Biblical Studies & Early Christianity
Samuel Bak, Interpretation, 2003, Oil on canvas
Meet the Faculty

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
“I am currently working on a book titled, Postwar Hermeneutics: Exodus and Colony-Related Necropolitics. It is a narrative analysis of portions of Exodus, using Africana critical theory, with particular emphases on the constructions, deconstructions, and reconstructions of cultural memory and identity formation at the intersections of politics, ethnicity, geography, and religion.”

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
“Postcolonial hermeneutics, with particular interest in orality studies and Africana studies, frames my research interests. Feminist, queer, and womanist theories supplement these. I co-chair the Islands, Islanders, and Scriptures program unit of the Society of Biblical Literature, collaborate with the African Association for the Study of Religion, and am on the editorial board of the journal Sapienta Logos (Nigeria).”

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

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
“The Bible tells some of the most provocative stories the world has ever known. How they are told, why they are told, and what they do to us when we read them, hear them, or retell them are the questions that compel me to keep opening this book.”

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
“Themes that intertwine as I teach and research the literature of the New Testament include theology, ideology, and ethics; history, culture, and narrative; gender and sexuality; empire and ecology. My most recent book, for example, is titled Untold Tales from the Book of Revelation: Sex and Gender, Empire and Ecology.”

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
“I am fascinated by the ways people create meaningful places, and I love to travel—especially with my students. As they like to say, ‘My professor knows a guy,” ‘ leading to some uncommon experiences during M.Div. cross-cultural trips and Ph.D. archaeological seminars in Turkey. My current book is about the social, material, and imaginative spaces of the first Christians as we see them in Paul’s letters.”

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
“My research focus is split between ministry and archaeology. I am working on a second book about using narrative research as a ministry tool and continue to write about the material culture of the first century in the Galilee.”
Name | Focus | Education | Contact | |
---|---|---|---|---|
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Althea Spencer-Miller | Assistant Professor of New Testament |
Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University |
Seminary Hall 29 |
![]() |
Stephen Moore | Edmund S. Janes Professor of New Testament Studies |
Ph.D., University of Dublin |
Seminary Hall 106 |
![]() |
Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre (on sabbatical leave) |
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, |
M.A., Th.D., Harvard University |
Seminary Hall 102 |
![]() |
Danna Nolan Fewell | John Fletcher Hurst Professor of Hebrew Bible | Chair, Graduate Division of Religion |
M.T.S., Ph.D., Emory University |
Seminary Hall 105 |
![]() |
Carl Savage | Associate Professor of Biblical Archeology |
M.Phil., Ph.D., Drew University |
Seminary Hall 19 |
![]() |
Deirdre Good | Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs | Visiting Professor of New Testament |
Th.D. Harvard University |
Seminary Hall 102 |
![]() |
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 |

James Hoke
Student, Biblical Studies & Early Christianity

Minenhle Nomalungelo Khumalo
Student, Biblical Studies & Early Christianity
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 RequirementsDemonstrated 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.