Meghan Henning – Educating Early Christians Through the Rhetoric of Hell

Guest: Meghan Henning is Assistant Professor of Christian Origins at the University of Dayton. She specializes in New Testament and Early Christianity, and holds an undergraduate degree in Religion and Economics from Denison University, a Masters degree in Biblical Studies from Yale Divinity School, and a doctorate in New Testament from Emory University. Meghan’s book on the pedagogical function of Hell in antiquity is titled Educating Early Christians through the Rhetoric of Hell (Mohr Siebeck).  She has written several articles, essays, and invited papers on Hell, the New Testament, apocalyptic literature, apocryphal literature, and disability studies. In addition to the New Testament she is interested in the theme of suffering in antiquity, women in early Christianity, Petrine literature, historiography, contemporary philosophy, the work of Michel Foucault, disability studies, feminist hermeneutics, and post-colonial theory. She is the recipient of grants and awards from the Jacob K. Javits foundation, the Society of Biblical Literature, Yale Divinity School, and Emory University. She also appeared in a documentary for the National Geographic Channel.

Episode Details: This episode is guest hosted by Dr. Bradley Jersak, who has a keen interest in the topic of Hell in early Christianity. Brad is lecturer in New Testament and Patristics at Westminster Theological Centre, and among his many publications, he is the author of Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell, and the New Jerusalem (Wipf & Stock, 2010). He is also the editor of www.clarionjournal.com and senior editor of Plain Truth Ministries (www.ptm.org). In this interview, Brad discusses with Meghan the meaning and significance of Hell as a rhetorical teaching strategy in the New Testament and Early Church. Meghan and Brad also discuss Hell in contemporary preaching, horror films, and much more.

Book & Book Sample Details: Meghan Henning, Educating Early Christians through the Rhetoric of Hell: “Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth” as Paideia in Matthew and the Early Church.  WUNT 2/382. Mohr Siebeck, 2014. If you’d like a taste of Meghan’s book, check out her FREE downloadable article ‘Eternal Punishment as Paideia’ and a FREE sample chapter of her book.