Holy Cross Professor Publishes Fifth Book

WORCESTER, Mass. – Holden resident Frederick J. Murphy of the religious studies department at the College of the Holy Cross recently published his fifth book, "Early Judaism: The Exile to the Time of Jesus" (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002).

The book is a substantial revision of Murphy's earlier book, "The Religious World of Jesus" (1991). It is an introduction to Second Temple Judaism and investigates Jesus as a Jew of his time and the degree to which New Testament interpretations of Jesus are rooted in Judaism.

A member of the Holy Cross faculty since 1983, Murphy served as the chair of the religious studies department for six years. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics, a master's degree in religion and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian origins from Harvard University. He also studied at the Weston School of Theology and the University of London.

A native of Worcester, Murphy grew up on a street just behind Holy Cross and attended Sacred Heart School on Cambridge Street and St. John's High School in Shrewsbury. He is the recipient of the 2001 Holy Cross Distinguished Teaching Award, in recognition of his dedication to teaching at the College.