#73 Part 1 of 2: John Dear with scripture scholar John Dominic Crossan:"Has God given us the freedom to destroy ourselves and the world?"

#73 Part 1 of 2: John Dear with scripture scholar John Dominic Crossan:"Has God given us the freedom to destroy ourselves and the world?"

From The Nonviolent Jesus by Fr. John Dear

May 25, 2026 · 42 min · Season 2 · Episode 73

About this episode

Fr. John Dear interviews scripture scholar John Dominic Crossan about the historical Jesus and the implications of violence in civilization.

On today’s new episode of “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” I speak with my friend author and theologian John Dominic Crossan, perhaps the most widely read scripture scholar in the world. This is the first of two episodes with Dom. John Dominic Crossan is an Irish-born biblical scholar with post-doctoral diplomas in exegesis from Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute and in archeology from Jerusalem’s École Biblique. He has been a Catholic priest, a Co-Chair of the Jesus Seminar, and a President of the Society of Biblical Literature, and is professor emeritus of religious studies at DePaul university in Chicago. His many books include: * God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome; *How to read the Bible and Still Be a Christian; *Resurrecting Easter; *Excavating Jesus; The Birth of Christianity; *Who Killed Jesus? * The Historical Jesus *The Essential Jesus Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography A Memoir: A Long Way from Tipperary . In our conversation, he tells his fascinating journey to “the historical Jesus,” and how this became a global movement. “I can't not think of Jesus while living in this country and what's happening today,” he says. “What is hopeful now for the first time is that we…

People in this episode

Host: Fr. John Dear

Guest: John Dominic Crossan

Topics covered

  • historical Jesus
  • scripture scholarship
  • violence and civilization
  • theological discussion
  • Christianity
  • global movement

Keywords

  • John Dominic Crossan
  • historical Jesus
  • scripture scholar
  • violence
  • Christianity
  • theology
  • religious studies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: DePaul university

Books & works: God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, How to read the Bible and Still Be a Christian, Resurrecting Easter, Excavating Jesus, The Birth of Christianity, Who Killed Jesus?, The Historical Jesus, The Essential Jesus, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, A Memoir: A Long Way from Tipperary

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