Jason David Beduhn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963 (age 62–63) |
| Occupations | University teacher, historian, biblical scholar |
| Title | Professor |
| Awards | Guggenheim Fellowship (2004), Best First Book Award in the History of Religions (2001) |
| Academic background | |
| Education |
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| Academic work | |
| Discipline | History of religion,History of culture |
| Institutions | Northern Arizona University (since 1998),University of Indianapolis (1997–1998),Western Maryland College (1996),Indiana University Bloomington (1990–1995, 1996–1997, 1998) |
Jason David BeDuhn (born 1963) is an American historian of religion and culture, currently Professor of Religious Studies atNorthern Arizona University,[1] and former chair of the Department of Humanities, Arts, and Religion.[2]
BeDuhn holds aB.A. in Religious studies from theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, anM.T.S. in New Testament and Christian Origins fromHarvard Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in the Comparative Study of Religions fromIndiana University Bloomington.[2]
Much of BeDuhn's published research relates toManichaeism, particularly its disciplinary and ritual systems, but also its role as a catalyst in religious history, as well as its distinctive interpretation of Christian traditions related to the teachings of Jesus and Paul. BeDuhn considers that the conversion ofAugustine from Manichaeism toNicene Christianity was not a sudden act but a life-long transformation, with thenarrative we now have being the product of Augustine's own idealized retrospect. BeDuhn roots Augustine's dissatisfaction with the Manichaean faith in its practice-focused way of life and external social pressures leading him towardsapostasy. The 383 AD law ordered byFlavius Hypatius that condemned anyone who converted from Christianity toPaganism,Judaism, orManichaeism is cited as one of these strong social pressures.[3]
Beginning with his bookThe First New Testament: Marcion's Scriptural Canon, BeDuhn has stated that theGospel of Marcion (called simply 'The Gospel' by adherents ofMarcionism) was not produced nor adapted byMarcion of Sinope, but instead adopted by him from a pre-existing gospel text from which he says theGospel of Luke is also derived.[4][5]
BeDuhn suggests that Luke may be a post-Marcion redaction, but maintains a form of thetwo-source hypothesis, with Marcion's Gospel interchanged with Luke as the product of a combination ofMark andQ. This differs slightly fromMatthias Klinghardt's view thatMarcion's gospel was based on the Gospel of Mark, with theGospel of Matthew based on Mark and Marcion, and the Gospel of Luke expanding on Marcion with reference to Matthew and Mark.[6] These views contrast with assertions of someChurch Fathers and the belief of some biblical scholars such asBruce Metzger andBart Ehrman that Marcion redacted the Gospel of Luke in accordance with his personal theology.[7][8] TheologianAdolf von Harnack also accepted the view of the Church Fathers that Marcion wished to "purify" the Evangelion to an original state given by Christ and defy the fabricated Gospel of Luke, all without appealing torevelation.[9]
BeDuhn has been involved in a collaborative project to edit and translate an ancient Coptic Manichaean manuscript with funding from theNational Endowment for the Humanities and theAustralian Research Council.[10]
In 2010 and 2013, BeDuhn published a two-part work entitledAugustine's Manichaean Dilemma in which he considers "the deep imprint ofManicheanism onAugustine".[13][14][15]
