Dr. Laura Holmes serves as Professor of New Testament at Wesley Theological Seminary. She holds a B.A. (Religious Studies and History) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.Div. and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. Her research interests include investigating how the New Testament Gospels talk about God and how their manner of speech might be instructive and challenging for theology and discipleship in the church today. Her first book, The Theological Role of Paradox in the Gospel of Mark (Bloomsbury, 2013), explored this idea. She has also completed a commentary on John 1-12 for the New Beacon Bible Commentary Series. A lifelong United Methodist, she is called to and fulfilled by teaching Scripture to and for the church.
Education
B.A. in Religious Studies and History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.Div. Princeton Theological Seminary
Ph.D. Princeton Theological Seminary
Research Interests
Theological readings of the Gospels
Characterization in the Gospels
Women in Scripture
Lament and hope in the Gospels
Apocalyptic Literature
Select Publications
John 1-12: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (introduction and concluding section by George Lyons). New Beacon Bible Commentaries. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2020.
The Theological Role of Paradox in the Gospel of Mark. Library of New Testament Studies 492. London: T. & T. Clark, 2013.
“Transformed Discipleship: A Canonical Reading of Martha and Mary.” Pages 154-177 in The Usefulness of Scripture: Essays in Honor of Robert W. Wall. Edited by Daniel Castelo, Sara M. Koenig, and David R. Nienhuis. University Park, Penn.: Eisenbrauns, 2018.
“The Gospel of John—A Reading Guide.” Eleven section commentary for SPU’s Center for Biblical and Theological Education. Published online, winter 2014 (http://blog.spu.edu/lectio/readings/readings/john/).
Relevant Classes Taught
Introduction to the New Testament
Four Gospels, One Jesus
Biblical Texts: The Gospel of John
Women in Scripture
Death and Resurrection in Scripture
