Justin Glessner

Justin Glessner provides access to the compelling study of ancient and contemporary religion at the intersection of feminist, queer, and postcolonial theories and social-scientific and historical-critical methods. He teaches the Bible and its reception, in addition to an array of other contemporary, core, and comparative religious studies topics—such as the dynamics and intersection of gender, sexuality, and social justice in the study of religion. His upcoming book, entitled The Making(s) of an Average Joe: Gender, the Everyday, and the Reception of Joseph of Nazareth in Early Christian Discourse (2024), confronts competing views of conventional masculinity in the earliest, and often overlooked, receptions of the character of Joseph of Nazareth found in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, the Protevangelium of James, and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Supplementing critical studies of spectacular gender performances in early Christianity, the author reveals deep instabilities inherent even (or especially) in seemingly ordinary or ‘everyday’ coding of masculine subjectivities in ancient Christian narratives, while also putting to the test ways in which canonical infancy material might be considered part of reception history. The study exposes the political mechanics behind Joseph’s colorful characterizations and opens interpretive possibilities for rethinking normative views of manliness in early Christianity and beyond. Justin continues to serve in a variety of capacities in (inter)national professional organizations and to teach, research, and advise in the areas of diverse approaches to religious (and more specifically biblical) studies.