"Invisible Hands: Enslaved Christians, Collaboration, and the Making of Early Christianity"

About the Lecture:

This lecture reveals how enslaved Christians—scribes, readers, and collaborators—were indispensable to the production, circulation, and authority of early Christian texts, even as their labor was rendered invisible in later tradition. It reframes early Christianity not as the work of apostles and bishops but as a collective enterprise shaped by the work and ingenuity of a wider group of invisible and uncredited actors.

Candida Moss will be at Louisville Seminary to deliver the lecture in person with an option for online viewing.
Registration is required whether attending in-person or online.

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About the Award-Winning Book

Throughout the history of Christianity, the authorship of the New Testament was credited mostly to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul. But hidden behind these men are unnamed coauthors and collaborators. Their work is at the center of biblical scholar Candida Moss’ influential book, God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible, the recipient of the 2026 Grawemeyer Award in Religion.

“God’s Ghostwriters argues that the arduous work of scribes, secretaries and copyists in ancient Roman society was the undervalued work of enslaved people. These enslaved collaborators helped produce some of the early manuscripts of the Bible, yet their work has been overlooked through the centuries,” said Grawemeyer Religion Award Director and Associate Dean of the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Tyler Mayfield. “God’s Ghostwriters and its author are worthy additions to our revered list of Grawemeyer winners.”

The Edward Cadbury professor of theology at the University of Birmingham, UK, Moss brings to light the labor of unnamed individuals who are integral to the content of the New Testament. Her scholarship encourages believers and scholars alike to find new meaning by acknowledging the fingerprints of those who have been marginalized.

“I am profoundly honored and deeply moved to receive the Grawemeyer Award in Religion for God’s Ghostwriters,” said Moss. “To be counted among such an extraordinary and visionary group of previous recipients - scholars whose work has shaped the field and broadened public understanding - is both humbling and inspiring. This honor affirms the importance of telling fuller, more honest stories about the people whose labor created the texts that have shaped our world, and I am grateful beyond words.”

Moss, who previously won the John Templeton Award for Theological Promise, is a frequent contributor to major media outlets like CBS News, National Geographic and The New York Times.

The Grawemeyer Award for Religion is given annually to honor significant contributions to religious and spiritual understanding.

About the Grawemeyer Award

The Grawemeyer Award in Religion is made possible by the creative generosity of the late H. Charles Grawemeyer. Louisville Seminary, jointly with the University of Louisville, awards the $100,000 prize to honor and publicize creative and significant insights into the relationship between human beings and the divine. The award also recognizes ways in which this relationship may inspire or empower human beings to attain wholeness, integrity, or meaning, either individually or in community.

*Please note that the 2026 Grawemeyer lecture may be recorded. By registering and participating, you understand that your likeness may be included in the recorded video and/or photography, and you consent to this recording and its use in any and all media throughout Louisville Seminary and its partners.

Invisible Hands: Enslaved Christians, Collaboration, and the Making of Early Christianity

By Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Invisible Hands: Enslaved Christians, Collaboration, and the Making of Early Christianity

2026 Grawemeyer Lecture presented by Candida Moss