Melanie Baffes

Postcards from Egypt

Fiction

“In this fascinating novella, we meet Jesus as an older man who has grown in wisdom, humility, and grace. . . . As he looks back on his spirited and passionate youth and relates the events that unfolded, we hear the Gospel stories anew as we consider how he himself may have understood his life, his followers, his world, and his God. Through this compelling story, Vena has done what no biblical scholar has done: he has reclaimed the voice of Jesus to help us reconnect with his humanity—a humanity that has been largely obscured by the continuous remaking of his divinity.”

Postcards from Rome

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Postcards from Rome is an imaginative look at the extraordinary life of Paul the apostle, one that fills in the gaps of his story and allows readers to get to know him as an actual historical person rather than as a character in the biblical text. Until now, readers of the biblical text have had to put together many pieces to understand Paul, but this novella offers a more cohesive picture, showing us how and why Paul’s ministry and writings were so critical to the development of the Christian tradition.”

The Gospel and the Playground

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“In this highly original reading of Mark’s Gospel, Osvaldo Vena taps into the poetry of Jewish, Palestinian, and Argentine children who have experienced war and violence. The children’s poems express an honesty and vulnerability that is both touching and eye-opening, and Vena uses them as a hermeneutical lens for understanding Mark’s text more fully. The Gospel and the Playground is a beautifully written, thought-provoking, and important read not only for scholars but for anyone interested in the biblical text and its relevance to our world today.”