Disability and New Testament Studies: Reflections, Trajectories, and Possibilities

Abstract

This article offers a survey and assessment of the state of New Testament scholarship and disability studies. It provides some critical reflections on the current trends and trajectories of the field and potential futures for it to progress further. While some work has been done on the Catholic Epistles, Revelation, and Paul, the majority of focus has been on the canonical Gospels. Studies often encompass meta-critical, historical, literary, or theological focuses. A number of problems have been raised, such as the question of lived disabled experience in antiquity, anachronism, and ableism within the field itself. Still, there are a number of potential futures for the field, especially in dialogue with adjacent fields to biblical studies like second temple Jewish studies and classics.