Now Available - She Must and Shall Go Free: Paul's Isaianic Gospel in Galatians

Looking for the cure to insomnia? Or perhaps have an extra $140 burning a hole in your pocket that you are just desperate to spend? Then I have good news for you. My dissertation has now been published and is available for purchase. Here is a brief description:

Scholars have long recognized the importance of Paul´s citations from the Pentateuch for understanding the argument of Galatians. But what has not been fully appreciated is the key role that Isaiah plays in shaping what Paul says and how he says it, even though he cites Isaiah explicitly only once (Isaiah 54:1 in Galatians 4:27). Using an intertextual approach to trace more subtle appropriations of Scripture (i.e., allusions, echoes and thematic parallels), Harmon argues that Isaiah 49-54 in particular has shaped the structure of Paul´s argument and the content of his theological reflection in Galatians. Each example of Isaianic influence is situated within its original context as well as its new context in Galatians. Attention is also paid to how those same Isaianic texts were interpreted in Second Temple Judaism, providing the larger interpretive context within which Paul read Scripture. The result is fresh light shed on Paul´s self-understanding as an apostle to the Gentiles, the content of his gospel message, his reading of the Abraham story and the larger structure of Galatians.

Interview Posted

This week I was interviewed for a blog run by Nijay Gupta, who recently finished his Ph.D. at the University of Durham. The subject was my experience in getting my dissertation published with Walter deGruyter in the BZNW series. You can find the description of my forthcoming book here, and the text of the interview here.