Collegiate Affiliation
Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures

I am interested in the development of Christianity in its earliest stages and in the literature of the New Testament. I am currently writing A Chord of Gods, which is a book on the initial reception of Paul's preaching among Greeks in Achaea and Macedonia. I am arguing for a plausible cultural context for Paul's preaching situated within the common practice of interaction with small groups of gods. I am also editing The Oxford Handbook on the Synoptic Gospels and writing a short commentary on the Gospel of Mark. I am also writing a commentary on 1 Corinthians that focuses on gender and social class for the Oxford Bible Commentary series. My teaching areas include: New Testament studies (both Paul and the Gospels), gender in ancient religion, Greek and Hellenistic religions, Second Temple Judaism, ancient and modern hermeneutical theory, religious studies generally.

Educational Background & Specialties
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Educational Background

  • Ph.D.: Biblical Studies (New Testament), University of Chicago, 2005
  • MDiv: , Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, 1996 -
  • B.S.: Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 1990

Specialties

  • New Testament
  • Greek Religion and Ritual
  • Intertextuality and the New Testament
  • Study of Judaism and Christianity in antiquity
  • Intersection of Greek and Roman culture with Early Christinaity
  • Development of Early Christianity
  • Ancient constructions of gender