Elizabeth Schrader Polczer, better known as Elizabeth Schrader, is an American

biblical scholar Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 ...

who concentrates on textual studies concerning

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

, the

Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

, and the Nag Hammadi corpus. Before transitioning to her academic focus, she was a

singer/songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted t ...

professionally known as Libbie Schrader.First Annual Pantene Pro-Voice 'New Voice of 2001' Awarded to Libbie Schrader
PR NewsWire Schrader grew up in Portland, Oregon and moved to California to attend

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...

, from which she graduated in 2001. She moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 2008. Schrader's involvement with religious scholarship began after a long and successful career as a singer-songwriter. In 2010 she launched a fan-funded campaign to record her album ''Magdalene''. The album's title track led to Schrader doing research into

in the

, to two master's degrees in theology from

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating ...

, and to her current doctoral studies in

Early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewis ...

and

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jam ...

. She currently resides in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County and Wake County. With a population of 283,506 in the 2020 Census, Durham is the 4th- ...

Scholarship

Schrader is a textual critic who studies discrepancies between the earliest manuscripts of the gospels. She is particularly concerned with the many textual variants around the name ''Maria'' in manuscripts of John’s Gospel, and argues that such textual instabilities might be connected to controversies around Mary Magdalene in early Christianity. In her peer-reviewed article
''Was Martha of Bethany Added to the Fourth Gospel in the Second Century?''
and
’Rabbouni,’ which means Lord: Narrative Variants in John 20:16
'' she suggests that the earliest extant manuscripts of John’s Gospel may contain evidence of editorial attempts to minimize Mary Magdalene’s role in that gospel. In her peer-reviewed articl
''The Meaning of ‘Magdalene’: A Review of Literary Evidence''
(co-written with Joan Taylor), Schrader and Taylor argue that the word “Magdalene” could be an honorific title, not necessarily referencing Mary’s hometown (which, Schrader argues, could be

Bethany Bethany ( grc-gre, Βηθανία,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā'') or what is locally known as Al-Eizariya or al-Azariya ( ar, العيزرية, " laceof Lazarus"), is a Palestinian town in the West ...

). In 2022, Schrader presented the Carpenter Program Women’s History Month Lecture a
Vanderbilt University
and she has made academic presentations at the Duke Divinity School and other universities.

Music

Schrader was the first winner of the Pantene Pro-Voice competition in 2001, after a performance opening for Jewel at

SummerStage The City Parks Foundation is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer programs in parks throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The organization works in over 750 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports ...

in New York's

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

. That same year, Schrader's group, The Wash, won the inaugural

Pantene Pantene () is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line was first introduced in Europe in 1945 by Hoffmann-La Roche, which branded the name based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient. It was purchased by Procter ...

Pro-Voice Competition. In 2002, Schrader's group, known then as Think of England was chosen to be a part of Jewel's Soul City Café program, and opened three shows on her This Way tour.Jewel Yodels in the Park for Pantene
bizbash.com She also opened for other artists as diverse as

India.Arie India Arie Simpson (born October 3, 1975), also known as India Arie (sometimes styled as india.arie), is an American singer and songwriter. She has sold over five million records in the US and ten million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards ...

Michelle Branch Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums: ''The Spirit Room'' and '' Hotel Paper.'' She won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Co ...

, Ray LeMontagne, and

Rusted Root Rusted Root is an American worldbeat rock band formed in 1990 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by singer-guitarist Michael Glabicki (born January 21, 1971), bassist Patrick Norman and percussionist Liz Berlin. The band got its start as the house band ...

. After Schrader went solo, she was a featured artist on MySpace in earl
2006
and appeared in the ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham (Lorelai Gilmore) and Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore). The show debuted on October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagshi ...

'' episode ''Partings'' later that year.Sonic Bids Libbie Schrader
Sonicbids.com A 2017 article in

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

noted that despite her recent involvement biblical scholarship, Schrader's songs still "...focus on secular themes of love and loss, desire and real-life events, both serious and light-hearted."

Albums

* ''Letters to Boys'' (2004, self-released) * ''Taking the Fall'' (2005, self-released) * ''Libbie Schrader'' (2007, self-released) *'' Magdalene'' (2011, self-released) *'' Red Thread'' (2017, self-released)

References

External links

Official websiteElizabeth Schrader CV
*
Libbie Schrader's performance at the Pantene Pro-Voice CompetitionLibbie Schrader singing "Magdalene"

Libbie Schrader albums on Apple Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polczer, Elizabeth Schrader Living people Polczer, Elizabeth Schrader Polczer, Elizabeth Schrader Polczer, Elizabeth Schrader 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American pianists American women pop singers American women singer-songwriters American pop pianists American women pianists Singers from Los Angeles Singers from New York City Singer-songwriters from Oregon Polczer, Elizabeth Schrader Polczer, Elizabeth Schrader 1979 births Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from New York (state)