The Bible feeds the moral imagination of the church, and the Biblical Studies Department is dedicated to training students to serve as biblically informed theologians, preachers, ministers, and scholars.
Faithful interpretation of Scripture requires understanding the historical, cultural, and social context of the Bible and its world. Courses equip students with the critical skills for close reading of biblical texts, and teach a variety of interpretive methods, and students can study the text in English and its original languages.
The faculty have wide-ranging interests and areas of expertise, including: biblical theology, biblical poetry and poetics, the history of ancient Israel, Greco-Roman religions and rhetoric, Second Temple Jewish texts (including Dead Sea Scrolls and related literature), historical Jesus, and contemporary interpretive methodologies. Some of their recent research addresses issues such as the Bible and environmental ethics, race and theological interpretation, and questions about death and resurrection.
“To be in a community where I got to hear so many different perspectives—that was profound for me. I’m grateful for the curiosity, for the practice of learning that was cultivated for me at Seminary.”