Dr. Elizabeth Schrader Polczer

Ooh, aah: book proofs! The actual monograph won't be published until 2027, but very satisfying even to get to this stage.

For those of you who couldn't make it to the Wild Goose festival last month, here's a handy recording of my conversation with @dianabutlerbass.bsky.social about exciting Bible scholarship updates: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zCT...

Thanks to @andrewmarkhenry.bsky.social for this evenhanded summary of the debate around the meaning of the word "Magdalene"! @joantaylor.bsky.social :) www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFmC...

A certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. #John11 #dailyoffice Was Martha added? Check out @libbiesp.bsky.social’s research

@joantaylor.bsky.social we did it!! We got the Bible changed! Honestly I wasn't even thinking about how the footnotes might change in Matthew 27 and Luke 8. These updated footnotes are in the brand-new third edition of the Jewish Annotated New Testament. Buy it here: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Unexpected result of publicly transitioning from music to academia: someone named "Tony" is impersonating me with a "free piano" scam, e-mailing people to say that I am offering my "Yamaha baby grand piano for free." For the record, NOBODY can ever separate me from my piano - which is a Steinway! ;)

Thanks to Broadview Magazine and @annetheriault.bsky.social for this nice feature about my research.

Happy feast day of St. Mary Magdalene! From the Mária Magdolna tower in Budapest 💗

Happy Feast Day of Mary Magdalene! To celebrate, I'm sharing big news from @libbiesp.bsky.social about MM and the Gospel of John!

New Testament scholarship all too often avoids the very straightforward observation that "The modern category of one 'original' text or 'Urtext'...never existed in antiquity." Hezser articulated this all the way back in *2001* ! (From C. Hezser, Jewish Literacy in Roman Palestine, 434; photo 424)

A fun write-up of our research in Rome! (Still ongoing) www.villanova.edu/vu/magazine/...

New podcast episode out from Religion to Reality! Thanks to Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich for taking the time to talk about my research. religiontoreality.org/podcast/the-...

Eastern Christianity Villanova job link is live: jobs.villanova.edu/postings/35518

Happy Fourth of July! 🎆 I think my husband just reached enlightenment...

If you're interested in learning more about Women in the New Testament and Early Christianity, I'll be teaching an online course in July for @biblicalarchaeology.org. Details here: www.biblicalarchaeology.org/travel-study...

dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/mary-magda...

Big thanks to @dianabutlerbass.bsky.social for inviting me on her Substack, where we announced some big news today! www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW03...

It's true! Villanova is hiring a tenure-track position in Eastern Christianity! Please share far and wide. aarsbl.org/job/tenure-t...

Current mood:

Looking forward to presenting at this conference tomorrow in Greenwich, CT! More details here: www.christchurchgreenwich.org/womens-confe...

Villanova's Theology and Religious Studies department is hiring a Director of Master's & Certificate Programs! jobs.villanova.edu/postings/34543

A nice Easter present: a hard copy of the Oxford Handbook of Mary Magdalene finally arrived in the mail!

On April 18th I'll be presenting my research at Christ Church Greenwich's Annual Women's Conference. The keynote speaker is Kate Bowler. To register, follow this link: www.christchurchgreenwich.org/womens-confe... Hope to see some of you in CT!

I've got two presentations coming up in the coming weeks: a lecture in New York City in February, and a retreat in Asheville, North Carolina in March. Details below. Hope to see some of you there!

Ooooh a new "Maria" changed to "Martha"! This is from a 12th-century drama attributed to Hilarius, a student of Abelard. Perhaps just a mistake - or perhaps a bit of confusion about which sister confessed Jesus as the Christ? ;) Thanks to Prof. Carol Symes for calling this to my attention!

Stopped by the @nationalgalleryuk.bsky.social yesterday on our long layover in London. My husband and I had to say hi to the Marys and Jesus!

Looking forward to seeing everyone in Boston!

Reading James Barker's new book from @ebyrbooks.bsky.social and realizing that in many respects we are saying the same thing: the gospels were influenced by literary multiformity in Greco-Roman and Second Temple Jewish circles (although his perspective is source-critical, and mine is text-critical).

Really lovely day today in Münster, Germany! I came here to present a boatload of new information to scholars at the Institut für neutestamentliche Textforschung, and gave a few recommendations for updates to the NA29 apparatus. 🤞🏻

We're looking forward to hosting Pete Enns from @theb4np.bsky.social Eastern U for the CBA's upcoming regional conference at Villanova in March! Want to join us? The call for papers is here: assets.noviams.com/novi-file-up...

Fascinating new piece by @allykateusz.bsky.social:"of the sixty-one surviving third and fourth-century pieces of art that securely depict one or more sisters at the Raising of Lazarus, fifty-nine depict one sister (96%) while only two depict two sisters (4%)" www.ancientjewreview.com/read/2025/9/...

What would Jesus do?

Every once in a while, researching ancient manuscripts can give you a chuckle.

The proposed elimination of U of O's Department of Religion is absolutely tragic. Oregon friends, please consider speaking up! aarweb.org/news/an-appe...

NT job opening: Trinity College Theological School in Melbourne, Australia, is seeking to appoint a Lecturer in Biblical Studies (New Testament) commencing February 2026. trinity.currentjobs.co/job/lecturer...

I am delighted to announce the IRCI has 2 job openings in early Christianity (specialisation open, research-focus, early career). Closing date 15 Aug. Contact me with any questions. We hope you'll consider joining our excellent group of scholars! candidate.aurion.cloud/acu/producti...

Assistant Professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary, NJ. FT/TT. Deadline September 8.