Episode 133  Ruth and Naomi 

With Havilah Dharamraj

Reading Ruth in South Asia is the theme of a recent lecture at the Lanier Theological Library in Houston, TX (Winter 2023). 

David Capes, the Director of the library, sat down to talk with our lecturer, Dr. Havilah Dharamraj, on the Stone Chapel Podcast. 

The lecture was co-sponsored by Langham Partnership.

Who is Havilah Dharamraj? 

Dr. Dharamraj has her PhD from the University of Durham. She is an Old Testament scholar and academic dean.

In addition, she is the head of the department of Old Testament at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS) in Bangalore, India. 

She is a Langham scholar whose reputation far and wide is extraordinary.  She is married and has two grown children.

Books by Dr. Dharamraj

Havilah is the author of two important books, the first Altogether Lovely: A Thematic and Intertextual Reading of the Song of Song (Fortress Press, 2018). 

It is part of a South Asian series in biblical theology. 

The second is Ruth: A Pastoral and Contextual Commentary (Langham Publishing, 2019). 

It is part of the Asia Bible Commentary. 

Here is what a leading Old Testament scholar has to say about the book:

“This a delightful commentary that deserves a wide readership. The authors combine solid exegesis with a warm and very readable style.

Their exploration of the book of Ruth with Asian eyes reminds us Westerners how much closer to the world of the Bible others may be.

The illustrative anecdotes from their own Indian world give this commentary a quality that is found in none other.”

Daniel I. Block, DPhil
Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, USA

Reading Ruth and Naomi

In this conversation Dr. Dharamraj uncovers the message Ruth has for contemporary audiences.

Western audiences can hardly grasp the heart of it because western culture is so far removed from that of Naomi’s and Ruth’s time.

But in South Asia, the plight of the widows, the childless, and women remains bleak. 

Ruth speaks in remarkable ways to our disposition toward the least of these and the vulnerable. 

To view the lecture featuring Dr. Dharamraj, go to our YouTube channel or click here.

If you’d like to watch the panel discussion from the lecture weeded, go to our YouTube channel or click here.

To learn more about Langham Partnership US click here.

If you’d like a transcript of this podcast, click here.

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For upcoming lectures at Lanier Theological Library, click here.