Research & Writing
My primary research interests are in Pauline Theology and Early Judaism, though I mostly teach Old Testament courses (Old Testament Literature, The Book of Ezekiel). I also have a strong desire to get out of Paul and into gospels research. I especially enjoy narrative literature of all types (OT and NT) and would love to do more work in the area of literary approaches to the gospels (perhaps starting with Matthew).
I'm currently working on a book, edited by myself and my good buddy Mike Bird, on the highly debated phrase, Pistis Christou in Paul (Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:20; Phil 3:9; cf. Eph 3:12) and elsewhere in the NT (see similar phrases in James and Revelation). Are we justified by our faith in Christ, or by Christ's own faith(fulness)? Or, are these the only two options (see my essay in the book)? The phrase could go either way. This book is a collection of essay, written by leading N.T. scholars, such as Francis Watson, Barry Matlock, Doug Campbell, Paul Foster, and others.
After this, I will be writing an essay that was sparked during my PhD research (see below): the soteriological framework of Pseudo-Philo's Biblical Antiquities (c.a. AD 60-100). Without giving too much away, let's just say that this book demonstrates almost exactly what E.P. Sanders felt was the common Jewish structure of salvation (what he called covenantal nomism) during the second temple period--yet he failed to look at this work! So, even though I am largely in disagreement with Sanders (and the New Perspective) on several points, he certainly has good grounds for his proposal in Pseudo-Philo.
My Ph.D. was in the area of Paul and the Law, more specifically, “The Interpretation of Leviticus 18:5 in Early Judaism and in Paul.” My dissertation will be soon published by Mohr-Siebeck in Feb 2008. Here’s part of the preface, which may give you a better picture of what it’s all about:
This book represents a slight revision of my Ph.D. dissertation, written under the supervision of Dr. Simon J. Gathercole (now at Cambridge University) and submitted to Aberdeen University in March, 2007. Choosing a dissertation topic is one of the most important decisions a young scholar will make. One might be a bit confused, perhaps perturbed, therefore, that I chose to spend three years researching half a verse in the Hebrew Bible, Lev 18:5b! Indeed, at times I have found it difficult to answer the question often asked: “So what are you working on in your Ph.D.?” The facial expressions I received upon hearing my topic have ranged from the standard blank stare to the token “ah yes;” a courtesy gesture of course. I have found that the quickest way to vindicate the relevance of my topic is with the analogy that Lev 18:5 was the “John 3:16 of Early Judaism.” Paul seems to believe, moreover, that this passage was diametrically opposed to his own “John 3:16,” namely, Hab 2:4 (cf. Gal 3:11–12). Sometimes this explanation would quicken the blank stare or elicit another, perhaps more genuine, “ahhh yes,” bringing a certain amount of reassurance that I did not travel half way around the world to examine a very small tree in a very large forest. In any case, Moses has not let me down! This project has been a joyful journey into the world of Second Temple Judaism, Paul’s view of the law, and the relationship between early Jewish and Pauline soteriology—areas of biblical research that all carry a great amount of relevancy.
Publications
Books
Law and Life: The Use of Leviticus 18:5 in Early Judaism and in Paul (WUNT II.241; Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 2008)
Preston M. Sprinkle and Michael F. Bird (eds.), The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical,
Biblical, and Theological Studies (Carlisle: Paternoster Press, forthcoming 2008)
Articles
“The Use of Genesis 42:18 (Not Leviticus 18:5) in Luke 10:28: Joseph and the Good
Samaritan,” Bulletin of Biblical Research 17.1 (2007), 193-205
Preston M. Sprinkle and Michael F. Bird, "Jewish Interpretation of the Apostle Paul in the
Last 30 years," Currents in Biblical Research 6 (forthcoming 2008)
"Why Can't 'The One Does These Things' Live by Them'? The Use of Leviticus 18:5 in Galatians 3:12," in Craig A. Evans and H.D. Zacharias, Early Christian Literature and Intertextuality (LSTS; London: T & T Clark, forthcoming 2008)
Articles in Progress
“Pistis Christou as an Eschatological Event,” in Preston M. Sprinkle and Michael F. Bird
(eds.), The Faith of Jesus Christ: Exegetical, Biblical, and Theological Studies
(Carlisle: Paternoster Press, forthcoming 2008)
“Covenantal Nomism Revisited: The Soteriological Framework of Pseudo-Philo,” in
Stanley E. Porter and Andrew W. Pitts (eds.), Christian Origins and Hellenistic
Judaism: Literary and Social Contexts for the New Testament (The New
Testament in its Hellenistic Context; Leiden, Brill: forthcoming 2009)
Book Reviews
See my CV