Publications
Title: "Digital Tutor" (November 21, 2023)
The Hispanic Theological Initiative (HTI) published in its Open Plaza website a blog post which highlights how the technologies of the digital tutor (DT) can be used in theological studies. The post follows the experiences that Iodea’s faculty, Dr. José E. Balcells, has had with interactive learning and the use of technology in teaching discipleship and biblical studies. Through this post, Balcells encourages other educators in theological studies to explore the technologies of the DT as options to improve teaching methods and results.
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HTI Open Plaza is an online platform within HTI that amplifies the voices of diverse thinkers, activists, and clergy in the public square. The platform is conversational and interdisciplinary and it engages issues of religion, history, and social justice affecting the Latinx communities. For more information, visit Open Plaza.
Title: "Archaeology And The Old Testament" in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century (2021)
The Jerome Biblical Commentary has, since 1968, been essential reading for all who wish to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the Bible. It is a landmark of biblical scholarship, the first port of call for priests, preachers, students and scholars, and all those lay people who like to keep a one-volume Biblical commentary in their home to enlighten their reading of the scriptures.
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In this new fully revised edition, the publication of which has been welcomed by Pope Francis (who has also written the foreword), the entire content of the commentary has been revised to bring it up-to-date with the very latest scholarship, featuring the leading international scholars of our day. Whilst based on the historical critical method of Biblical study, the contributors draw in a range of more contemporary approaches to the biblical texts. The pool of contributors has also been broadened outside north America and Western Europe to include a more diverse range of perspectives, ensuring that the Jerome speaks more comprehensively to a global Church. The ‘General Articles’ section has been revised to include articles on new approaches to the study of the bible and on the interpretation of the bible in diverse pastoral contexts.
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Hard Cover ISBN: 13-978-1-474248853
Title: Household And Family Religion In Persian-Period Judah: An Archaeological Approach (2017)
This study introduces the notion that while textual information is extremely useful for understanding household and family religious practices and rituals in the Levant during the Persian period, it cannot be viewed as normative as it leaves common households and families out of the scholarly picture, and it overlooks the material culture that exists. This study investigates the ritual artifacts from Persian period Tell en-Nasbeh in their original contexts, as a case study that provides a deeper understanding of the religious ideas and practices of households in Persian period Judah. Unlike scholarship that focused on official or state religion, I utilize archaeology of religion and domestic contexts to reveal the existence of household religion and rituals in Persian period Tell en-Nasbeh, along with other contemporary sites in Yehud. Archaeological data from Tell en-Nasbeh and other sites in the Shephelah region of Yehud demonstrates that family and household rituals and religion were practiced in Persian period Judah.
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Hard Cover ISBN-13: 978-0-884142263
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-628371789
Open Access eISBN-13: 978-0-884142256