Book prize for Michael C. Magree, S.J.
Associate Professor of Theology Michael C. Magree, S.J., has been awarded the Best First Book Prize by the North American Patristics Society for his publication The Interpretation of Kenosis from Origen to Cyril of Alexandria: Dimensions of Self-Emptying in the Reception of Philippians 2:7 (Oxford University Press). Twenty books were nominated for the award.
The Interpretation of Kenosis from Origen to Cyril of Alexandria brings the insights of Greek Christianity in the years 200-450 to the understanding of kenosis—a Greek term to describe Christ’s self-emptying through his humbly making human nature his own—to illustrate that new dimensions of the topic open up when it is examined in the historical era of early Christianity.
The award was presented at NAPS’s annual meeting, which was held in May in Chicago. At the conference, Fr. Magree chaired a session on “Agency and Spiritual Maturity in Early Christian Ascetical Writers,” where he presented a paper on “The Rhetoric of Agency: Cyril of Alexandria and Self-Denial’s Role in Spiritual Progress.”
“I am grateful and deeply honored that, among many other excellent candidates, this committee of my fellow scholars regarded my book worthy of this award,” said Fr. Magree, who specializes in early Christian interpretation of the Bible.
The jury statement from the award committee reads, in part: “To promise a full account of the reception and interpretation of a single New Testament verse in the early Church would be suggestive of a narrow, technical discussion. But in his first monograph, The Interpretation of Kenosis from Origen to Cyril of Alexandria (Oxford, 2024), Michael C. Magree, S.J., unlocks the small portal of Philippians 2:7 and leads us into an expansive, vibrant world."
It concludes with: “Magree addresses multiple disciplines: New Testament studies, systematic theology, patristic theology, and the history of interpretation. He makes original contributions in each field, and creates missing bridges across them. Writing in a style both compelling and mature, Magree persuades those of us who are outside these specialties to care about the problem of kenosis, and to think about the solutions.”
Founded in 1970, the North American Patristics Society is a scholarly organization dedicated to the study of the history, literature, and theology of ancient Christianity. Fr. Magree is the second Jesuit priest from Boston College to earn Best First Book Prize honors from NAPS. In 2018, Clough School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor of Historical Theology Brian Dunkle, S.J., was recognized for his book, Enchantment and Creed in the Hymns of Ambrose of Milan.