Ethnicity, race, and religion in early Christian and Jewish identities: a critical examination of ancient sources and modern scholarship

Religion and ethnicity or race are facets of identity that intersect and overlap in complex and varied ways. They are neither identical nor entirely separable, but clearly bound up in some of the most intractable and prominent conflicts in the contemporary world. The most obvious overlaps in contemporary Europe and the USA, with their predominantly Christian traditions, concern the depiction and treatment of Jews and Muslims, often the target of various forms of prejudice and hostility. Crucial to explore are the ways in which the self-identity of the dominant white traditionally-Christian population is constructed by juxtaposition with these others, where the distinctiveness and superiority of the one depends on a certain portrayal - not least in religious and ethnic terms - of the other.
The key aim for the proposed fellowship is to explore the intertwining of religious and ethnic or racial facets of identity in Jewish and Christian texts from the period of Christian origins, and to expose the ideological and political motivations of scholarly depictions of these in modern New Testament scholarship. In addressing these issues, the planned programme combines intensive research with a range of collaborative and interdisciplinary activities that will develop the Fellow's leadership in new ways, build research relationships in this country and internationally, and bring this research to bear on contemporary issues of major significance through a range of impact-related and public engagement activities. Addressing the central issues will require the Fellow to engage the collaboration of scholars from a range of contexts and disciplines. The project will be hosted in Exeter's Centre for Biblical Studies, under the Fellow's directorship.
In the first phase of the programme, looking at particular case studies, the research will investigate how 'ethnic', 'racial' and 'religious' facets of identity are evident in Christian and Jewish texts, and examine how ethnic or racial terms are deployed in these texts in constructing identity, drawing boundaries, and confronting perceived threat. The project will question an established scholarly tendency to contrast Judaism as a form of ethnic identity with Christianity as a non-ethnic identity. Under the Fellow's leadership a group of scholars from various disciplines will explore these questions in the first project workshop. The research will also document the varied depictions of 'Christian' and 'Jewish' identity in scholarship across a range of time periods from 1815 to the present, particularly in Britain, Germany, and the USA, and particularly in commentaries - the most prominent form in which biblical scholarship is communicated to a wider public, especially in the churches. In doing this, the research will show how scholarly constructions of Christian and Jewish identities in the field of New Testament studies continue - despite all the distancing from the more obviously antisemitic perspectives of the past - to reflect an essentially religious and racist ideology which presumes the superior character, achievements, and potential of Christianity. A second project workshop, led by the Fellow, will bring together a different group of scholars expert in the critical analysis of the ideologies of contemporary scholarship to explore these issues. An international conference, hosted by the Centre for Biblical Studies, will bring global voices into conversation about the intersections of religious and ethnic or racial identities in Christianity and in Christian constructions of and encounters with 'others', and the role of the Bible in generating and legitimating such identities. Finally, the project will reflect on the implications of these findings for contemporary political discourse in traditionally 'Christian' societies such as Britain, where issues of community cohesion and relations between ethnic and religious groups are prominent concerns.

(1) Who will benefit from this research?
This research project deals with issues concerning the overlapping of religious and ethnic or racial identities which are at the heart of contemporary global tensions concerning the character of societies and nations, and the prospects for peaceable inclusion and tolerance of diversity. Focused specifically on the topic of Christianity's constructions of self and other, particularly in relation to Judaism, it is most relevant to those living in the predominantly and traditionally Christian countries of the Western world. As such, it potentially benefits a very wide circle, though as a critical probing of ideologies of white and Christian superiority it will not be comfortable or amenable to - and may not be welcomed by - all such potential beneficiaries. The specific groups to whom the research should be of benefit include the following:
- Policy-makers and government officials concerned with the social framework and discursive terminology with which to address issues of national and community identity and cohesion.
- Charitable and community groups concerned with issues of religious and racial discrimination, and particularly with the overlaps between these two forms of prejudice.
- Religious groups, and especially Christian groups, grappling with issues raised by multi-faith and multi-ethnic societies, and seeking to be self-critical about the forms and causes of tension between those of different traditions.
- Those involved in secondary education and dealing with issues of religion, ethics and citizenship.

(2) How will they benefit from this research?
The intended beneficiaries will benefit from the research in the following ways:
- among the public, charitable and religious groups, educationalists, and government, there will be increased awareness of the complex overlaps between religion and ethnicity and hence between religious and racial prejudice
- there will be enriched understanding of the characteristics of Christianity and Judaism, their complex interrelations, and the influence of scholarly constructions on wider perceptions
- this greater understanding will hopefully enhance the prospects for genuine and self-critical relationship-building across boundaries of ethnic and religious difference.
In order to maximise the potential benefits of this research, the project's plans include actions and events to bring it to wide public attention, and specifically to the attention of the groups identified above. These are set out in more detail in the Pathways to Impact document. Since the research has a specific academic location in the field of New Testament Studies and a focus on a period of ancient history, together with its associated modern scholarship, it will require initiative to publicise the relevance and value of this research for those whose focus is on contemporary society. We will therefore:
- Publicise the topics and relevance of the project workshops using the expertise and support of the University's Press Office to enable discussion of the issues raised in the media.
- Organise a public lecture as part of the project conference, in which a high-profile international visitor (provisionally Musa Dube, S. Africa) will relate the project's themes to global challenges concerning religion and race.
- Organise a public event, inviting Exeter's MP (currently Ben Bradshaw) to participate, to disseminate and discuss the research and its findings.
- Publicise the research through a comment piece in the Guardian, and, assisted by the Press Office, seek other media exposure.
- Write a briefing for UK politicians, charities and faith-groups, relating key findings of the research project to contemporary challenges and issues, and seek to collaborate with the CoExist (interfaith) Foundation and its Director Michael Wakelin, in disseminating these findings.
- Write a thinkpiece for a national secondary RE journal (Dialogue, or RE Today) and website (RE-Online)