*Indicates student co-author.
Chung-Kim, Esther. “Legislation and Poor Relief: Bugenhagen and the Reformation in Braunschweig.” Do Good Unto All: Charity and Poor Relief Across Christian Europe, 1400-1800, edited by Timothy G. Fehler and Jared B. Thomley. Manchester University Press, 2023, pp. 85-107.
Abstract: Lutheran reformer Johannes Bugenhagen worked to translate Lutheran ideals into the church order for the city of Braunschweig. His first church order served as a basis and template for many Lutheran church ordinances, which set up new institutions in Protestant towns and territories. The implementation of the Reformation required the support of lay people, including local authorities, nobles, and citizens since their actions could facilitate or hinder the progress of the Reformation. When Bugenhagen returned to the territory of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, a strong resistance to the Protestants resulted in fragile institutions that would collapse with the defeat of the Schmalkaldic League. Institutional reform to carry out Lutheran teaching, work, and ministry required legal support, clear blueprint for organization, coordination of local and regional political support, and reliable sources of funding.
Chung Kim, Esther. Review of Heinrich Bullinger: An Introduction to His Life and Theology, by Donald K. McKim and Jim West. Church History, vol. 92, issue 2, 2023, pp. 456-457.
Abstract: The purpose of this book is to recognize Protestant reformer Heinrich Bullinger’s importance not only in the Swiss context, but also his impact on the larger European Reformation. The evidence for this impact is demonstrated in Bullinger’s sermons, booklets, and letters, which reveal his correspondence with various religious leaders all across Europe
Espinosa, Gastón, Eric Redling, and Jason Stevens, editors. Protestants on Screen: Religion, Politics and Aesthetics in European and American Movies. Oxford Press, 2023.
Abstract: Protestants on Screen explores the Protestant contributions to American and European film from the silent era to the present day. The authors analyze how Protestant filmmakers, beliefs, theology, symbols, sensibilities, and cultural patterns have shaped the history of film. Challenging the stereotype of Protestants as world-denouncing-and-defying puritans and iconoclasts who stood in the way of film's maturation as an art, the authors contend that Protestants were among the key catalysts in the origins and development of film, bringing an identifiably Protestant aesthetic to the medium. The essays in this volume track key Protestant themes like faith and doubt, sin and depravity, biblical literalism, personal conversion and personal redemption, holiness and sanctification, moralism and pietism, Providence and secularism, apocalypticism, righteousness and justice, religion and race, the priesthood of all believers and its offshoots-democratization and individualism. Protestants, the essays in this volume demonstrate, helped birth and shape the film industry and harness the power of motion pictures for spiritual instruction, edification, and cultural influence.
Gilbert, Gary. “Jews in Ancient Civic Life.” Jews and Urban Life, edited by Leonard J. Greenspoon. Purdue University Press, 2024, pp. 1-21.
Abstract: Jewish life in antiquity have often been described by ancient authors and modern scholars alike as one of close adherence to ancestral traditions and in some cases isolation from others. Without denying these characteristics, this study exposes another side to Jewish life in this period. The historical record reveals numerous instances in which Jews were active participants in the communities where they lived. Along with service in the military, attendance at theatrical performances, participating in the gymnasia, Jews often assumed important municipal and sometimes imperial positions. This information provides provides a richer and I believe more accurate understanding of how Jews conducted their lives and thought about themselves as Jews in and residents of the cities and empires in which they lived.
External Grant: Gilbert, Gary. Course Development Grant. Israel Institute, 2023, $10,000.
Abstract: The grant is offered to support the creation of new curriculum in Israel Studies. Specifically, the grant aided in the production of a new course, Religion and Politics in Israel.
External Grant: Gilbert, Gary. Research Grant for Book Project on the City of Akko. Claremont Graduate University, 2023, $4,200
Abstract: The grant is offered to support travel to Akko and other locations in Israel to assist with the initial stages of research connected to a book project on the history of Akko.
Martinez, Chloe. “Frick.” Poem. Ecotone, issue 34, 2023.
Martinez, Chloe. “My Friend Sends Me TikToks.” Poem. The Night Heron Barks, 2023.
Martinez, Chloe. Review of Poem Without Beginning or End: on the Ramayana and Vivek Narayanan’s After, by Vivek Narayanan. FENCE Digital, April 1, 2023.
Moore, Tanner. Review of Worshiping with the Reformers, by Karin Maag. Reading Religion, September 26, 2023.