Who Helped Make the Bible? Candida Moss on Christianity's Overlooked Enslaved Workers

An Interview with Dr. Candida Moss

Who helped make the Bible we read today? Professor Candida Moss brings overlooked enslaved workers into view, from the secretaries behind Paul's letters to the copyists and readers who preserved and interpreted Christian texts. Discussing her book, God's Ghostwriters, she explores how slavery shaped early Christianity, including stories about Jesus, martyrdom, and hell. This compelling conversation invites us to read familiar texts differently and give credit to people whose contributions have remained largely invisible.

Candida Moss is the Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology at the University of Birmingham and a prominent public scholar of the New Testament and early Christianity. Her research explores martyrdom, ancient slavery, and the relationship between bodies and power. Her book, God's Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible, won the 2026 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. It brings attention to the enslaved secretaries, copyists, and readers whose overlooked labor helped shape Christian scripture. She also contributes to major media outlets, including CBS, BBC, and National Geographic.

A complete transcript is available on the show notes page at: https://earlychristiantexts.com/candida-moss-enslaved-workers/