Our Great

Author: Hugo Mendez

I occasionally publish news and posts

New History Episodes Premiering

The coming of Spring brings back some of your favorite History Channel shows. Look for me on new episodes of Holy Marvels (now beginning Season 2) and History’s Greatest Mysteries (Season 6)!

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New Book: “The Gospel of John: A New History”

I’m excited to share that my next book, The Gospel of John: A New History, will be published this summer with Oxford University Press. The book offers a new account of the origins of John, one of the most beloved Christian scriptures, reimagining its authorship, purpose, theology, narrative symbolism, and reception. Pre-orders are now available […]

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Online Course: “The New Testament: Exploring the Christian Bible”

This Winter, I’m taking a really exciting step (or leap!) into public scholarship. I’ll be teaching an online course through the Biblical Studies Academy entitled, “The New Testament: Exploring the Christian Bible.” Here’s a teaser: Designed to replicate the experience of a university-level “Introduction to the New Testament” class, this online course offers the elite […]

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New Episodes on the History Channel

I’ve had fun as a regular expert on the History Channel, covering topics anywhere across ancient history and religion. Tonight will be a doubleheader: look for me on History’s Greatest Mysteries and the series premiere of Holy Marvels (9 and 10pm EDT). More new episodes will follow over the next two months!

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“Who Wrote John?” Bible for Normal People Podcast

Is the biblical author John the person we think he is? Check out my latest interview on the Bible for Normal People podcast! This one is a fun exploration of how scholars think, how we grapple with difficult questions, and how we might try to incorporate scholarship better in our local churches.

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USCCB Lecture: ¿Cuál es el mensaje del evangelio y las cartas de Juan?

The USCCB invited me to record a Spanish-language lecture for the Sunday of the Word of God on the message of the Gospel and Epistles of John. One can find the video of the talk here. For other videos, and supplementary resources for my talk, click here.

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New Insights into the New Testament Conference (2023): The NT Gospels

This fall (2023), I was part of an exciting new venture: a biblical conference for non-scholars. My talk was entitled, “Unlocking the Symbolism of the Fourth Gospel.” Here’s the abstract: The Gospel of John contains many narratives and images not contained in other early accounts of the life of Jesus. These materials were deliberately crafted—invented—by […]

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History Channel: History’s Greatest Mysteries, Season 4 (2023)

Look for me on multiple episodes of Season 4 of “History’s Greatest Mysteries” (History Channel). Two are now available on Hulu.

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MythVision Podcast: “Wrong about the Gospel of John”

In preparation for the upcoming New Insights into the New Testament virtual conference, I recorded a little teaser interview on the MythVision Podcast. Derek Lambert is great, and it was a lot of fun. Here’s the description: Join Dr. Hugo Mendez from UNC Chapel Hill as he delves into the intricate tapestry of the Gospel […]

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Summer Residency at the NHC

The UNC College of Arts and Sciences made this small feature profiling me and my Geography colleague, Nina Martin. We were honored to be selected as Summer Residents at the National Humanities Center (and it’s been such an incredible time). Enjoy learning about my work here!

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