Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 32:4 (Autumn 2018)
Article: I Tertius
Author: Jeff David Miller

I Tertius

Jeff David Miller

Psychology and sociology, ethnography and ethnology, political science and economics. These and other social sciences are tools for understanding the people of the world—as individuals, as families, as groups, as cultures and subcultures. The articles in this issue of Priscilla Papers all arise, directly or indirectly, from one or more social sciences.

Priscilla Papers is, understandably, heavy on biblical studies, theology, and church history. More often than not, however, its contributions to these disciplines also borrow from the social sciences. One of our most widely read articles, for example, is “The Cultural Context of Ephesians 5:18–6:9, ” written by world-class New Testament scholar Gordon Fee (published in the winter of 2002 and reprinted in our thirtieth-anniversary issue in the autumn of 2017). The title of this article makes it clear that both biblical studies and social sciences are at work. Similarly, the 2015 article, “Judges 19 as a Paradigm for Understanding and Responding to Human Trafficking,” by Priscilla Papers Peer Review Team member Chuck Pitts, also bears a title that immediately reveals an interdisciplinary approach.

In addition to academic theological disciplines, Christian ministry is also inseparable from the social sciences. Preaching is an obvious example. If you have ever heard a lackluster sermon, it was not the biblical message that made you fight to stay awake. It was the art (or lack thereof) of communication, which is a social science. Consider counseling, a profession and skill set which arises primarily from psychology. A Christian counselor will approach psychology, and therefore counseling, with a certain set of theological beliefs. To give a final example, Bible translation—surely an endeavor that underlies almost all biblical interpretation—happens at the intersection of biblical studies and human language. And, of course, the study of language (linguistics) and of the cultures that produce language (anthropology) are social sciences.

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A word about the cover photo: At various places in the articles that follow, you will read about marriage, adoption, and daughterhood (in addition to other topics, of course). This photograph seems an appropriate choice, for it too will prompt some viewers to think about marriage, and perhaps also about adoption. For me, it also sparks the topic of daughterhood, for the bride in the picture is one of my daughters. Honestly, can you really blame me for choosing a photograph that includes such a precious glimpse of my granddaughter?

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The authors and other team members who have produced this issue of Priscill...