David A. Fiensy's The Realia Jesus Offers A Never-Before-Seen Look at Jesus's Life and Ministry

In The Realia Jesus: An Archaeological Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, David Fiensy masterfully combines archaeology and historical insight, using artifacts, structures, and material remains to illuminate the people, places, and culture of Jesus's time.
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David A. Fiensy, Ph.D., is an author, speaker, and consultant with a passion for teaching and preaching the Bible and thinking about and articulating theological ideas.

After graduating from Duke University with a Ph.D. in New Testament and Second Temple Judaism, he dedicated much of his career to academia, research, and ministry. He taught for seven years at Kentucky Christian University before serving a two-year tenure at the Institut zur Erforschung des Urchristentums in Tubingen, Germany. Upon returning to the United States, he served as a pastor for six years before resuming his role at Kentucky Christian University, where he taught for another 23 years and is now professor emeritus.

David participated in seven archaeological excavations and surveys and has traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East. He is the author of numerous works, including Prayers Alleged to be Jewish (Scholars, 1985); The Social History of Palestine in the Herodian Period (Mellen, 1991); Hear Today: Compassion and Grace in the Parables of Jesus (ACU, 2021); and The Journey: Spiritual Growth in Galatians and Philippians (Crosslink, 2021).

Now semi-retired, David remains active in writing, speaking, and consulting for churches and colleges. He and his wife, Molly, have two daughters and three grandchildren.

This one-on-one interview shares David's background and experience writing The Realia Jesus: An Archaeological Commentary on the Gospel of Luke.

Tell us about The Realia Jesus: An Archaeological Commentary on the Gospel of Luke.

Do we know for sure where Jesus's tomb was? What kind of people were Jesus's male and female disciples? Was Peter's house in Capernaum? What did Jesus look like? How old was Mary when she found out she was with child? We've all heard the arguments, but what do the archaeological finds tell us?

The Realia Jesus pulls together archaeological information, scattered in journals and final reports, relating to the Gospel of Luke with appealing photography, instructive illustrations, and fascinating recent finds. It uses archaeology to reconstruct the social, religious, historical, geographical, and pathological context for the story of Jesus and the Jesus-movement. The book not only features the "shiny objects" from the excavations (the beautiful pottery, buildings, and entertainment facilities) but also items that are not usually handled in glossy magazines, namely, the human, skeletal remains. Yet, these bones are an important window into the biblical world indicating lifespan, morbidity, socioeconomic standing, violence, and stature. The book employs four areas of archaeological finds and investigations, including inscriptions, large finds (buildings), small finds (jewelry, pottery, coins), and human remains, to help interpret and illustrate the Gospel of Luke.

What inspired you to write The Realia Jesus: An Archaeological Commentary on the Gospel of Luke?

I was inspired to write The Realia Jesus to transport readers back in time and give them a "feel" for life during the ministry of Jesus. For example, the book talks about diseases in one chapter. If you were afflicted with one of them, how would you have received or heard Jesus's teachings? Would you have left everything to follow him knowing how closely these people lived on the margins of subsistence? Would you have cared about the theological controversies if your child had just died? If violence were an everyday experience for you and your village, would the teaching "love your enemies" have resonated?

As far as archaeology in particular is concerned, I discovered that most of the connections made with Jesus and archaeology were in the form of large constructions (cities like Sepphoris, Herod's palaces, and villages), and although these are helpful investigations, there are other avenues of exploration that are also very helpful and needed to be included (I have used especially human remains). In this way, my goal was to offer a more holistic, comprehensive and accessible approach.

How did your background and experience influence your writing?

The confluence of my personal and professional experience had a great influence on my writing. My Ph.D. from Duke University emphasized New Testament and Second Temple Judaism which awakened my thirst for research and writing. There were so many things I needed to learn and share! Since then, I have published 10 single-authored works on the social history of ancient Israel, on Jesus, on the New Testament, and on archaeology. I also co-edited three volumes on the archaeology of Galilee. In addition, throughout my years researching and writing, I participated in seven archaeological excavations and archaeological surveys. I also taught courses on the Gospels, the New Testament, and on ancient Judaism for over thirty-five years on an undergraduate and graduate level.

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Purchasing the Book

The Realia Jesus: An Archaeological Commentary on the Gospel of Luke has received positive reviews from well-known literary organizations, authors, and reviewers around the world. Professor Mark Allan Powell writes, " A remarkable and unique resource... David Fiensy relates data and insights from recent archaeological studies to principal texts and motifs from Luke's Gospel in a way that makes the findings accessible and relevant. " In addition, Professor Craig S. Keener writes, " I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the Gospels and Jesus's life and ministry ."

The book is available for sale through Cascade Books (an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers), on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, and other online bookstores. Readers are encouraged to purchase their copy today: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666772579/the-realia-jesus/

To connect with David and learn more about his work, visit: https://davidafiensy.com/. You can also find him on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-fiensy-0614663a/], X [https://x.com/dfiensy] and Bluesky [http://dafiensy.bsky.social].

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