In this careful analysis, Matthew Skinner explores the trial narratives of Jesus, Paul, Stephen, and others in the Gospels and Acts who found themselves brought before powerful individuals and groups, often with deadly consequences. His close study of these texts is essential for those interested in the early church’s relationship to the sociopolitical structures in which Christian belief emerged. He shows how the narratives helped shape early Christian identity as these communities sought to understand both the political implications of the emerging Christian gospel as well as the dangers and opportunities their sociopolitical context presented. He also reflects on the theological resources and paradigms these texts offer to Christians today.
Matthew L. Skinner is the Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul and the Scholar for Adult Education at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. An author of numerous books, including A Companion to the New Testament, Intrusive God, Disruptive Gospel: Encountering the Divine in the Book of Acts, and Acts: Catching Up with the Spirit, he also cohosts Sermon Brainwave, a weekly podcast that accompanies preachers in their craft as biblical interpreters.