2008 Woodie Awards
Dr. Claudia Setzer Releases New Book
Sheena Charles
Issue date: 10/13/04 Section: Features
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Dr. Claudia Setzer, a distinguished member of Manhattan College's Religious Studies department, has just released her new book entitled, Resurrection of the Body in Early Judaism and Early Christianity. This is not her first major publication as she has previously authored and edited other works. Dr. Setzer first began working at Manhattan College in 1990 and has been a member of the faculty for all 14 years. Her areas of specialty are the New Testament, women in early Judaism and Christianity and early Jewish-Christian relations.
Dr. Setzer says that she often warns students to be careful of what class they pick to fill in their schedule because they never know if they may find themselves pursuing a doctorate in that area. This is quite the way that she became religious studies major. As a junior in college, Dr. Setzer was a psychology major and needed one more class that would fit into her schedule. She decided to register for Intro to New Testament and found that she liked both her professor as well as the class. She began taking more and more classes and eventually graduated as a religious study major.
Resurrection of the Body in Early Judaism and Early Christianity is a product of five years of dedicated work. Dr. Setzer went on sabbatical for one year to get the book started, and she continued her work on it while teaching. It is about early Jewish and Christian groups and how they viewed themselves in relation to Greco Roman society. The book addresses the question of what made them different from the people of the Mediterranean society. What is unique about the early Jews and Christians is their belief in resurrection of the body after death, whereas the Greco world believed that the body died and the soul was freed and entered into a state of immortality. Dr. Setzer argues that this idea of bodily resurrection implied that the body was in fact good and an integral part of God's creation. Resurrection was linked to a strong belief in God's power as a creator. This belief of early Jews and Christians was also linked to Scripture. It represented a belief that the body and soul were unified in the human being and promoted the idea of ultimate justice.
Dr. Setzer says that she often warns students to be careful of what class they pick to fill in their schedule because they never know if they may find themselves pursuing a doctorate in that area. This is quite the way that she became religious studies major. As a junior in college, Dr. Setzer was a psychology major and needed one more class that would fit into her schedule. She decided to register for Intro to New Testament and found that she liked both her professor as well as the class. She began taking more and more classes and eventually graduated as a religious study major.
Resurrection of the Body in Early Judaism and Early Christianity is a product of five years of dedicated work. Dr. Setzer went on sabbatical for one year to get the book started, and she continued her work on it while teaching. It is about early Jewish and Christian groups and how they viewed themselves in relation to Greco Roman society. The book addresses the question of what made them different from the people of the Mediterranean society. What is unique about the early Jews and Christians is their belief in resurrection of the body after death, whereas the Greco world believed that the body died and the soul was freed and entered into a state of immortality. Dr. Setzer argues that this idea of bodily resurrection implied that the body was in fact good and an integral part of God's creation. Resurrection was linked to a strong belief in God's power as a creator. This belief of early Jews and Christians was also linked to Scripture. It represented a belief that the body and soul were unified in the human being and promoted the idea of ultimate justice.