'Jacob's Dream' by William Blake, c. 1805, British Museum, London. Blake's painting is a depiction of a biblical story that saw Jacob dream about a ladder that connected earth with the heavens.
Rev’d Dr Katie Marcar says there is an enduring fascination with the supernatural.
‘Worlds Above and Below: Supernatural Worlds in Classics, Judaism, and Early Christianity’ is the theme of a special issue of the Journal for Pseudepigrapha Studies published this month and guest edited by Joel Gordon and Katie Marcar.
This collection of essays is based on papers from a conference of the same title held by Otago in July last year. The conference was supported by one of the University of Otago’s Humanities Conference Support Grants.
Theology lecturer Rev'd Dr Katie Marcar and Classics scholar Dr Joel Gordon, now with the Research Integrity Office at Otago, have overseen the conference and resulting journal issue.
Joel explains that ‘Worlds Above and Below’ refers to worlds beyond the veil of human mortality, populated by spirits, angels, demons and gods, such as the underworld, heaven, or hell.
“The theme borrows from that most famous of soliloquies by Shakespeare’s Hamlet, ‘the undiscovere’d country, from whose bourn no traveller returns’.
Dr Joel Gordon says ancient literature contains rich depictions of supernatural worlds.
“Ancient literature’s rich depiction of these supernatural worlds showcases not only the diversity and complexity of these imagined spaces but also addresses the deeper questions of why such worlds were conceived,” Joel says.
Katie says there is an enduring fascination with the supernatural.
“The supernatural is present across cultures and foundational in belief systems, from the present day right back into the most ancient histories. This makes it a fascinating topic to explore across academic disciplines,” Katie says.
Last year’s conference included delegates from New Zealand, Greece, Germany, the UK, and the United States engaging in vibrant discussion.It was run over three days, online and in person to include international scholars as well as postgraduate students. The organisers aim to make it a biannual event.
All but one of the resulting papers in the journal special issue are by alumni and staff of Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka – University of Otago.
The journal includes the articles:
- “Recognising the Risen Christ by His Wounds: Reading John’s Account in Greco-Roman Context” by Rev. Dr Maja Whitaker (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Pākahā). Maja has a PhD in Theology from Otago and is now Academic Dean of Laidlaw College.
- “‘A Great Chasm has been Fixed’: The Topography of Luke 16:19-31 in Graeco-Roman Context” by Dr Jonathan Robinson, who completed a PhD in Theology with Otago and is now a Lecturer with Carey Baptist College.
- There is a two-part contribution that develops a model for reading Revelation in both Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts by Dr Deane Galbraith, who also earned his PhD in Theology from Otago and is now a lecturer in Religion with Otago.
- “Locating Heaven in Antiquity and Today,” is an essay from Nicholas J. Moore.
Read online: Journal for Pseudepigrapha Studies, Special Issue: Worlds Above and Below, Interdisciplinary Essays on Supernatural Worlds in Classics, Judaism, and Early Christianity
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