Wilson, Stephen G. 1942- (S.G. Wilson)

PERSONAL:

Born 1942.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada.

CAREER:

Academic. Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, professor of religion.

WRITINGS:

The Gentiles and the Gentile Mission in Luke-Acts, Cambridge University Press (Cambridge, England), 1973, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Luke and the Pastoral Epistles, S.P.C.K. (London, England), 1979.

(Editor, with M.D. Hooker) Paul and Paulinism: Essays in Honour of C.K. Barrett, S.P.C.K. (London, England), 1982.

Luke and the Law, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 1983, reprinted, 2005.

Related Strangers: Jews and Christians, 70-170 C.E., Fortress Press (Minneapolis, MN), 1995.

(Editor, with John S. Kloppenborg) Voluntary Associations in the Graeco-Roman World, Routledge (New York, NY), 1996.

(Editor, with Michael Desjardins) Text and Artifact in the Religions of the Mediterranean Antiquity: Essays in Honour of Peter Richardson, Wilfrid Laurier University Press (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada), 2000.

Leaving the Fold: Apostates and Defectors in Antiquity, Fortress Press (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Stephen G. Wilson is an academic. Born in 1942, Wilson eventually became a professor of religion at Ottawa's Carleton University. Administratively, he also served as the director of the university's College of Humanities. By the time he retired from the university, he had earned a name for himself as an expert on a range of early Christian topics.

Wilson published his first book, The Gentiles and the Gentile Mission in Luke-Acts, in 1973. It was later reprinted in 2005. Wilson's second book, Luke and the Pastoral Epistles, was published in 1979. With M.D. Hooker, Wilson edited Paul and Paulinism: Essays in Honour of C.K. Barrett, which was published in 1982. The following year, he published Luke and the Law, which was also reprinted in 2005.

Wilson published Related Strangers: Jews and Christians, 70-170 C.E. in 1995. The account describes the tumultuous relations between Christians and Jews just before the time the New Testament appeared, where their similar interpretations of their shared history caused friction between the communities.

Claudia Setzer, reviewing the book in Interpretation, suggested that a "bibliography would have been helpful to spare the reader hunting through the" long list of notes included. Setzer concluded that "the reader might wish for firmer, more dramatic, or simpler conclusions, but in insisting on nuance and complexity, Wilson is true to the evidence and the messy, contradictory nature of relations among religious" people. William Hornbury, writing in the Journal of Theological Studies, found that Related Strangers "is of great value for its broad and judicious review of scholarship" and "its sensitivity to the detail of the sources." Hornbury noted that Wilson's distinct contribution to the field "is particularly to be found in its coverage of a broad range of texts and subjects and in detailed critical engagement with secondary literature. His book is a valuable work of reference, introducing its subject as a whole, and confronting readers with the primary and secondary sources and the complexities of ancient and modern opinion. The author deserves warm gratitude."

Wilson then edited Voluntary Associations in the Graeco-Roman World with John S. Kloppenborg in 1996. He also edited Text and Artifact in the Religions of the Mediterranean Antiquity: Essays in Honour of Peter Richardson, in 2000 with Michael Desjardins. Honoring the life and scholarship of Richardson, the book compiles essays from thirty respected scholars on the topics of Herod the Great, Paul, and Christian and Jewish relations in the first century.

Edgar Krentz, reviewing the book in Currents in Theology and Mission, remarked that "these studies illustrate the fact that archaeological finds can aid in the interpretation of texts. They are less conclusive about texts illuminating archaeological data."

In 2004 Wilson published Leaving the Fold: Apostates and Defectors in Antiquity. The book looks at how apostates viewed those of the religion they left in Judaism, Christianity, and Paganism ranging from the first century BCE to the fourth century CE.

Graham Gould, writing in the Journal of Ecclesiastical History, pointed out that, in what would initiate debate among many intellectuals, Wilson "comes close on occasions to suggesting that all apostasy—not all of which was voluntary—was a form of assimilation." Gould concluded that "none the less Leaving the Fold is a readable and valuable pioneering study and a useful introductory guide to the sources." Edgar Krentz, reviewing the book in Currents in Theology and Mission, commented that "this is a useful survey that should stimulate more discussions of apostasy and conversion. It fills a gap, is a good read, and is well worth the price."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Catholic Biblical Quarterly, July 1, 1997, Anthony J. Saldarini, review of Related Strangers: Jews and Christians, 70-170 C.E., p. 598; October 1, 1998, Carolyn Osiek, review of Voluntary Associations in the Graeco-Roman World, p. 797.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, March 1, 2005, G.H. Shriver, review of Leaving the Fold: Apostates and Defectors in Antiquity, p. 1245.

Church History, December 1, 1997, Noel Q. King, review of Related Strangers, p. 778.

Currents in Theology and Mission, December 1, 2002, Edgar Krentz, review of Text and Artifact in the Religions of the Mediterranean Antiquity: Essays in Honour of Peter Richardson, p. 473; February 1, 2007, Edgar Krentz, review of Leaving the Fold, p. 51.

Interpretation, July 1, 1997, Claudia Setzer, review of Related Strangers, p. 324.

Journal of Biblical Literature, fall, 1997, Jack T. Sanders, review of Related Strangers, p. 555.

Journal of Ecclesiastical History, January 1, 2006, Graham Gould, review of Leaving the Fold, p. 96.

Journal of Religion, October 1, 1997, Joel Marcus, review of Related Strangers, p. 614; January 1, 2006, Will Deming, review of Leaving the Fold, p. 150.

Journal of Religious History, October 1, 1999, Judith Lieu, review of Voluntary Associations in the Graeco-Roman World, p. 346.

Journal of Theological Studies, April 1, 1997, William Hornbury, review of Related Strangers, p. 214.

Reference & Research Book News, November 1, 2000, review of Text and Artifact in the Religions of the Mediterranean Antiquity, p. 13.

University of Toronto Quarterly, winter, 2001, Robert Hayward, review of Text and Artifact in the Religions of Mediterranean Antiquity, p. 184.

ONLINE

Carleton University, Religion Department Web site,http://www.carleton.ca/chum/religion/ (July 4, 2008), author profile.