THOMAS J. WHITLEY
twhitley@fsu.edu
Education
2003-06 BA in Religious Studies (cum laude) | UNC at Charlotte
2007-10 Master of Divinity | Gardner-Webb University
2007-10 MA in Religion | Gardner-Webb University
2011-Present PhD in Religions of Western Antiquity | Florida State University
Awards
- Daniel E. Goodman Academic Research Award, M. Christopher White School of Divinity, Gardner-Webb University (2009)
- Daniel E Goodman Interpretation Award, M. Christopher White School of Divinity, Gardner-Webb University (2010)
- Graduate Teaching Assistant (full tuition and stipend), Florida State University (2011-Present)
Teaching Experience
- Fall 2010 – Adjunct Professor, Intro to OT, Gardner-Webb University
- Fall 2011 – Teaching Assistant, Intro to NT, Florida State University
Conference Papers and Presentations
- “Second Temple Jewish Apocalypticism: Literature, Sociology and Theology,” Life of the Scholar Multidisciplinary Conference (Special Graduate Section), Boiling Springs, NC, February 2009.
- “Take It or Leave It: An Examination of Which Ritual Traditions From Judaism Paul Kept, Which Ones He Discarded and Why,” Annual Meeting of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (New Testament), Waco, TX, May 2009.
- “Christ as the Tomb of God: An Examination of the Supersessionist Nature of Christian Death of God Theologies,” Annual Meeting of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (New Testament), Waco, TX, May 2009.
- “From Qumran to Philo: Precedence for Paul’s Use of ‘Israel,’” Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion Regional Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion (New Testament), Atlanta, GA, March 2010; and Annual Meeting of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (New Testament), Atlanta, GA, May 2010.
- “The Dawn of Heaven: The Benedictus, John the Baptist, and Messianic Allusions,” Annual Meeting of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (New Testament), Boiling Springs, NC, May 2011.
Professional Societies
- Society of Biblical Literature
- American Academy of Religion
- National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion
Languages Studied
- Greek (Classical and Koine)
- Hebrew (Biblical)
- Latin
- German
Research Interests
- Early Christian Identity Formation
- Jewish-Christian Relations in Antiquity
- Heresy/Orthodoxy Dichotomy in Early Christianity
- 2nd Temple Judaism
- Christianity in the Greco-Roman World
- Literary, cultural, and social milieu of early Christianity
