Nathan Johnson wins international book award to be presented in Germany

Written by Dan Klein

Assistant Professor of Religion Nathan Johnson has won the Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise for his first book titled “The Suffering Son of David in Matthew’s Passion Narrative.” It’s the first full-scale examination of messiah traditions in the Gospel of Matthew’s story of Jesus’s death.

The Lautenschlaeger Award honors ten scholars from all over the world for outstanding dissertations or the first postdoctoral work under the broad subject of “God and Spirituality.” The awardees are selected from a panel of 20 judges which are spread over 15 countries.

“It’s an honor to receive this award for my first book,” said Johnson. “I’m humbled to be included among this international group of award recipients, and I’m looking forward to representing UIndy at the award ceremony in Germany this summer. And I’m also eager to continue work on my next research project, which is made possible through the support of the University and driven by the curiosity of my students.” 

Johnson, who specializes in ancient Judaism and Christianity, and his book, which examines Matthew’s account of Jesus’s death as a way to think through how religious communities make sense of suffering and tragedy, have been previously profiled on UIndy 360.

Johnson will be honored in May as part of a festive ceremony in the Old Auditorium of Heidelberg University in Heidelberg, Germany. 

Click here to view the other winners or for more information about the Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise.