CV

EDUCATION

2016 Ph.D., Religious & Theological Studies – concentration in Biblical Interpretation/Hebrew Bible, Joint Doctoral Program, University of Denver & Iliff School of Theology

2012 Certificate, Historical & Archaeological Conservation, International Conservation Center Città di Roma in Akko, Israel

2008 M.A., Bible & Ancient Semitic Languages, Jewish Theological Seminary

2005 B.A., Biblical Studies, Patten University

FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

2020-Present   Lead Lecturer of History & the Humanities, Department of Liberal Arts, Regis University, School for Professional Advancement (formerly CCLS)

2019-2020   Lead Lecturer of Religious Studies, Department of Liberal Arts, Regis University, College of Contemporary Liberal Studies (CCLS)

2016-2019   Program Manager, Center for Judaic Studies, University of Denver

PUBLICATIONS

Books

2018 Moses among the Idols: Mediators of the Divine in the Ancient Near East, Fortress Academic Monographs, Fortress Academic Press / Lexington Books

Nominated for the 2019 AAR Best First Book in the History of Religions Award

Nominated for the 2020 AJS Jordan Schnitzer Book Award

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

202? “Speaking with Names: Reading the Geographical and Cultural Landscape of Shechem in Judges 8:30-9:57” Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society

2022 “Myth, Meaning, and the Work of Life: Enuma Elish and the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:4-3:24) on the Value of Human Labor and Memory” Religions Vol. 13: 1-21, Special Issue: Myth-Making in the Hebrew Bible (ed. Debra Ballentine; Open Access)

2022 “Mapping the Path to Ecological Reparation: An Ecopsychological Reading of the Epic of Gilgamesh & Its Implications for the Study of Religion” Journal of the American Academy of Religion Vol. 90 (1): 86-120

2021 “The Ancient Mesopotamian Mīs Pî Ritual: An Application of the Ecological Anthropology of Roy Rappaport” Critical Research on Religion Vol. 9 (3): 300-16.

2020 “Principles for Studying the Cultural Webs of the Deceased: The Mesopotamian Mis Pi Ceremony & Clifford Geertz’s ‘Thick Description’” Distant Worlds Journal Vol. 4: 5-19, Special Issue: Cultural Anthropology and the Study of the Ancient World (Open Access)

2019 “Negotiating Moses’ Divine-Human Identity in LXX Exodus” Journal of Septuagint and Cognate Studies Vol. 52: 91-102

2018 “Teaching Outside of Your Tradition: 4 Suggestions Toward Transformational Pedagogy” Didaktikos: Journal of Theological Education Vol. 2 (1)

Invited Chapters in Edited Volumes

202? “The Metaphor of Root and Soil in the Hebrew Bible” (tentative title) in A Planting of the Lord: Biblical Tree Imagery in Natural and Human Contexts, edited by William Osborne and Mark Boda, Dictionary of Nature Imagery – Biblical Supplement Series, Bloomsbury T&T Clark

202? “Moses in the Ancient Near East” (tentative title) in The Oxford Handbook on Moses, edited by Brian Britt, Oxford University Press

202? “Famine in the Prophets: A Threat of Ecological and Social Chaos” in Lexham Geographic Commentary on Poetry and Prophecy, edited by Barry Beitzel, Lexham Press

202? “From Hiding Place to Shining Face: Unveiling Moses’s Career in Exodus” in Cambridge Companion to Exodus, edited by Brent Strawn and Keith Bodner, Cambridge University Press

202? “Living Agrarian Principles in the Urban Age: Jewish Principles of Animal Conservation in the Torah and Today” in Religion and the Wild Things: Preserving Biodiversity in the Anthropocene, edited by Janet Rumfelt, Claremont Press

2021 “Leggere il rituale con Rappaport. La cerimonia mesopotamica del mīs pî da una prospettiva ecologica” (“Reading Ritual with Rappaport: The Mesopotamian Mis Pi Ceremony in Ecological Perspective”) translated from English by Gioele Zisa in Miti, culti, saperi. Per un’antropologia religiosa della Mesopotamia antica, edited by Claus Ambos and Gioele Zisa, Edizioni Museo Pasqualino

2020 “The Tree of Life in Ancient Near Eastern Iconography” in The Tree of Life, Themes in Biblical Narrative Series, edited by Douglas Estes, Brill Publishing

2016 “Introduction” co-authored with Douglas Mangum in Lexham Methods Series, Vol. 3: Social & Historical Approaches, edited by Amy Balogh and Douglas Mangum, Lexham Press

Editor-Reviewed Articles

2020 “Sinai Calling (Exodus 19)” The Visual Commentary on Scripture, www.thevcs.org

2019 “Moses—Yahweh’s Idol?” The Ancient Near East Today: Current News About the Ancient Past, Vol. 7, No.

Encyclopedia Entries

2018 “Shabbat” in Women in World Religions: Faith and Culture Across History, Volume 2, edited by Susan de-Gaia, ABC-CLIO

2015 Various articles, Lexham Bible Dictionary, edited by John Barry, Lexham Press:

Baal Cycle; Critical Issues: Israel – History of; Critical Issues: Kings – 1st & 2nd Books of; Deir All Inscription; Elijah the Prophet; Elisha the Prophet; Ezra – Book of; Moses; Sefire Treaties; Shechem – City of; Tel Dan Stele 

Select Freelance Work

202? Assistant Editor, Lexham Geographic Commentary on Poetry and Prophecy

202? Assistant Editor, Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Historical Books, vols. 1-2, Lexham Press

202? Author, Lexham Context Commentary: Old Testament – 1-2 Chronicles, Lexham Press

202? Author, Lexham Research Commentary: Ruth, Lexham Press

2016 Associate Editor, Lexham Methods Series, Vol. 3: Social & Historical Approaches, Lexham Press

2016 Contributing Editor (Exodus, Numbers, Kings), Faithlife Study Bible, Lexham Press

2015 6 articles edited for Lexham Bible Dictionary, edited by John Barry, Lexham Press: 

Ahasuerus the King; Ezra – leader of the exiles; Jeshua – ancient name; Judges – Book of; Redeemer; Seir – Hill country of

2014 Contributing Editor (Pentateuch, Historical Books, Minor Prophets), DIY Bible Study, Lexham Press

2013 Author, Analysis of Julius Wellhausen’s Prolegomena to the History of Israel, The Macat Library – Routledge Press (formerly Mouseion Ltd.)

2012 Translator, “Book of Proverbs,” Lexham English Bible, Lexham Press

Book Reviews

2023 Azzan Yadin-Israel, Temptation Transformed: The Story of How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple, AAR Reading Religion

2022 Andrew Tobolowsky, The Myth of the Twelve Tribes of Israel: New Identities Across Time and Space, Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses

2019 Paul K.-K.-Cho, Myth, History and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible, Review of Biblical Literature

2018 Herbert R. Broderick, Moses the Egyptian in the Illustrated Old English Hexateuch, AAR Reading Religion

2017 Philip R. Davies, The History of Ancient Israel: A Guide for the Perplexed, AAR Reading Religion

2016 Theodore Ziolkowski, Uses and Abuses of Moses: Literary Representations Since the Enlightenment. AAR Reading Religion

2012 John F.A. Sawyer, Sacred Texts and Sacred Meanings: Studies in Biblical Language and Literature. Theological Book Review 24 (2012): 8-9.

2011 Genesis: Texts @ Contexts. Edited by Athalya Brenner, Archie Chi Chung Lee, and Gale A. Yee. Theological Book Review 23 (2011): 19-20. 

Manuscripts in Submission

None as of 12/8/22

Manuscripts in Preparation

“To Compare or Not to Compare — Is That Still a Question?” co-authored with Tammi J. Schneider

Book Manuscript: Title TBD

TEACHING EXPERIENCE (See “Teaching” for course descriptions)

Regis University, School for Professional Advancement (formerly College of Contemporary Liberal Studies), 2018-Present

Christianity: An Evolving Movement (8-weeks, Online)

Graduate Capstone (16-weeks, Online)

Graduate Transformation (8-weeks, Online)

Happiness & the Meaning of Life (8-weeks, Online)

Introduction to Religious Studies (7-weeks, Online)

Judaism: Faith, History, Culture (8-weeks, Online)

Leading Lives That Matter (7-weeks, Online)

Myth, Symbols, and Cultures (5-weeks, Online)

Religion & Culture: Key Approaches (8-weeks, Online)

Religion & Culture: Key Topics (8-weeks, Online)

Understanding Religion (7-weeks, Online)

World Religious Traditions I: Eastern (5 & 7 weeks, Online)

World Religious Traditions II: Western (5 & 7 weeks, Online)

University of Denver, Dept. of Religious Studies & Center for Judaic Studies, 2017-Present

Comparative Method in the Study of Religion (Graduate Independent Study; Spring Quarter 2018)

Creation & Humanity (Spring Quarter 2017, 2018)

Emergence of Monotheism (Winter Quarter 2018; Spring Quarter 2019; + 4-week Enrichment Course version)

Judaism (Community Engagement Course; Spring Quarter 2021)

Justice: A Biblical Perspective (Community Engagement Course; Fall Quarter 2019)

The Moses Traditions (Winter Quarter 2019)

+ advisor on BA & MA thesis projects

Morgan Community College, 2020

World Religions – Western Traditions (Fall Semester, 2020; in-person moved online)

Colorado College, Department of Religious Studies, 2013-17

Creation & Humanity (Block-6 2016)

Creation & Humanity in Antiquity (Block-5 2014)

Judaism (Block-4 2014, 2017; Block-7 2014, 2016)

Hebrew Bible (Block-3, 2013)

Iliff School of Theology, 2012-13 & Winter 2017

Biblical Hebrew I (Fall Quarter 2012)

Biblical Hebrew II (Winter Quarter 2013)

Hebrew Bible (Winter Quarter 2017; Hybrid format)

Hebrew Bible Exegesis (Spring Quarter 2013)

Volunteer Tutoring at Biblical Languages Help Desk (Fall Quarter 2010-Spring Quarter 2011)

University of Colorado – Colorado Springs, Department of Philosophy, 2013-14

Hebrew Bible & Its Context (Fall Semester 2013)

Women & Religion (Spring Semester 2014)

Private Instructor & Tutor, 2011-14

Aramaic & Biblical Hebrew (Fall 2011-Spring 14)

University of Denver & Iliff School of Theology, Teaching Assistant, 2010-11

Hebrew Bible, University of Denver, Dr. Alison Schofield (Winter Quarter 2011)

Hebrew Bible, Iliff School of Theology, Dr. Amy Erickson (Fall Quarter 2010, Winter 2011)

Jewish Philosophy, University of Denver, Dr. Sarah Pessin (Winter Quarter 2011)

ADDITIONAL COURSES PREPARED TO TEACH

Religious Studies

Early Judaism

Theories & Methods in the Study of Religion

Biblical Studies

Ancient Israelite Religions

Bible & Pop-Culture

Courses on Specific Books/Sections of the Bible

New Testament & Early Christianity

Origins & Transmission of the Bible

Travel Course in Israel

Ancient Near East / Archaeology

Ancient Near Eastern Religions

Archaeology of the Ancient Near East

The Bible & the Pickaxe

HONORS AND AWARDS

2021  Dean’s Award for Research Excellence, Regis University School for Professional Advancement

2020 Nominee, AJS Jordan Schnitzer Book Award

2020 Nominee, Ruth Murray Underhill Teaching Award, University of Denver

2019 Nominee, ASOR Frank Moore Cross Book Award

2019 Nominee, AAR Best First Book in the History of Religions Award

2008 Edith and Stuart Marks Prize in Semitics, Jewish Theological Seminary

2005 Senior Thesis Award, Patten University

Baker Book Award, Patten University

2004 Biblical and Theological Studies Award, Patten University

GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS

2015 Joint Doctoral Program Dissertation Research Fellowship, University of Denver & Iliff School of Theology, Joint Doctoral Program

1st Bank Conference Travel Grant, University of Denver, Center for Judaic Studies

2014 University Library Association – Collection Development Project Grant, University of Denver

The Center for the Study of Government and the Individual Scholarship, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Knapsack Institute, Social Justice Pedagogy Training and Course Development

2012 Conservation Training Fellowship, International Conservation Center Città di Roma

2011 Humanities Institute Student Travel and Research Grant, University of Denver, Division of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Dr. Irwin E. Vinnik Fellowship for Advanced Study in Israel, University of Denver, Center for Judaic Studies

1st Bank Conference Travel Grant, University of Denver, Center for Judaic Studies

2010 Dr. Irwin E. Vinnik Fellowship for Advanced Study in Israel, University of Denver, Center for Judaic Studies

1st Bank Conference Travel Grant, University of Denver, Center for Judaic Studies

ASSOCIATION & CONFERENCE ACTIVITY

Positions

2022-2025 Founder & President of the Religion & Bible Society of the Rocky Mountain Great Plains Region

2021-22 SBL Regional Coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Great Plains Region

2020-? Founder & Co-Chair: SBL Program Unit “Comparative Method in Biblical Studies”

Co-chair: Tammi J. Schneider (Claremont Graduate University)

Steering Committee: Kristin De Troyer (University of Salzburg), Christopher B. Hays (Fuller Theological Seminary), David Frankfurter (Boston University), Benjamin Snyder (Asbury Theological Seminary)

Read our Program Unit application here

Conferences & Symposia Organized

Annual “Week of Jewish Philosophy,” a Project of DU & CU Boulder, 3-day symposium organized in connection with position as Program Manager at the University of Denver Center for Judaic Studies

Biennial “Seminar in Hebrew Pedagogy,” 3-day conference organized in connection with position as Program Manager at the University of Denver Center for Judaic Studies

2018 “Inscribing the Sacred: Reading, Writing & the Origins of the Bible as a Book,” 2-day symposium of 10 scholars in connection with the visiting exhibit The Dead Sea Scrolls at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Conference Sessions & Panels Organized

2020-? Sessions for the SBL Annual Meeting Program Unit Comparative Method in Biblical Studies

2019 “Bible & Pop-Culture Workshop,” Co-Presented with Elizabeth Coody and Dan Clanton, Rocky Mountains-Great Plains Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

“Method & Hebrew Bible,” Panel Discussion with Amy Erickson, Mark George, Tammi J. Schneider & myself at the University of Denver

Conference Presentations

2023 Conversation on “Religion & Climate Change” with Ronald Simkins, John O’Keefe, and Theodore Dedon, RMGP Regional Meeting

2022 Screening and Panel Discussion of the Film “The Last Prairie” with Filmmaker Prof. John O’Keefe IV, RMGP Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

2021 “Comparative Method: The Ghost of Biblical Studies Past, Present & Future” Society of Biblical Literature, Annual Meeting

Panel on Ronald Simkin’s New Book, Creation & Ecology: The Political Economy of Ancient Israel and the Environmental Crisis, Respondent, RMGP Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

2020 “Can a Tree Help Where It Is Planted? The Metaphor of Roots and Soil in the Hebrew Bible” Invited paper, Society of Biblical Literature, Annual Meeting

“Reading Genesis 1: How Religious Studies Can Help People See Themselves as a Nature-Based Solution” as part of the panel Preserving Biodiversity in the Anthropocene: What do the Humanities and Social Sciences Have to Say? 4^th Annual Africa Animal Welfare Conference

“From Lebanon to the Amazon: Religious Responses to Deforestation in Eco-Psychological & Comparative Perspective” Rocky Mountains-Great Plains Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

2019 Bible & Pop-Culture Workshop, Co-Presented with Elizabeth Coody and Dan Clayton, Rocky Mountains-Great Plains Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

2018 “The Ambiguity of Idol Worlds” American Schools of Oriental Research, Annual Meeting

“The Mesopotamian Mis-Pi Ceremony & Clifford Geertz’s ‘Thick Description’: A Case Study in the Symbolic Webs of the Deceased” Society of Biblical Literature, Annual Meeting

“Sacrifice & the Art of Domestication” Rocky Mountains-Great Plains Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

2017 “The Paradox of Materiality in Ancient Mesopotamian Divine Images” Society of Biblical Literature, Annual Meeting

“Agents of Order in a World of Mud: Flood, Architecture, and the New Year Festival in Ancient Babylon” College Art Association Annual Meeting

2016 “The Domestication of the Aurochs and the ‘Heat of His Nostrils’: Rereading the Wrath of Yahweh and Moses in Light of Natural History (Exod 32-34)” Rocky Mountains-Great Plains Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

2015 “Circumcising the Mouth of Moses: A New Comparative Method for the Fields of  Assyriology and Biblical Studies” Society of Biblical Literature, Annual Meeting

“Idolizing Moses, the Embodiment of God” Duke University, Material Religion: Embodiment, Materiality, Technology Conference

2013 “Grouting for Caesar: The High Level Aqueduct and Vault Complex at Caesarea After 20 Years” American Schools of Oriental Research, Annual Meeting

2011 “‘He is Our Brother’: Shechem’s Covenant History and the Story of Abimelech (Judges 8:30-9:57)” Society of Biblical Literature, Annual Meeting

“Forsaking the Original: Multiformity of Memory and the Cry of Dereliction in Textual History (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34)” Society of Biblical Literature, Annual Meeting

“Am I My Brother’s Keeper? Papyrus Amherst 63, Psalm 20, and the Future of Comparison” Society of Biblical Literature, International Meeting

“The Economics of Intellect: Trade and the Exchange of Ideas in the Ancient Near East” Rocky Mountains-Great Plains Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

2010 “Obligation or Hesed? Rereading the Legal Situation in the Book of Ruth” Rocky Mountains-Great Plains Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

Panels Moderated

2018 Philosophers & Theory, Rocky Mountains-Great Plains Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

2017 Hebrew Bible, Rocky Mountains-Great Plains Regional AAR/SBL Meeting

CAMPUS & DEPARTMENTAL TALKS

2020 “Moses – Yahweh’s Idol?” Book Talk, Regis University (postponed due to COVID-19)

2015 “Citations of the Hebrew Bible in the Gospel of Matthew” Panel Discussion, Iliff School of Theology

2013 “Tools for Advanced Study of Hebrew: How to Use Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar” Workshop, University of Denver & Iliff School of Theology

“Who is a Samaritan?” Lecture and Panel Discussion with Dr. Menahem Mor and Dr. Pamela Eisenbaum, Center for Judaic Studies – University of Denver

RESEARCH LANGUAGES

Ancient

Akkadian, Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew, Koine Greek, Ugaritic

Modern

French (Intermediate Reading; some conversational)

German (Can read with dictionary; no conversational)

Hebrew (Can read with dictionary; some conversational)

ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD WORK

2011 Khirbet Qeiyafa Archaeological Project, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

2010 Megiddo Expedition, Tel Aviv University & George Washington University

2009 Tel Dor Excavation, Hebrew University of Jerusalem & University of Haifa

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

2021 “Are We the Third Wheel? The Relationship Between God, Nature, and Humankind in the Old Testament” Montview Presbyterian Church, April 2021 (Virtual)

2019 “On Parashat Tazria (Lev 12:1-13:28)” and “The Problem & Solution of Moses’ Mouth” Library Shabbat at B’nai Havurah – Denver

Podcast, “Scriptural Perspectives on Abundance & Scarcity” Iliff School of Theology ReSource

2018 “The Bible & Money” Lecture, Montview Blvd. Presbyterian Church

“The Dead Sea Scrolls, Then and Now” Lecture, various locations, In connection with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science exhibit The Dead Sea Scrolls

2017 “Moses: Yahweh’s Mediator” Study Group, Temple Sinai – Denver

2015 “Humanity in the World: Genesis 1” 2-Day Class, Father Dyer United Methodist Church

“Reading the Old Testament Today” 5-Week Series, Hope United Methodist Church

“Moses and God, Face to Face” 2-Day Class, Father Dyer United Methodist Church

“Connecting the Testaments” 5-Week Series, Hope United Methodist Church

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

2007-Present, Society of Biblical Literature

2008-Present, American Academy of Religion

2012-Present, American Schools of Oriental Research

2016-Present, College Art Association

2016-Present, International Association of Word and Image Studies

2018-Present, International Association for Assyriology