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Jones Robert, Biblical Field

photo of Robert Jones

Robert Jones

Biblical Field

Contract and Sessional Faculty
Department of Religious Studies

Area(s) of Interest:

Biography

Robert Jones is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the biblical field, with a major in Early Judaism and a minor in Early Christianity. His dissertation analyzes various conceptions of the priesthood in Second Temple Jewish literature, particularly the Aramaic narrative texts from Qumran. His research deals with the convergence of priestly, apocalyptic, and sapiential motifs in the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls, and the implications that might have for understanding the history and ideology of the Hellenistic era Jewish priesthood. His other interests include para-biblical texts and rewritten Scriptures, revelation and prophecy, and cultural interaction and exchange in the Hellenistic world.

Teaching

TA Experience

  • Women in the Biblical Tradition. Instructor: Whit Ross (2017)
  • Archaeology and the Bible. Instructor: Dr. Daniel Machiela (2016)
  • What on Earth is Religion? Instructor: Dr. Philippa Carter (2015-2016)
  • Introduction to the New Testament. Instructor: Dr. Stephen Westerholm (2015)
  • Images of the Divine Feminine. Instructor: Dr. Janet Ross (2014)

Research

Education

  • McMaster University, Ph.D. in Religious Studies, 2014 –
  • Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, M.Div., 2011 – 2014
  • Eastern University, B.A. in Biblical Studies, 2007 – 2011

Conference Presentation

  • “Revelation and Transmission of Divine Wisdom in the Aramaic Scrolls and the Cave One Hodayot,” Society of Biblical Literature, Boston, MA; November 18-21, 2017.
  • “Aramaic as a Vehicle for Communicating a Pre-Hasmonean Priestly Ideology,” Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University; March 20, 2017.
  • “Priestly Ideology in the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls,” Religious Studies Graduate Colloquium, Florida State University; February 18, 2017.
  • “Attitudes toward Foreign Culture and Imperial Rule in the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls,” CRASIS Master Class and Annual Meeting, University of Groningen; February 11, 2016.

Invited Departmental Talks

  • “Constructing the Ideal Jewish Sage: Considering the Figures of Enoch, Levi, and Daniel in the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls,” Annual McMaster University – University of Toronto Scrollery Colloquium; April 20, 2016.