Formation across generations at bg真人
Published: August 24, 2023
An interview with Mary Schertz on 鈥淥ur Lives as Scholars鈥�
By Karl Stutzman, MLS, Director of Library Services
On Aug. 16, 2023, the bg真人 learning community celebrated a monumental achievement by Mary H. Schertz, PhD, Professor Emerita of New Testament: the release of her as part of the Herald Press Believers Church Bible Commentary series.
bg真人 employees, students, former colleagues of Mary鈥檚, and members of local congregations gathered to congratulate her and to listen to an in-depth interview of Mary by Jackie Wyse-Rhodes, PhD, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible, on 鈥淥ur Lives as Scholars.鈥� The event took place during the orientation week for the seminary鈥檚 newest group of students.
As one of Mary鈥檚 former students at bg真人, Jackie noted that Mary鈥檚 mentoring represented a turning point in her life as a scholar. Mary, in turn, was mentored by a previous generation of faculty members during her studies at bg真人. Indeed, this scholarship and mentoring are integral parts of a long tradition of communal Christian scholarship at the seminary. bg真人 forms leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission in the world by continuing this tradition, inviting new students into the scholarly conversation and enlarging their understanding of the Bible and its context as well as implications of the Christian message for our lives in the world.
Mary鈥檚 love for the Gospel of Luke has been a significant part of her life鈥檚 work as a scholar and Bible teacher. As would seem appropriate for an Anabaptist Bible scholar, her work came to fruition in community. Her work on the Luke commentary stretched through many of her years of teaching New Testament at bg真人, where she tested her emerging ideas in rich interactions with students, friends, colleagues and the broader church.
In the interview with Jackie, Mary pointed to a number of sabbaticals at the Catholic Benedictine St. John鈥檚 Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, and presentations at Mennonite churches as important moments in her journey with Luke鈥檚 Gospel. Students in Mary鈥檚 courses at bg真人 helped her gain insights into the text: for example, she assigned them the task of memorizing passages from the gospel to present in class, which helped her understand the material in new ways.
A 鈥淟uke Group鈥� she convened 鈥� composed of friends and fellow scholars 鈥� continually engaged her in the details of the project, reviewing her writing for authenticity of voice and trustworthy connection to the contemporary church. So, too, Mary sifted the long Christian tradition of interpretive literature on Luke, carefully discerning the sources to rely upon and the ones to differ from. She offered the example of her interpretation of the 鈥渢wo swords鈥� passage in Luke 22, for which she considered recent scholarship but ultimately chose an interpretation informed by the posture of the early church.
During the interview, Jackie and Mary discussed Mary鈥檚 position as a feminist Anabaptist biblical scholar; her understanding of the need for both 鈥渙rdinary鈥� and 鈥減rofessional鈥� readers of the Bible; and her desire for the Bible to remain a vital part of the life of the Church, as a companion and resource.聽
Luke now available
Paperback copies of the Believers Church Bible Commentary Luke (Herald, 2023) by Mary H. Schertz, PhD, can be purchased through the .
Users who order online via the bookstore before Sept. 5, 2023, can receive a copy signed by Mary by specifying that they would like a signed copy in the 鈥渟pecial instructions鈥� comment box at checkout. Signed copies will ship in mid-September.
Copies (including an ebook version) are also available from , in Canada, and other online bookstores.
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