Dr. Amy L. Peeler is Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College (IL). She earned her MDiv and PhD in Biblical Studies from Princeton Theological Seminary. Peeler is also Associate Rector at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Geneva, Illinois. Follow Dr. Peeler on Twitter @albpeeler.

How did you decide to become a biblical scholar? Share your autobiographical journey.

I began college, at Oklahoma Baptist University, as a psychology major and thought I was headed for a career in counseling. I took a few electives in Biblical studies the fall of my junior year, and within the first week I had decided that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My faith had always been very important to me, and I had always loved school. When I realized one could combine academic and Scriptural study, I was hooked. My professors and mentors at my college supported my passion for the subject and help me navigate the logistics of the guild.

Tell us about your work (past and current). What are you most excited about right now? What do you hope your work will contribute?

I attended Princeton Theological Seminary for both my Masters and Doctoral degrees. I was trained there in the breadth of Biblical and Theological studies  so that I would be well prepared to teach in the church and the academy. As I moved toward specialization, I knew I had great interest in the Epistles, but had a hard time deciding if I should focus on the Pauline corpus or Hebrews. For my dissertation, it seemed that the field of Hebrews offered more space for new scholars to make a contribution. A class on Greco-Roman rhetoric caused me to consider closely the way the author of Hebrews introduced the many Scriptural citations in his letter. As that which was spoken, God, as the speaker of these texts, did a great deal of speaking in Hebrews. Those speeches shaped the character of God presented in this letter. God’s character as a Father, appearing first in the letter, most captured my attention and my dissertation focused on the familial elements in the letter and the way in which they shaped its theology and exhortation.

Photo credit: Martin Luther University College

Dr. Carmen Palmer has taught biblical Hebrew for several years at Emmanuel College in the University of Toronto. Presently she instructs in the area of biblical studies at Martin Luther University College in Waterloo, ON (Canada), and teaches online in the topic of early Christian writings for the College of Emmanuel & St. Chad in Saskatoon, SK (Canada). She earned her BA in French Literature and East Asian Area Studies from the University of British Columbia, a Master of Divinity from Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto, and a PhD in Biblical Studies from the University of St. Michael’s College. She is a scholar of Hebrew Bible specializing in Dead Sea Scrolls, with an interest in identity and conversions. Carmen tweets at @callmescrolls.

How did you decide to become a biblical scholar? Share your autobiographical journey.

I always knew that I would like to complete a doctoral degree, although I never anticipated that it would be in biblical studies or that I would go on to be a biblical and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar. Initially, after I completed highschool, I thought I would become a French teacher. And, in fact I did major in French literature and go on exchange at the francophone Université de Montréal in my undergraduate degree. I also took Japanese language in highschool and university, and thought that I might carry on in Asian Studies, as well.

Meanwhile, I was working as a lay pastoral minister and wanted to get a Masters degree to help with my work in that field. But, after beginning my program and enjoying Biblical Hebrew and Greek, I decided to forge on with doctoral studies in the field of biblical studies, and see where that went. After I began my program, I took a course on the Dead Sea Scrolls. When the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit came to the Royal Ontario Museum in concert with a series of guest lectures at the University of Toronto from several Dead Sea Scrolls specialists, I became heavily involved in the event and was hooked in that field from there.   More→

Dr. Rachel Coleman teaches undergraduates and graduate students at Indiana Wesleyan University, United Theological Seminary, and Asbury Theological Seminary, as well as teaching twice a year in Latin America and Spain for One Mission Society. Rachel earned her B.A. from Asbury University (formerly Asbury College), M.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Kentucky, M.A. in Biblical Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary, and PhD in Theological Studies (New Testament) from Regent University. Rachel blogs at writepraylove660813036@wordpress.com.

How did you decide to become a biblical scholar? Share your autobiographical journey.

To borrow an image from Ecclesiastes, I would describe my journey as the slow and painstaking weaving together of three strands into a strong cord that tugged me toward biblical scholarship. The first of those strands is a life-long love of language (my first Master’s degree, back in another lifetime, was in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of Kentucky in 1987). I have always been fascinated with words, written communication, and the intricacies and subtleties of how language works. The second strand is a life-long love of Scripture, which began with my “conversion” experience. It was during the reading of the crucifixion account from John’s Gospel that I became aware, at age 14, that this story was real, that it mattered, and that I could be part of it. Those two strands complemented each other, and I quickly found myself practicing inductive and narrative approaches to the sacred text, long before I could name or describe either one of those things!  More→

T. M. Lemos is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Huron University College and a member of the graduate school faculty at the University of Western Ontario.  She earned her BA from Brown University in Judaic Studies and her PhD in Religious Studies from Yale University. She is a historian of ancient Israel and early Judaism and a biblical scholar.

How did you decide to become a biblical scholar? Share your autobiographical journey.

My parents are Azorean immigrants and religious Catholics.  My mother in particular is quite pious, and in the immigrant community in which I grew up it was common to have gatherings in people’s houses where we would pray the rosary before votive statues of the Virgin Mary or a crown representing the Espírito Santo.  Religion was very prominent in my life growing up and, to be entirely frank, I fought this tooth and nail.  I read the Bible, read books about religion, just to debunk Catholic dogma.  Interestingly, I ended up falling in love with Judaism, Jewish texts, and Jewish history.  I took biblical Hebrew my very first semester at Brown and started taking courses with Saul Olyan my junior year.  Saul ended up being my thesis advisor and mentor.  I joke with him now that being introduced to biblical studies through him really misled me—I thought the field was full of secular gay Jews.  It isn’t.  Speaking seriously, though, I really cannot understate his influence on my becoming a biblicist versus some other type of scholar.  I had considered getting a Ph.D. in Portuguese and Brazilian studies—in fact, I would fit in better in that field in many ways than I do in Biblical Studies.  However, Saul was just such a good mentor to me.  I was a working-class kid at an elite school who was coming out of the closet and had never known even one openly gay person growing up.  I really needed a good mentor.  He became a kind of parent figure to me, and so choosing to be a scholar of the Hebrew Bible seemed fitting and appealing to me.  More→

Dr. Lydia Lee is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Research Focus Area: Ancient Texts: Text, Context and Reception, North-West University in South Africa. She earned her B.A. (Hons) in Biblical Studies and Classical Hebrew at the University of Sydney and Ph.D. in Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Georg-August-Universität Gottingen. She can also be found at her blog.

How did you become a biblical scholar? Share your autobiographical journey.

Born in a Presbyterian ministerial family in Malaysia, I grew up watching my parents serving in various Christian churches. When my father received an appointment to pastor a Chinese Christian church in Sydney, my whole family followed him and immigrated to Australia. This kind of family background exposed me to the biblical literature and its impacts at a very young age. Fascinating to me was how biblical texts could empower many believers to display an incredulous amount of patience, kindness, and sacrificial love. Meanwhile, I was intrigued by the strife, deceits, and molestation committed by church members in the name of God’s word. Sidling through these moments of light and darkness prompted me to reflect on the meaning of life and to yearn for more knowledge of God.

Upon my graduation from the senior high school, I decided to dedicate myself to the biblical studies at the University of Sydney. At that time, I received the award of Dux of the School and my academic performance was good enough to get me into any course of study at the university. I can still remember the look of sheer puzzlement on the face of my senior high school teacher when I informed him the subjects I was going to study at the university. My learning of the biblical texts was not without difficulties but my teachers at the University of Sydney nurtured my deep interests in the Semitic languages, offered me plenty of encouragements, and laid the academic groundwork for me to pursue further studies in Israel and Germany. Before I accepted the postdoctoral position at the North-West University in South Africa in 2016, I had realized my deep passion for biblical studies and had made up my mind that I would strive to be involved in the academic field for as long as possible. More→