Biblical Studies & Early Christianity

Biblical Studies& Early Christianity

Samuel Bak, Interpretation, 2003, Oil on canvas

Meet the Faculty

Name	Focus	Education	Contact
Althea Spencer-Miller	Assistant Professor of New Testament	Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University Th.M., Emory University B.A., University of the West Indies	Seminary Hall 29 aspencer@drew.edu Personal site 973-408-3281
Stephen Moore	Edmund S. Janes Professor of New Testament Studies	Ph.D., University of Dublin B.A., University College, Galway	Seminary Hall 106 smoore@drew.edu Personal site 973-408-3313
Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre (on sabbatical leave)	Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity	M.A., Th.D., Harvard University B.A., Eastern College	Seminary Hall 102 mjjohnso@drew.edu Personal site 973-408-3823
Danna Nolan Fewell	John Fletcher Hurst Professor of Hebrew Bible \| Chair, Graduate Division of Religion	M.T.S., Ph.D., Emory University B.A., Louisiana College	Seminary Hall 105 dfewell@drew.edu Personal site 973-408-3543
Carl Savage	Associate Professor of Biblical Archeology	M.Phil., Ph.D., Drew University M.Div., Wesley Theological Seminary A.B., Princeton University	Seminary Hall 19 csavage@drew.edu Personal site 973-408-3586
Deirdre Good	Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs \| Visiting Professor of New Testament	Th.D. Harvard University S.T.M. Union Theological Seminary Cert. Ed. Cambridge University M.Theol. St. Andrews University	Seminary Hall 102 dgood@drew.edu 973-408-3823
Kenneth Ngwa	Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible	Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary \| B.A., M.A., Yaoundé Faculty of Protestant Theology, Cameroon	Seminary Hall 23 kngwa@drew.edu Personal site 973-408-3780

James Hoke
Student, Biblical Studies & Early Christianity

“I hold a M.Div. degree from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Furman University. My research at Drew focuses on the intersections of queer and feminist theories in and around Paul’s letters. I am also an avid student/teacher of ancient Greek and studies ways of teaching Greek as a “living language.” I have presented multiple papers at the Society of Biblical Literature, and facilitated mentoring sessions for the national SBL’s “non-traditional” hermeneutics coalition.”

Minenhle Nomalungelo Khumalo
Student, Biblical Studies & Early Christianity

“I earned a Bachelor in Theology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa where I focused on oral histories of HIV/AIDS in churches, hospitals, and communities. My master’s thesis, “Hagar, Sarah and the Abrahamic Religions: Exploring their Postcoloniality and Polygamous Identities,” prepared me for my current reading of the Hebrew Bible in relation to Africa and its diaspora(s). I am able to make connections between my field work and my research because of the kind of scholarship I am now exposed to at Drew.”

Graduation Requirements for Biblical Studies & Early Christianity

Bible and Cultures

In the Bible and Cultures program, explorations of the Bible's rhetoric, its material and political contexts, its interpretation in diverse cultures, its representations of gender, sexuality, social status, the natural environment, group identity and cultural Others are conducted interactively with such contemporary resources as literary and cultural studies, postcolonial theory, gender studies and queer theory, ecological studies, racial/ethnic studies, and theological and pastoral studies. Students in the program develop disciplinary depth and intellectual breadth as well as practical skills in teaching, research, writing, public presentation, building and maintaining a public professional presence, and translating their transdisciplinary knowledge and insights into socially, politically, and ethically relevant resources for ongoing, critically-reflective discourse.

Language Requirements

Demonstrated competence at the appropriate level in the relevant ancient languages is a prerequisite for admission into the Bible and Cultures Ph.D. program. Proficiency in these languages is usually demonstrated by evidence of at least two semesters of course work per language at a minimum of 3.0 grade level.

Modern language requirements for these programs are as follows:

German and one other modern language of biblical scholarship (other than English), such as French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, or modern Hebrew, all of which are recognized without petition.

If another language is deemed relevant to the student's program, the student may petition for a substitution, which requires the recommendation of the student's area and the approval of the Committee on Academic Standing. This approval is contingent upon the availability of appropriate testing and grading resources.