Fabrics of discourse

Vernon K. Robbins has changed the face of New Testament studies through his commitment to exploring the interface of several disciplines. His Exploring the Texture of Texts introduces students to the ways that society and rhetoric form part of the fabric out of which literary texts are woven, and he began the Emory Studies in Early Christianity Series as a way of disseminating works using this method. His Jesus the Teacher remains a classic work in rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. Finally, he has been instrumental in gathering the rhetorical forms of the ancient world into a large database that will aid both New Testament and classical studies.