About this Journal and Policies
The Journal of Religious Competition explores interactions between diverse social groups of the Mediterranean basin in antiquity through the development of broadly comparative methodologies that delineate the ways in which this competitive interaction reshaped religious phenomena. The overall goal is to analyze dialogues between individuals or groups that illuminate the mutual competition and influence that was extant among them. In doing so, one can trace the development and influence of new religious perspectives and cultural identities in a crowded and contested socio-political landscape. The exploration of diverse themes, including physical matter and the body, education, rank and status, mythology, and iconography, through the lens of competition reveals enlightening dialogues and mutual influ¬ence among these groups that had a lasting impact well beyond antiquity. These religious and philosophical dialogues are not only of great interest and import in their own right, but they also can help us to understand how later cultural and religious developments unfolded.
This journal developed from the Religious Competition in Antiquity Group of the National Society of Biblical Literature. Scholarly contributions from the group already have yielded two edited volumes with a third forthcoming in September 2019 [Gregg Gardner and Lily C. Vuong, Competing for the Temple Vessels (Near Eastern Archaeology special edtion, forthcoming 2019), Nathaniel DesRosiers and Lily Vuong, Religious Competition in the Greco-Roman World (Writings of the Greco-Roman World Supplement Series; Society of Biblical Literature Press, August 2016); Jordan Rosenblum, Lily Vuong, and Nathaniel DesRosiers, Religious Competition in the Third Century CE: Jews, Christians, and the Greco-Roman World. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht (2014)]. This journal aims to expand academic publication as no current journal easily encompasses the broad range of traditions that are the subject of religious competition in antiquity (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Late Antique philosophies) and fields (Biblical Studies, Rabbinics, Art History, Neoplatonism, etc.). In addition, this journal prioritizes modern novel methodological and theoretical frameworks for interpreting or reexamining ancient materials, providing a vehicle for modeling cutting edge, theory-driven research in religious studies.
The journal makes use of a double-blind peer-review process to ensure quality and encourage a diversity of scholarly voices.
1. General information
A. Submissions must be in the form of a single Word document. Please ensure that the document is anonymous with no personal or institutional information.
B. Articles should adhere to the SBL Handbook of Style, 2nd ed. (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2014) supplemented by The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010). Conventions of American English should be used.
C. JRCA will not consider manuscripts that simultaneously are submitted simultaneously to other journals.
2. Format
A. Manuscripts should not exceed 8,000 words (including notes) except in exceptional cases.
B. Submissions should be double-spaced and in 12-point font, including in footnotes.
C. Hebrew and Greek scripts must be submitted in a Unicode font such as SBL Hebrew or SBL Greek.
D. Ancient languages such as Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Coptic normally should not be transliterated, but presented in Unicode fonts. Please use unpointed Hebrew and Aramaic.
E. Please include an English translation of a Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, or Coptic word after its first occurrence in the text.
3. Quotations
A. Block quotes of five lines or more should be single-spaced in a separate indented paragraph without quotation marks.
B. Quotations of five lines or less should begin and end with quotation marks.
4. Footnotes
A. Authors should use the footnote function in Word for creating footnotes. Endnotes are not accepted.
B. Please avoid multiple footnotes in a sentence.
C. Include full first names of authors and not just initials in footnotes, if possible.
F. The first reference to a source should include full bibliographic information. Every subsequent use in notes should employ a short reference that includes the author or editor’s last name, title of the work, and page numbers.
G. Abbreviations for ancient texts should follow SBL Handbook of Style, 2nd. ed.