Overview
Susan Grove Eastman’s scholarly focus is on Paul’s letters in relationship to the formation and transformation of Christian identity. Her first book explored Paul’s use of relational imagery to proclaim the gospel’s transforming and sustaining power in the life of Christian communities. More recent work has focused on Paul’s understanding of Israel, in Galatians and Romans, and on the theme of the incarnation, in Philippians. Her current research investigates questions of participation, imitation and identity formation, through a close reading of key Pauline texts in their first century context, and in conversation with contemporary work in the fields of cognitive psychology and neuroscience. With appointments in both the biblical and ministerial divisions, Dr. Eastman teaches courses on the New Testament, the Bible in the church, and preaching Paul, and directs the Doctor of Theology program.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Galatians 2:15–21
Journal Article Interpretation (United Kingdom) · October 1, 2022 Full text CiteChristian Experience and Paul’s Logic of Solidarity: The Spiral Structure of Romans 5–8
Journal Article Biblical Annals · January 1, 2022 This essay investigates key aspects of the rhetorical structure of Romans 5–8 in relationship to Paul’s depictions of Christian experience. Taking Romans 5:1–5 as a blueprint for a trajectory of hope in chapters 5–8, I discuss three textual “detours” where ... Full text CiteCommunication, Agency, and the Relational Self in ASD and the Letters of Paul
Journal Article Journal of Disability and Religion · January 1, 2021 The experience and reflections of people on the autism spectrum act as a “context of discovery” about human communication and agency, in conversation with a robust theological account drawn from Paul’s depiction of personhood in relationship to sin and sal ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Graduate Program Teaching Initiative
Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Wabash Center · 2013 - 2015View All Grants