Invest Your Humanity

This volume is dedicated to Marvin C. Meyer, a person of passionate spirit and personality, known to many as the preeminent scholar who brought to life the Gnostic Gospels. Meyer made ancient discoveries relevant to our lives: from his work with National Geographic, informing thousands, to the time he spent with individual students, opening their eyes to the mystery and meaning of a Coptic text. Friends, students, and scholars here pay tribute to Meyer with reflections, new pedagogies, and explorations in biblical texts, ancient magic, and archaeological discoveries. ""This book is a moving tribute to the memory of a great scholar and human being, produced by friends and colleagues at Chapman University and elsewhere. Marvin Meyer had not only a passion for learning, but also a heart for the well-being of others. He championed Albert Schweitzer's commitment to 'reverence for life, ' and he was eager to promote the importance of Religious Studies at Chapman. These interesting and challenging essays take up themes valued by Meyer and they would have pleased him greatly."" --Donald A. Hagner, Fuller Theological Seminary ""Festschrifts often show the scholarly legacy of individuals; this volume reveals the multilayered contribution of Marvin Meyer as teacher, mentor, university colleague, classroom collaborator, research associate, intellectual conversationalist, and passionate seeker. One remembers or discovers the multi-dimensions of this extraordinary intellectual. One learns that a 'scholar' is more than her scholarship; she is a person of integrity whose intellectual pursuits are matched by her dedication to friends, colleagues, students, and one's university. Read, learn, and follow."" --Anne Moore, Associate Professor, Department of Classics and Religion, University of Calgary Julye Bidmead is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Chapman University. She is author of The Akitu Festival (2nd ed., 2004). Gail J. Stearns is Dean of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Chapman University. She is the author of Open Your Eyes (Wipf & Stock, 2010).