Dr. Sarah E. Rollens, associate professor of religious studies at Rhodes College, has been awarded First Place in the “Scripture-Academic Studies” category of the 2026 Catholic Media Association’s Book Awards for her book titled Judeophobia and the New Testament: Texts and Contexts.
Award winners are featured in the association’s publication The Catholic Journalist. The following was noted in the publication about Rollen’s book, which she co-edited with Eric Vanden Eykel of Ferrum College and Dr. Meredith Warren of the University of Sheffield:
This is a fantastic and necessary theological work for today. Relying on the Scriptures, writings of the Church Fathers, continuing through theologians to the modern day, this text explores the challenging questions of the relationship between the Jewish leaders, the Temple system, and the early Christian Church. With no agenda, the editors seriously embark on an understanding of some of the most difficult questions. The presentation of each New Testament work clearly presents an understanding of the development of early understanding of Christian-Jewish relations.
In addition to her editorial role, Rollens serves as co-executive director of the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus and is widely published in the field of early Christianity.