We at Wipf and Stock are very excited to announce the launch of The Grind, another new podcast series made for you, our growing listener base. The series consists of interviews with young scholars and PhD students talking about the many ways of “making a way” in the theological academy, and all the trials and joys therein.
For The Grind’s inaugural episode, we had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Jordan Daniel Wood. Dr. Wood earned his PhD in theology from Boston College in 2019 and recently published a book with University of Notre Dame Press entitled The Whole Mystery of Christ: Creation as Incarnation in Maximus Confessor. He is also a stay-at-home father of four girls.
In this episode, Dr. Wood and I discuss his intellectual formation, his experiences as a PhD student and young scholar, how he’s carved his own way as an academic, and lots more.
Jordan Daniel Wood is a Catholic theologian and stay-at-home dad of four young daughters. He holds a PhD in Historical Theology from Boston College. His first book was just published, The Whole Mystery of Christ: Creation as Incarnation in Maximus Confessor (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022). He is currently translating Maximus’s Letters for Catholic University of America Press, and is co-translating F. W. J. Schelling’s Original Lectures on the Philosophy of Revelation, a project that recently received an NEH grant. He’s also at work on a book for Wipf and Stock’s Cascade imprint entitled A Shadow of Things to Come: Christian Life with St. Maximus Confessor. He has taught in university, seminary, and high school settings.
Show Notes
PODCAST LINKS:
Dr. Wood’s book: https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203474/the-whole-mystery-of-christ/
Dr. Wood’s academia.edu page: https://bc.academia.edu/JordanWood
Naoki Matcha (Saint Mary’s, GA): https://naokimatcha.com/
Brick & Mortar Coffee (Springfield, MO): https://brickandmortar.coffee/
SOURCES MENTIONED:
Maximus the Confessor. On the Cosmic Mystery of Jesus Christ.
———. On Difficulties in the Church Fathers. Vol, 1, The Ambigua.
———. On Difficulties in the Church Fathers. Vol. 2, The Ambigua.
The Philokalia. 4 vols.
Wood, Jordan Daniel. “The Lively God of Sergius Bulgakov: Reflections on The Sophiology of Death.”
———, and Justin Shaun Coyle. “Must Catholics Hate Hegel?“
OUTLINE:
(02:28) – Matcha, raw milk, and Ethiopian coffee
(05:36) – Discovering historical theology
(12:43) – Maximus as Master
(20:44) – PhD days at Boston College
(24:18) – Family and the life of study
(31:01) – On the merits of not working in the academy
(44:13) – Further merits of being an unattached academic
(59:43) – Advice for prospective and current PhD students