Faculty

James A. Kelhoffer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, New Testament and Early Christian Literature
kelhofja@slu.edu

Education

Ph.D., University of Chicago 1999
M.A., University of Chicago 1996
M.A., Wheaton Graduate School (IL) 1992

Recent Grants, Honors and Awards

1. Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, grant for attending the Minnesota Consortium of Theological Schools Computer Camp for use of technology in the classroom (Summer 2003).

2. Catholic Biblical Association Young Scholars Post-doctoral Fellowship ($20,000; January-June, 2003).

3. Society of Biblical Literature 2002 Research and Technology Grant (2002-03).

4. North American Patristics Society Best First Article Prize (May, 2002).

5. Society of Biblical Literature Regional Scholar Award (2002).

6. Awards Received from Saint Louis University Mellon Funds:

• Summer Research Stipend for Summer 2003 (November, 2002).
• Classroom Development Fund (October, 2002).
• Travel grant for the 2001 SBL Annual Meeting (November, 2001).

Recent Publications

1. The Diet of John the Baptist: "Locusts and Wild Honey" in Synoptic and Patristic Interpretation. Forthcoming in Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament [first series]; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, early 2005.

Much scholarly attention has been devoted to four of John the Baptist's actions-most famously, his baptizing in the Jordan River, but also his preaching a message of repentance, having disciples and wearing clothing made of camel's hair. Considerably less attention has been given to the peculiarities of another deed attributed to John, namely his eating locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:6c||Matt 3:4c). The Diet of John the Baptist offers the first ever comprehensive analysis of Mark 1:6c||Matt 3:4c in its socio-historical context, the Synoptic gospels and subsequent Christian interpretation. The first chapter surveys various anecdotes about John's food in the Synoptic gospels and notes that there has never been a consensus in scholarship concerning John's "locusts and wild honey." Chapters 2 and 3 address locusts as human food and assorted kinds of "wild honey" in antiquity. Chapter 4 considers the different meanings of this diet for the historical Baptist, Mark, and Matthew, as well as the reason for Luke's omission of Mark 1:6. Contemporary anthropological and nutritional data shed new light on John's experience as a locust gatherer and assess whether these foods could have actually sustained him in the wilderness. The last chapter demonstrates that the most prevalent interpretation of the Baptist's diet, from the third through the sixteenth centuries, hails John's simple wilderness provisions as a model for believers to emulate. An epilogue reflects on the methods employed in this study and suggests several avenues for future research.

2. "Basilides's Gospel and Exegetica (Treatises)," forthcoming in Vigiliae Christianae: A Review of Early Christian Life and Languages 59 (2005).

3. "John the Baptist's 'Wild Honey' and the Ambiguity of Certain References to 'Honey' in Antiquity," forthcoming in Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies.

4. "Did John the Baptist Eat Like a Former Essene? Locust-Eating in the Ancient Near East and at Qumran," forthcoming in Dead Sea Discoveries.

In light of the rather common practice of locust-eating in the Ancient Near East and in numerous Jewish writings from Leviticus to Moses Maimonides, this article evaluates critically James H. Charlesworth's thesis that John the Baptist's eating locusts and honey characterizes the legendary wilderness prophet as a former Essene.

5. "The Struggle to Define Heilsgeschichte: Paul on the Origins of the Christian Tradition," Biblical Research 47 (2002): 19-39.

6. "'How Soon a Book' Revisited: EUAGGELION as a Reference to 'Gospel' Materials in the First Half of the Second Century," Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche 95/1-2 (2004): 1-34.

Download PDF of this article here.

7. "Locusts and Wild Honey (Mark 1:6c and Matt 3:4c): The Status Quaestionis concerning the Diet of John the Baptist," Currents in Biblical Research (formerly Currents in Research: Biblical Studies) 2/1 (2003): 104-127.

8. "The Apostle Paul and Justin Martyr on the Miraculous: A Comparison of Appeals to Authority," Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 42 (2001): 163-184 [appeared in October, 2002].

Download PDF of this article here.

9. Review of Theo K. Heckel, Vom Evangelium des Markus zum viergestaltigen Evangelium (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 120; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1999), in the Catholic Biblical Quarterly 64/2 (2002): 377-8.

10. Review of C. Clifton Black, Mark: Images of an Apostolic Interpreter (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001) in the Review of Biblical Literature 3 (2003).

You may click here to read this review.

11. "The Witness of Eusebius' ad Marinum and Other Christian Writings to Text-Critical Debates concerning the Original Conclusion to Mark's Gospel", Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche 92/1-2 (2001): 78-112.

This article considers a variety of positions concerning the authenticity of Mark 16:9-20 in the early and medieval church and explores the ways in which 'textual criticism' was approached by authors like Jerome, Hesychius of Jerusalem, Severus of Antioch and Theophylactus of Ochrida. The essay also includes an analysis and a new translation of the opening sections of the ad Marinum attributed to Eusebius of Caesarea.

Download PDF of this article here.

12. Miracle and Mission: The Authentication of Missionaries and Their Message in the Longer Ending of Mark. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2.112. Tübingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck, 2000. xix and 530 pages. ISBN 3-16-147243-8.

You may click here to read a review of Dr. Kelhoffer's book.

The Longer Ending of the Gospel of Mark (Mark 16:9-20) was appended to the earliest Christian Gospel in the first half of the second century. This book offers a comprehensive analysis of Mark 16:9-20 and explores what can be ascertained about the otherwise unknown Christian author of this passage. Whereas most scholars have examined Mark 16:9-20 from the standpoint of its relation to Mark 1:1-16:8 and the question of Markan authorship, this study explores the passage's distinct witness to the use of gospel traditions and the development of Christian thought. Concerning the origin of this passage, I argue that a single author made use of the New Testament Gospels in forging a more satisfactory ending to Mark, and study the passage's sometimes innovative literary forms. Also of interest is the author's claim that the ascended Lord will help "those who believe" to perform miraculous signs -- casting out demons, speaking in new languages, picking up snakes, drinking poison with impunity and healing the sick -- when they preach the gospel (verses 17-18, 20). This expectation is compared with portraits of miracles, especially in the context of mission, in the New Testament, various apocryphal acts and Christian apologists of the second and third centuries. Another unexplored area concerns the question whether the promise concerning the picking up of snakes (verse 18a), which is cited by modern snake-handlers, points to the existence of an analogous group in the ancient world. Accordingly, the two final chapters interpret the signs of picking up snakes and drinking a deadly substance with impunity (verse 18b) in their history-of-religions contexts. The literary and pictographic pieces of evidence discussed in these last two chapters stem primarily from the Hellenistic and Roman periods, but date as far back as the pre-classical Minoan civilization on the island of Crete and stretch as far forward as the early Byzantine and Medieval periods.

Courses Taught (2001-Present)

• New Testament Introduction (TH A-220)
• The Life and Teachings of St. Paul the Apostle (TH A-320 and TH A-593)
• The Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (TH A-321 and TH A-511)
• Early Christian Apocalypses (TH A-421)
• Early Church Doctoral Seminar: 'Gospel' and 'Gospels' in the Second Century (and Beyond) (TH A-611)

Professional Societies

• The Catholic Biblical Association of America
• Chicago Society of Biblical Research
• North American Patristics Society
• Society of Biblical Literature