Research Interests
Current Interests and Research
I was trained as a classicist and have retained an overriding interest in exploring the boundaries and interconnections between the New Testament and its Greco-Roman matrix. I am completing a series of readings of the book of Acts in its ancient literary context as a way of opening up our understanding of the pitfalls of communication in the ancient world and the strategies adopted by the first Christian writers to negotiate them. I have contributed to the Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation, the Anchor Bible Dictionary, The Dictionary of Paul and his Letters, and to RGG. I was a co-editor and contributor to the Oxford Bible Commentary, and I am currently completing two commentaries on the book of Acts, one with a primarily historical focus (Black´s NT Commentaries: Continuum) and one more oriented to church-based readers (The People´s Bible: Bible Reading Fellowship). Future plans include a joint-authored volume on The School of Moses and the School of Christ (with Philip Alexander); a volume on New Testament History for the New Testament Library series (Westminster John Knox); and a commentary Hebrews for the ICC series (Continuum).
Research Topics
I would particularly welcome reseearch proposals in the following areas:
- Interfaces between early Christian and Greco-Roman art and literature.
- History of Early Christianity.
- Hermeneutics and the use of the Bible in today’s church.
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