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Eric Foster-Whiddon

@efosterw

Assistant Prof of Biblical Studies, Tabor College | PhD Uni of St Andrews (Divinity & Classics) | NT, Gospel of John, ancient novels & philosophy

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06.12.2023
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Latest posts by Eric Foster-Whiddon @efosterw

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Pay attention, reader, and you will find delight. Our skill as careful readers of God’s work in the world is directly related to our skill as careful readers of God’s word in scripture.

open.substack.com/pub/efosterw...

18.10.2025 18:34 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

LST, 09 July: "Recognition, Beauty, Travel, and Love: How the Ancient Novel Informs a Reading of the Fourth Gospel"

If you want details about joining in person or online, hit me up! (3/3)

19.06.2025 13:41 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Aberdeen, 03 July: “What Happens when Jesus Crosses Boundaries? Reading John 4 through the Lens of Cognitive Narratology"

StA, 07 July: “Boundary-Crossing, θεωρία, and the Rhetorical Utility of Narrative Travel in Life of Apollonius of Tyana and the Gospel of John,” (2/3)

19.06.2025 13:41 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Heading back to the UK soon for graduation and a few research presentations. Many thanks to London School of Theology and the Schools of Divinity at University of St Andrews and University of Aberdeen for having me.

Paper titles below… (1/3)

19.06.2025 13:41 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Yes! I grew up UMC in south GA too. Been to Camp Tygart?

03.04.2025 23:21 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Happy and humbled to report that my doctoral thesis will be published in the Biblical Interpretation series. Fingers crossed that “John as Divine Romance: Reading the Fourth Gospel with the Ancient Novel” makes an appearance at SBL 2025! @degruyterbrill.bsky.social @dgb-relbibtheo.bsky.social

03.04.2025 22:47 👍 18 🔁 3 💬 3 📌 0

Blessings as you drive toward the prorev. You got this!

20.01.2025 13:42 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

From my current understanding, I’m not sure if I’d say it “is” a mug… maybe it bears family resemblance to things usually identified as being “mug,” or maybe it participates in “mugness” while also bearing the traits of “cupness” and “bowlness” to varying degrees. Maybe even “pencilholderness.” 🤷🏻‍♂️

04.12.2024 02:24 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Man, I love that reference! #intertextuality 🕷️😂 (I’ll have to look back, but I either put the Spider-Man/Eco illustration in a footnote of my thesis or flagged it to go in the published version… I forget 🤷🏻‍♂️)

04.12.2024 02:20 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Looking forward to this, both the tea and the read! ☕️📖 @andyjudd.bsky.social

03.12.2024 15:24 👍 17 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 0

I felt the same way about library purchases… morally obligated (especially to future PGRs) to expand the holdings on my topic. Maybe I just enjoyed the ability to buy expensive academic books on the Uni’s dime. 😁

03.12.2024 13:39 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Destroy the myth that libraries are no longer relevant. 

If you use your library, please share. 

Picture of library aisle filled with books.

Destroy the myth that libraries are no longer relevant. If you use your library, please share. Picture of library aisle filled with books.

@goodwilllibrarian.bsky.social

01.12.2024 03:49 👍 22372 🔁 7738 💬 524 📌 483
A version of the kermit vs darth kermit meme where good kermit tells the online academic that they should grade, while darth kermit tells them they should eat more pie.

A version of the kermit vs darth kermit meme where good kermit tells the online academic that they should grade, while darth kermit tells them they should eat more pie.

Every academic right now

29.11.2024 21:58 👍 5327 🔁 583 💬 134 📌 110

I’ve been looking forward to it since way before it came out 👍

24.11.2024 23:15 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

I’m not even there and this prompted me to have a colleague pick it up in person (instead of buying online) so I could drink my coffee out of a mug that knows the contributions of modern genre theory to reading biblical literature well ☕️📖🤓

24.11.2024 22:31 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

How I love ending feedback on exegetical papers with “You should be proud of this.”

24.11.2024 02:03 👍 8 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Unfortunately, I’m always on the lookout for AI. It’s part of the job description these days, right? There are several things that make me confident that’s not the case in this instance, which makes it even better :)

24.11.2024 01:39 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Real-time reactions from grading papers… a freshman in my 100-level Intro to NT class (who is not a Bible & Theology major) references Stendhal and discusses the Damascus road Christophany as Paul’s prophetic call (contra conversion) and I AM SO HAPPY! Huzzah! She found this via her own research!

24.11.2024 01:12 👍 8 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

#Genius! That’s a plan for Boston next year… I’m sure my friends would be happy to do some extra grading 🤣

23.11.2024 17:45 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Instead of listening to papers at #SBLAAR24, I’m grading a stack of papers… most of which are the first attempts of undergrads at doing a baby exegesis assignment. It’s actually encouraging; lots have made good effort and are showing progress!

23.11.2024 17:32 👍 11 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Bible nerds… what NT (or other BibStudies-related) books are you excited about this year that should be on my radar? I’m missing #SBLAAR24 but plan to assuage the FOMO by taking advantage of publishers’ online discount codes.

18.11.2024 19:49 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 2 📌 0

📌

17.11.2024 17:50 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Yup. Thankful, however, for SBL/AAR discounts on publishers’ websites. 📚

17.11.2024 15:15 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I was looking over your website earlier, very interested in learning more about this.

13.11.2024 20:22 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Saw it and added it to my feeds list 👍 Yes, please include me.

13.11.2024 14:01 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Yes please

13.11.2024 13:02 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Really looking forward to reading your book!

12.11.2024 14:45 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Anybody made a BibStudies starter pack yet?

12.11.2024 14:35 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

An unexpected benefit of the PhD journey is the secondhand elation I feel when a friend passes a viva or lands an academic job. It’s a nice counter-balance in a space that can be so anxiety ridden.

11.12.2023 21:24 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 1

~1400 words today, thinking about the Odyssey, Callirhoe, and the Gospel of John. It’s slow, tedious, fun work.

08.12.2023 16:37 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0