Bruce Malina Explained

Bruce John Malina (9 October 1933 – 17 August 2017) was an American biblical scholar, noted for his application of social scientific approaches to the Bible.[1]

Biography

Malina was born in Brooklyn, New York, as the eldest of nine children to his parents Joseph and Mary Malina, and was ordained a Franciscan Friar at age 27.[2] He completed his PhD in 1967 from Institutum Biblicum Franciscanum, Jerusalem, with his dissertation published the next year as The Palestinian Manna Tradition (1968).[3]

After teaching in the Philippines for five years, Malina moved to Creighton University in 1969 where he taught New Testament studies for 48 years. It was also during this time that he retired from the priesthood and married Diane Jacobs in 1972.

Scholarship

Malina was associated with the Context Group and was known for his application of social scientific approaches to the Bible, and was at the forefront of bringing in insights from anthropology and sociology to bear on understanding ancient religious and social concepts found in the Bible. Malina stands as one of the primary initiators of and major contributors to the deployment of terms such as "honor," "shame," "benefactor," "patronage," and "social boundaries" in analyzing the Bible. He was also known for studies on gender roles in the New Testament world.[4]

Criticism

Malina was criticized for his views on the Israeli–Palestinian 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.

Works

Notes and References

  1. Book: John J. . Pilch. Social Scientific Models for Interpreting the Bible: Essays by the Context Group in Honor of Bruce J. Malina. Leiden . Brill . 2000 . 1.
  2. Web site: Malina, Dr. Bruce J.. 19 August 2017. Omaha World Herald. 2018-03-05.
  3. Book: Malina, Bruce J.. The Palestinian Manna Tradition: The Manna Tradition in the Palestinian Targums and Its Relationship to the New Testament Writings. 1968. Brill. Leiden. en.
  4. Book: Fehribach, Adeline . The Women in the Life of the Bridegroom: A Feminist Historical-literary Analysis of the Female Characters in the Fourth Gospel. Liturgical Press. 1998. 13.