Professor Emerita of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King's College, London and Honorary Professor at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, Australia. She identifies as a Quaker. .. more

History 52%

Philosophy 18%

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · 16d

Very important article by @mmonier.bsky.social on Codex Alexandrinus, with mention too of scribe Thecla.

James F. McGrath (ReligionProf) @religionprof.bsky.social · 16d

New Article on the History of Codex Alexandrinus brentnongbri.com/2025/09/25/n...

New Article on the History of Codex Alexandrinus

The latest issue of Novum Testamentum contains an important (open access!) article on Codex Alexandrinus: Mina Monier, “The History of Codex Alexandrinus: New Evidence from Arabic Paratexts,&…

brentnongbri.com

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

James F. McGrath (ReligionProf) @religionprof.bsky.social · 16d

New Article on the History of Codex Alexandrinus brentnongbri.com/2025/09/25/n...

New Article on the History of Codex Alexandrinus

The latest issue of Novum Testamentum contains an important (open access!) article on Codex Alexandrinus: Mina Monier, “The History of Codex Alexandrinus: New Evidence from Arabic Paratexts,&…

brentnongbri.com

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · 22d

Undoubtedly will stir up much controversy, and that can only be good for our field, but my my!

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · 27d

A nice review.
www.americamagazine.org/books/2025/0...

Review: What was Jesus' childhood like?

Joan Taylor’s 'Boy Jesus' is a model of careful scholarship that relies on old sources but breaks new ground. It is, in some places, riveting.

www.americamagazine.org

Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Jun 30

What a great idea for a book. Wow.

Brandon Grafius @bgrafius.bsky.social · Nov 16

We have a cover!!! The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Monsters is in production. We tried to put together articles that would foster a dialogue between traditional scholarship and more contemporary monster/horror. Now it's waiting, and preparing for the fun that will be proofing and indexing.

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Jun 22

Thanks Katie!

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Jun 22

No it really wasn't a tomb for a Herodian princess. Evidence? None. What a lot of twaddle for the sake of the Israel tourism industry.

James F. McGrath (ReligionProf) @religionprof.bsky.social · Jun 22

Was the Cave of Salome for Jesus’s Disciple or a Herodian Princess? www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...

Was the Cave of Salome for Jesus’s Disciple or a Herodian Princess?

Constructed in the late Second Temple period, the Cave of Salome is a massive burial estate among the sprawling hills of the Shephelah.

www.biblicalarchaeology.org

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Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

James F. McGrath (ReligionProf) @religionprof.bsky.social · Jun 22

Was the Cave of Salome for Jesus’s Disciple or a Herodian Princess? www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...

Was the Cave of Salome for Jesus’s Disciple or a Herodian Princess?

Constructed in the late Second Temple period, the Cave of Salome is a massive burial estate among the sprawling hills of the Shephelah.

www.biblicalarchaeology.org

Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Jun 9

Very good to talk with the great team at The Two Cities podcast about Boy Jesus. Btw he wasn't born into an easy time. Demonstrations, massive clampdowns, imperialism and violence ... threats to his own family.
www.thetwocities.com

www.thetwocities.com

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Jun 8

So glad this is happening for the immensely talented @mmonier.bsky.social

Mina Monier @mmonier.bsky.social · Jun 5

So, here's the webpage of our project on Gospel harmonies. I will be working with a wonderful advisory board, including my wonderful Doktormutter @joantaylor.bsky.social, and @mcrawford.bsky.social .
mf.no/en/ungos

Unconventional Gospels | MF

A Computer–Assisted Analysis of Complex Harmonic Traditions in Newly Discovered Manuscripts

mf.no

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Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

Mina Monier @mmonier.bsky.social · Jun 5

Unconventional Gospels | MF

A Computer–Assisted Analysis of Complex Harmonic Traditions in Newly Discovered Manuscripts

mf.no

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Jun 4

Very interesting new study dating the Dead Sea Scrolls.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Many of Dead Sea scrolls may be older than thought, experts say

Researchers enlisted help of AI along with radiocarbon dating to produce new insights into ancient texts

www.theguardian.com

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · May 5

Interesting discussion.

Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Apr 28

Talking here with Megan Lewis about Boy Jesus on the Bart Ehrman podcast.
youtu.be/XUskxQZZyZI?...

Boy Jesus: Growing Up Judean in Turbulent Times Featuring Joan Taylor

YouTube video by Bart D. Ehrman

youtu.be

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Apr 25

Enjoyed chatting about Boy Jesus with Jessica Jenkins for her We who thirst podcast.
www.buzzsprout.com/2384822/epis...

020 Interview with Joan Taylor: Boy Jesus in Trauma's Shadow - We Who Thirst by Jessica LM Jenkins

What happened when a child from the line of David grew up watching cities burn under Roman occupation? Joan Taylor, Professor Emerita of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King's College L...

www.buzzsprout.com

Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Apr 22

A Joan and Helen double act again, this time reflecting on #JohntheBaptist

John the Baptist

The Ancients · Episode

open.spotify.com

Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Apr 21

Boy Jesus features in the New York Post.
nypost.com/2025/04/19/l...

Why historians believe Jesus’ family connections were as important as faith

But what if Jesus’ family connections were as influential as ecclesiastic fervor in setting the course for a new religion?

nypost.com

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Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

Art of Marza @artofmarza.bsky.social · Apr 17

Ever wonder why we dye eggs red for Pascha? The red symbolizes Christ’s blood shed for us. There are a few traditions about the pascha eggs involving Mary Magdalene. The one I grew up with was that Mary Magdalene put a basket of eggs at the foot of the cross and Christ’s blood flowed onto the eggs.

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Apr 7

Love this curious painting. Great commentary too.

The Visual Commentary on Scripture @thevcs.bsky.social · Apr 7

There is a dreamlike quality to Holman Hunt’s depiction of the flight to Egypt, particularly in the presence of the holy innocents joining the travellers on their #journey.

Our eleventh commentary for #Lent is called 'Revelation by Dream'.

thevcs.org/campaign/rev...

#CofEPeeps #narthex

Lent Stations: Journeys

Station 11: Revelation by Dream

WILLIAM HOLMAN HUNT
The Triumph of the Innocents, 1883–84, Oil on canvas, 156.2 x 254 cm, Tate; Acquisition Presented by Sir John Middlemore Bt 1918, N03334, © Tate, London / Art Resource, NY

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Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

The Visual Commentary on Scripture @thevcs.bsky.social · Apr 7

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Joan Taylor @joantaylor.bsky.social · Mar 31

Thank you so much 🙏 @emilbrunner1.bsky.social

Matt Page (he/him) @mattpagefilm.bsky.social · Mar 31

An absolute rave review for @joantaylor.bsky.social's new book “Boy Jesus” from @emilbrunner1.bsky.social
zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com/2025/03/26/b...

Boy Jesus: Growing Up Judean in Turbulent Times

Joan Taylor’s latest: As a boy, Jesus was a refugee, an outsider, an immigrant in Galilee in which he grew up, and affected by horrific atrocities by the occupying Roman overlords. All this a…

zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com

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Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

Matt Page (he/him) @mattpagefilm.bsky.social · Mar 31

An absolute rave review for @joantaylor.bsky.social's new book “Boy Jesus” from @emilbrunner1.bsky.social
zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com/2025/03/26/b...

Boy Jesus: Growing Up Judean in Turbulent Times

Joan Taylor’s latest: As a boy, Jesus was a refugee, an outsider, an immigrant in Galilee in which he grew up, and affected by horrific atrocities by the occupying Roman overlords. All this a…

zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com

Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

Dr. Elizabeth Schrader Polczer @libbiesp.bsky.social · Mar 25

Hooray! You can read my new Journal of Early Christian Studies article arguing that we might have a new possible fragment of the Gospel of Mary ;) muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...

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Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

James F. McGrath (ReligionProf) @religionprof.bsky.social · Mar 24

A reminder to all academics researching John the Baptist that there is now a Society of Biblical Literature program unit focused on him. Please submit your paper proposals!

SBL Meetings and Events

Program Units Academic Teaching and Biblical Studies John Hilton Description: Pedagogy and the classroom each provides a hermeneutical and heuristic frame of reference for the reading and…

www.sbl-site.org

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Reposted by Joan E. Taylor

T&T Clark @tandtclark.bsky.social · Mar 24

➡️ Available now: 'Reimaging the Magdalene' by
@siobhanjolley.bsky.social

This book offers a new, intersectional feminist approach to utilising and interpreting the visual reception of Mary Magdalene.

Find out more ➡️ www.bloomsbury.com/9780567714268