Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians while incarcerated in a Roman prison. During this free workshop, we will explore three related questions: Why was Paul locked up? How is his experience of imprisonment reflected in his letter? And how might the prison experiences of Paul and other early Christians shape the modern church’s response to the current crisis of mass incarceration?

Ryan Schellenberg is Associate Professor of New Testament in the Dunn Chair of Biblical Studies at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. His most recent book, Abject Joy: Paul, Prison, and the Art of Making Do (Oxford University Press, 2021), is a reading of Philippians that locates Paul’s letter in its ancient prison context.

This workshop will take place in the Dixon Lounge at Worthington UMC.