Mon. Jun 9th, 2025
SBL 2024 Talk ASOR and SBL 2024 5 min read

ASOR and SBL 2024

Matthew Saunders November 27, 2024
Last week, I attended the 2024 annual meetings of the American Schools of Overseas Research (ASOR) in Boston, MA, and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) in San Diego, CA. These back-to-back conferences were a highlight of my academic year, featuring groundbreaking research, engaging discussions, and opportunities to connect with colleagues and friends in Near Eastern studies. Here's a few of the talks I attended as well as a brief summary of my research which I presented at SBL.... Read More
Sara Milstein: A (Brief) Literature Review 7 min read

Sara Milstein: A (Brief) Literature Review

Matthew Saunders October 26, 2024
TL;DR: Sara Milstein, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at UBC, will deliver the 2024 Samuel Iwry Lecture at Johns Hopkins on Monday, October 28, 2024. She works on the literary history of the HB, biblical and Mesopotamian law, ANE scribal culture, and Mesopotamian literature. In this post, I briefly review her three books in which she challenges traditional views on biblical law, highlights ancient scribal practices, and explores the evolution of the Gilgamesh epic.... Read More
Image of Martin Noth The Deuteronomistic History: Two Milestones in the History of Scholarship 5 min read

The Deuteronomistic History: Two Milestones in the History of Scholarship

Matthew Saunders September 4, 2024
One of my doctoral seminars this semester is on the Deuteronomistic History (DtrH). This post is the first in a series that analyzes recent and current scholarship on the DtrH. In this inaugural post, we discuss Martin Noth’s initial theory of a single exilic author and Frank Moore Cross’s expansion to two deuteronomistic redactions, one during Josiah’s reign and the other during the exile.... Read More
AI generated image of my Spring and Summer 2024 in review. Spring and Summer 2024 Semesters in Review at JHU 5 min read

Spring and Summer 2024 Semesters in Review at JHU

Matthew Saunders September 1, 2024
TL;DR: During the Spring and Summer 2024 semesters at JHU, I completed various advanced seminar courses, various projects, and extracurricular activities. I also traveled for research and vacation across Europe and the USA. For Fall 2024, I will continue my coursework both at JHU and CUA, anticipating a demanding but fulfilling semester.... Read More