Ali Robinson
New Testament scholar.
Academic Research
Peer-reviewed articles, chapters and books
Luke-Acts/ Reading the New Testament in its Social Context
Galilean Trust Networks
By examining the Gospels and Acts, this paper demonstrates how local networks not only provided the essential infrastructure for the spread of the early Christian message across the Galilean landscape, but how these networks themselves help us understand the earliest Jesus followers.
Alexandra Robinson and Stephen Llewelyn, "Trust Networks and Village Life in Roman Galilee: A Case Study of the Gospel Narratives and Acts." In The Village in Antiquity and the Rise of Early Christianity, edited by Alan Cadwallader, James R. Harrison, Angela Standhartinger, and Larry L. Welborn, 173–198. London: T&T Clark, 2024.
High-Standing Women of Acts
This chapter challenges traditional narratives by demonstrating the significant socio-political leverage wielded by prominent women within the synagogue communities of the Greek East. By reassessing the term euschemon (high-standing), the research highlights how these elite figures acted as vital brokers of influence in the early Lukan mission.
"High-Standing Women in the Book of Acts and Their Influence among the Synagogues of the Greek East." In Early Christian Communities in the Urban Contexts of Asia Minor and the Greek East: Essays in Honour of Paul Trebilco, edited by Katie Marcar, James R. Harrison and John M. G. Barclay, 394–413. Brill, 2026. Coauthored with Stephen Llewelyn.
Women of Leading Men
Building on the research conducted in our chapter on high-standing women, this paper looks specifically at the women of Acts 17:4 to determine if they are in fact "leading" in their own right or gain their influence through their male kin.
"‘Leading Women’ or ‘Wives/Daughters of the Leading Men’: The Ambiguity of the expression γυναικῶν τε τῶν πρώτων in Acts 17.4," Novum Testamentum 68/3 (2026): 1–27. Coauthored with Stephen Llewelyn.
Roman Egyptian Villages
This research explores the social fabric of Tebtunis by analyzing how interpersonal trust and local associations facilitated daily operations and community cohesion.
Stephen Llewelyn and Alexandra Robinson, "Trust Networks and Village Life in Roman Egypt: A Case Study of Tebtunis." In The Village in Antiquity and the Rise of Early Christianity, edited by Alan Cadwallader, Jim Harrison, Angela Standhartinger, and Larry Welborn, 127–153. T&T Clark, 2024.
Deaths of Ananias and Sapphira
This research explores Acts 5:1–11 through the lens of group-embedded identity and ancient trust networks. It analyzes how the community’s social fabric and collective expectations shaped the narrative’s severe disciplinary outcome.
Exploring the Deaths of Ananias and Sapphira: A Study in Group-Embedded Identity and Broken Communal Trust, New Testament Studies [Forthcoming, 2026].
Is Mary Blessed?
Noting the controversial place that Mary, the mother of Jesus, has held throughout church history, this paper joins the growing body of scholarship that seeks to lift her from doctrinal battles. To do this, the present study challenges the traditional reading of Luke 11:27–28, instead seeing these words as a celebration of Mary's embodied discipleship in her bearing and nurturing of the son of God.
Is Mary Blessed? Reconsidering Luke 11:27–28 and the Embodied Discipleship of the Mother of God, Journal of Gospels and Acts Research 9 (2025) 33–55.
Jude and Ancient Rhetoric
Mercy and Invective in Jude
This article demonstrates how Jude surprisingly subverts the traditional conventions of Greco-Roman invective at a critical moment in his letter, highlight the importance of mercy in the Christian life.
Showing Mercy to the Ungodly and the Inversion of Invective in Jude, New Testament Studies 64 (2018) 194–212. Coauthored with Stephen Llewelyn and Blake Wassel.
Does the Devil have a Father?
John 8:44 has been a source of concern because of its ambiguity. Is it to be read “of (your) father, the devil” or “of the father of the devil”? This article contends that the former reading is accurate.
Does John 8:44 Imply that the Devil has a Father? Novum Testamentum 60/1 (2018) 14–23. Coauthored with Stephen Llewelyn and Blake Wassel.
Mercy and Invective in Jude
This article demonstrates how Jude surprisingly subverts the traditional conventions of Greco-Roman invective at a critical moment in his letter, highlight the importance of mercy in the Christian life.
Showing Mercy to the Ungodly and the Inversion of Invective in Jude, New Testament Studies 64 (2018) 194–212. Coauthored with Stephen Llewelyn and Blake Wassel.
Jude on the Attack
This volume presents an in-depth exploration of the text against the backdrop of Second Temple Judaism and Greco-Roman culture. By highlighting unified literary structures and Enochic influences, the study reveals how the author’s rigorous rhetoric works in tandem with an urgent plea for collective compassion and spiritual endurance.
Forthcoming Research
Monograph
The Gospel According to Jude
This short, accessible monograph is for biblical studies students, pastors, and engaged lay readers. Its central question is simple: What is the gospel message according to Jude, and why do we need to hear it? Jude is a compelling letter filled with bizarre imagery of angels abandoning heaven, the devil fighting with the archangel Michael, and fire raining down on sinful cities. But amidst these terrifying and strange stories there is a message of hope. Far from being a peripheral or expendable text, the book of Jude offers a vision of the Christian gospel that must be heard in our times.
Magical Rituals and Blaspheming Angels in the Book of Jude
As part of Jude’s brief but forceful polemic against a group of intruders, he accuses them of τὰς δόξας βλασφημοῦσιν, traditionally translated “blaspheming angels” or “blaspheming the glorious ones” (v. 8). The precise referent and nature of this accusation is highly contested. This paper argues that Jude is concerned by ritualistic engagement with angels through magical practices. Drawing on evidence from magical artifacts (e.g., amulets, incantation bowls, and related magical material) and a wide range of Jewish and Greco-Roman sources, it will be shown that angels were frequently named, invoked, and at times (supposedly) restrained in ritualistic practices for both protective and manipulative ends. Such practices provide a plausible social and religious backdrop for Jude’s sharp rebuke.
Journal Article