Susan Benton, Ph.D.
Lecturer In Religion and Ministry Guidance
Education:
Ph.D. Religion, Baylor University
Th.M. New Testament, Duke Divinity School
M.Div., Fuller Theological Seminary
B.A. in Religion: Pastoral Leadership, Vanguard University of Southern California
Biography:
Susan E. Benton joined the faculty in Religion in Fall 2023 as a Lecturer and member of the Ministry Guidance team. A California native, Susan worked in church ministries and became a licensed Presbyterian minister before becoming a scholar in New Testament. She and her family came to Texas after living in North Carolina and Alabama. Susan and her husband James have three sons, two pugs, and one chihuahua.
Academic Interests and Research:
Susan’s recent research focuses on examining inscriptions featuring women in leadership roles in ancient Greco-Roman associations and pointing to how those roles can allow us to reimagine the activities of women in early Christ groups. Her first book, forthcoming with Mohr Siebeck, presents a profile of responsibilities and influence for envisioning the work of Phoebe as a deacon and a patron, and of Prisca as a leader of a local ekklesia. Her work seeks to further discussions within social science research that fill out the lives of ancient women and reinforce the importance of women’s leadership in early Christianity—and today. She also maintains an interest in poverty studies and the gospels, launched during her Master of Theology, analyzing economic ethics in the gospel of Luke. Among other topics, she has presented conference papers discussing the role of simplicity in the Shepherd of Hermas and considering rhetoric in a Lukan parable about wealth.
Publications:
Monograph:
Women Patrons and Mothers in Greco-Roman Associations and the New Testament. WUNT II. Mohr Siebeck: Tübingen, Forthcoming.
Edited Volumes:
“Making Use of the Sacred Dead: Stephen’s Speech and the Rewritten History of Sarah’s Tomb,” forthcoming in Catholic Biblical Association Emerging Scholar’s Conference Proceedings, Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series. [This one was “under review" previously. Now it has been accepted and is in the editorial process.]
“Women in the Ancient Mediterranean,” pages 484–499 in Behind the Scenes of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts. Edited by T. J. Lang, Bruce Longenecker, and Elizabeth E. Shively. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2024. [This one is already in the bio, but as a forthcoming without page numbers. So this can replace the prior version.]
Book Review:
1 Corinthians by Louise Schottroff. English translation by Everett Kalin. Review of Biblical Literature. Spring 2024.
Courses Taught at Baylor:
REL 1310 Christian Scriptures
REL 1350 Christian Heritage
REL 2480 Introduction to Ministry