About Rob Heaton

I am a recent PhD in New Testament, Christian origins, and early Christian studies (University of Denver, 2019), with interests in the Gospels, Apostolic Fathers, canon studies, heresy/orthodoxy, and much more. Although I now teach seminary students online, I have also taught undergraduates in a non-religious setting and can speak to and with audiences of all types. Being a “close reader” of texts, I love to devour new research on these topics and would be delighted to host interviews with authors not only in these specialties but in other areas of religious studies in which I have taken an interest, such as, e.g., [1] world Christianities, especially forms of belief in places like east Asia (China, North Korea, Myanmar, etc.) where it is practiced “underground,” [2] Christianity and philosophy, and [3] theism, atheism, and declining religious adherence in the Western world. Aside from religion, I am an avid cyclist, I love the outdoors, and enjoy sports like baseball and soccer. I am from St. Louis originally, but live in Colorado presently, and having listened for many years to podcasts ranging from Star Wars and sports to news, politics, true crime, and, yes, “New Books in Religion!”
Rob Heaton (Ph.D., University of Denver, 2019) hosts Biblical Studies conversations for New Books in Religion and teaches New Testament, Christian origins, and early Christianity at Anderson University in Indiana. His research focuses on the New Testament canon and other early Christian literature, especially subcanonical books like The Shepherd of Hermas and the Apostolic Fathers. For more about Rob and his work, or to offer feedback related to his podcast episodes, please see his website at https://www.robheaton.com.
Rob's website

NBN Episodes hosted by Rob:

Clare K. Rothschild, "The Muratorian Fragment: Text, Translation, Commentary" (Mohr Siebeck, 2022)

February 6, 2024

The Muratorian Fragment

Clare K. Rothschild
Hosted by Rob Heaton

Discovered and published in 1740 by the Ambrosian librarian Ludovico Muratori, the so-called “Muratorian Fragment” has long featured for New Testament…

Angela Kim Harkins, "An Embodied Reading of the Shepherd of Hermas: The Book of Visions and Its Role in Moral Formation" (Equinox, 2023)

February 5, 2024

An Embodied Reading of the Shepherd of Hermas

Angela Kim Harkins
Hosted by Rob Heaton

Among early Christian books abandoned at the flipside of the canonical boundary, the Shepherd of Hermas is presently undergoing an exciting renaissanc…

Isaac Soon, "A Disabled Apostle: Impairment and Disability in the Letters of Paul" (Oxford UP, 2023)

December 16, 2023

A Disabled Apostle

Isaac Soon
Hosted by Rob Heaton

For generations, Pauline scholars have responded in different ways to the Apostle’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7), our clearest indication that P…

J. Daniel, "Suds Series: Baseball, Beer Wars, and the Summer of '82" (U Missouri Press, 2023)

November 26, 2023

Suds Series

J. Daniel
Hosted by Rob Heaton

On this episode, J. Daniel takes readers back more than forty years, telling a story that is part baseball history, part urban history, and part U.S. …

Richard S. Ascough, "Early Christ Groups and Greco-Roman Associations: Organizational Models and Social Practices" (Cascade Books, 2022)

November 16, 2023

Early Christ Groups and Greco-Roman Associations

Richard S. Ascough
Hosted by Rob Heaton
Listen:

Exegetes have long relied on the framework of the Acts of the Apostles to understand the behavior and organization of Paul’s various ekklēsiai (assemb…

Matthew Thiessen, "A Jewish Paul: The Messiah's Herald to the Gentiles" (Baker Academic, 2023)

October 22, 2023

A Jewish Paul

Matthew Thiessen
Hosted by Rob Heaton

Excavating and interpreting Paul’s thought, belief, ideas, and mission from his authentic letters and those otherwise attributed to him remains an ong…

Thomas E. Boomershine, "First-Century Gospel Storytellers and Audiences: The Gospels as Performance Literature" (Cascade Books, 2022)

October 4, 2023

First-Century Gospel Storytellers and Audiences

Thomas E. Boomershine
Hosted by Rob Heaton
Listen:

Tom Boomershine, one of the pioneers of performance criticism for biblical texts, joined the New Books Network to discuss the publication of First-Cen…

Michael Kochenash, "Roman Self-Representation and the Lukan Kingdom of God" (Fortress Academic, 2020)

September 26, 2023

Roman Self-Representation and the Lukan Kingdom of God

Michael Kochenash
Hosted by Rob Heaton
Listen:

Michael Kochenash published his revised dissertation from Claremont School of Theology as Roman Self-Representation and the Lukan Kingdom of God (Lexi…

Joshua Schachterle, "John Cassian and the Creation of Monastic Subjectivity" (Equinox Publishing, 2023)

August 30, 2023

John Cassian and the Creation of Monastic Subjectivity

Joshua Schachterle
Hosted by Rob Heaton
Listen:

In John Cassian and the Creation of Monastic Subjectivity (Equinox Books, 2023), a revision of his 2019 dissertation, Joshua Schachterle evaluates the…

James Crossley and Robert J. Myles, "Jesus: A Life in Class Conflict" (Zero Books, 2023)

August 2, 2023

Jesus

James Crossley and Robert J. Myles
Hosted by Rob Heaton
Listen:

Alongside their collective acumen in traditional historical-critical and social-scientific approaches to the New Testament, James Crossley and Robert …

Yonatan Adler, "The Origins of Judaism: An Archaeological-Historical Reappraisal" (Yale UP, 2022)

July 29, 2023

The Origins of Judaism

Yonatan Adler
Hosted by Rob Heaton

In The Origins of Judaism: An Archaeological-Historical Reappraisal (Yale University Press, 2022), Yonatan Adler pursues the societal adoption of reco…

Eric Vanden Eykel, "The Magi: Who They Were, How They've Been Remembered, and Why They Still Fascinate" (Fortress Press, 2022)

July 3, 2023

The Magi

Eric Vanden Eykel
Hosted by Rob Heaton
Listen:

The Magi: Who They Were, How They’ve Been Remembered, and Why They Still Fascinate (Fortress Press, 2022) is Eric Vanden Eykel’s second monograph over…

Christoph Heilig, "The Apostle and the Empire: Paul's Implicit and Explicit Criticism of Rome" (Eerdmans, 2022)

June 25, 2023

The Apostle and the Empire

Christoph Heilig
Hosted by Rob Heaton
Listen:

Was Paul silent on the affairs and injustices of the Roman Empire? Or have his letters just been misread? In The Apostle and the Empire: Paul’s Implic…

Lee Martin McDonald, "Before There Was a Bible: Authorities in Early Christianity" (T&T Clark, 2023)

May 26, 2023

Before There Was a Bible

Lee Martin McDonald
Hosted by Rob Heaton

Before There Was a Bible: Authorities in Early Christianity (T&T Clark, 2023) is a natural outgrowth from McDonald’s significant and ongoing work in t…