Matthew Saunders

Matthew Saunders is a PhD student in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He researches the languages and literatures of the ancient Near East, especially Aramaic Studies, Ugaritic Studies, and Comparative Semitics.

Summer 2025, NACAL 48, and Comps 4 min read

Summer 2025, NACAL 48, and Comps

Matthew Saunders September 29, 2025

Introduction This post offers a brief update on my recent academic travels over the past four months—primarily for conferences and workshops—as well as a snapshot... Read More

An Academic Pilgrimage: Germany Summer 2025 13 min read

An Academic Pilgrimage: Germany Summer 2025

Matthew Saunders June 26, 2025

TL;DR: For the past few weeks, I’ve traveled to Stuttgart, Tübingen, Berlin, Wittenberg, Erfurt, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Göttingen, and Hamburg, including the following three conferences: Semitic Dialectology (Berlin); Studying Hebrew in Sixteenth-Century Strasbourg (Strasbourg); and Current Research and Challenges in Ugaritic Studies (Göttingen). Here's an overview of the talks I attended.... Read More

Drs. Talia and Cook at Dr. Talia's retirement party.

Semester in Review: Spring 2025 at JHU 6 min read

Semester in Review: Spring 2025 at JHU

Matthew Saunders June 2, 2025

Introduction For the past two years, I’ve written “Semester in Review” posts about my coursework at Johns Hopkins (Fall 2023 here; Spring and Summer 2024... Read More

235th Annual Meeting of the AOS (2025) 4 min read

News and Events

235th Annual Meeting of the AOS (2025)

Matthew Saunders April 14, 2025

From April 9–12, 2025, I attended the 235th Annual Meeting of the American Oriental Society in Boston, presenting my research on the sociolinguistics of the Canaanite Shift in the Amarna Letters. The conference brought together scholars from across the field, with outstanding talks and lively discussions throughout the week.... Read More

JHU-PTS Doctoral Symposium 3 min read

JHU-PTS Doctoral Symposium

Matthew Saunders February 23, 2025

One week ago, I presented a lecture at the first annual Johns Hopkins-Princeton Theological Seminary Doctoral Symposium for Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and Northwest Semitics. My lecture focused on Aramaic-based code-alternation in the Hebrew Bible, categorizing its motivations and functions. It was an honor to engage with faculty like Mark S. Smith and F.W. “Chip” Dobbs-Allsopp and to share insights from my ongoing dissertation research. A more focused version of this talk is in progress for a future conference.... Read More

Fall 2024 Semester in Review 7 min read

Fall 2024 Semester in Review

Matthew Saunders January 6, 2025

Fall 2024 was an incredible semester at Johns Hopkins and beyond. From a diverse course load spanning Arabic, Hebrew, Akkadian, and Aramaic to attending ASOR and presenting at SBL, it’s been a season of growth, learning, and unforgettable experiences.... Read More

DtrH: Books and Key Texts 8 min read

DtrH: Books and Key Texts

Matthew Saunders December 19, 2024

This post concludes a series on the Deuteronomistic History (DtrH), exploring its composition, themes, and key texts. From the covenantal foundations in Deuteronomy to the exile in Kings, DtrH integrates theological reflection with historical narrative. By examining its books, we gain insights into Israel’s covenantal journey and the development of biblical historiography.... Read More

Does DtrH even exist? 6 min read

Does DtrH even exist?

Matthew Saunders December 18, 2024

TL;DR: The Deuteronomistic History (DtrH) is a complex, multilayered biblical narrative often debated for its coherence and unity. Does it even exist? This post explores four key arguments for its unity—linguistic, thematic, historical, and literary—while acknowledging the nuanced, evolving scholarly perspectives that keep this discussion dynamic and ongoing.... Read More