Applying for a New Testament PhD

What you'll need

NOTE: I am currently finishing my M.T.S. at Harvard Divinity School in New Testament and will continue to an M.A.R.c at Yale Divinity School in Second Temple Judaism. I am not a PhD student, but I’ve learned as someone who originally studied philosophy and political science what is needed in order to be a competitive PhD student.

Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies is challenging. The field of Biblical Studies, whether Hebrew Bible or New Testament studies, is one of the most intense and technical fields, while also being possibly the least rewarding in terms of job prospects.

Upon Applying, you should:

1. Know these languages: Attic and Koine Greek (Advanced), Classical Hebrew (Intermediate at minimum), and Theological German or French (Reading Competence; stronger preference on German).

   1. Regardless, you should be pursuing Latin, Aramaic (+ Syriac), and, to a lesser degree of immediate necessity, Old Church Slavonic and Ethiopic. I’m sure there are others.

   2. If you know Spanish, Japanese, Italian, Korean — literally any language in which New Testament scholarship is being written — then that is a plus. It looks good and is good to cite and know international scholarship.

   3. If you are going into textual criticism, then you will definitely need more languages than the ones listed in 1. Even if you are not aiming to be a textual critic, you will need to know about how text criticism works, especially if you are working on a passage that has relevant textual variants.

   4. Practice your languages constantly (Biblingo is great), find a textbook that works for you, have fun with the languages.

      1. Although verbal forms and declensions are important, I’ve found that vocabulary really makes the difference. You might struggle to parse any random word, but if you see a word you know well in a sentence then parsing becomes so much easier.

      2. Flashcards are indispensable.

      3. Study languages in different ink colors. This helps the brain remember better. (At least in my experience. Blue is one of my favorite colors to use.)

         1. For example, you might make the English words on your work page black but the Greek letters on the page blue. Or you might make verbs red and nouns green if you’re writing out a sentence.

      4. In terms of textbooks, I have found Intermediate Greek Grammar: Syntax for Students of the New Testament by David L. Mathewson and Elodie Ballantine Emig helpful. I keep Smyth’s Greek Grammar nearby as well.

2. Know the literature: There are certain texts that you are expected to have read as a New Testament student. Some of these are:

   1. Primary Texts

      1. A critical edition of the Greek New Testament

      2. A critical edition of the Septuagint

      3. A critical edition of the Hebrew Bible

      4. The Dead Sea Scrolls (I recommend the Florentino García Martínez & Eibert J.C. Tigchelaar’s 2 vols. study edition)

      5. The Mishnah (I recommend the Oxford Annotated Edition but Danby’s is still acceptable)

      6. The writings of Flavius Josephus

      7. The writings of Philo of Alexandria

      8. At least one other Graeco-Roman writer like Plutarch (1st cent. CE) or Theon of Alexandria (1st cent. BCE).

   2. Secondary Literature

      1. Paul and Palestinian Judaism - E.P. Sanders

      2. Judaism: Practice and Belief - E.P. Sanders

      3. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration - Bruce M. Metzger & Bart D. Ehrman

      4. What Are the Gospels?: A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography - Richard A. Burridge

      5. The Quest of the Historical Jesus - Albert Schweitzer

         1. A contemporary “successor” of this work is, in my opinion, Dale C. Allison Jr.’s Jesus of Nazareth: Millenarian Prophet. The view of Jesus as an apocalyptic prophet is essential for a New Testament student to know.

      6. Traditions of the Bible - James Kugel

      7. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings - Bart D. Ehrman & Hugo Méndez

         1. The most popular textbook of New Testament studies

   3. My Recommended Secondary Texts

      1. A Marginal Jew: Vol. 1 - John P. Meier

         1. An incredibly learned introduction to historical Jesus studies and historical criticism in general.

      2. The Birth of the Messiah: A new updated edition and The Death of the Messiah, From Gethsemane to the Grave (2 vols) - Raymond Brown

         1. With respect to the Nativity and Crucifixion of Jesus, these two works are the starting points.

      3. Judaism and the Gentiles: Jewish Patterns of Universalism (to 135 CE) - Terence L. Donaldson

         1. A fair and intelligent assessment of ancient Jewish views on Gentiles

3. Know the field: You’ll want to have a general knowledge of how the field has changed over time, and where it currently stands. Of course, New Testament scholarship is not a monolithic phenomenon, and it is rare to find universal consensus on anything. Terms like “Tübingen school” and “New Perspective on Paul” should be familiar to you.

   1. Robyn Faith Walsh’s The Origins of Early Christian Literature is a good examination of not only the Gospels but the field as a whole.

4. Know the resources: There are certain databases and resources you should be familiar with such as:

   1. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae

   2. Digital Dead Sea Scrolls

      1. Yale University has helpfully compiled other DSS links.

   3. Biblia Patristica

   4. Göttinger Septuaginta

   5. The Society of Biblical Literature

      1. This is thee place to meet scholars, present your papers, and stay connected with scholarship.

   6. I’m sure there are others I’m missing. Please comment below if you know of anything I’ve missed.

5. Know who’s who and who is infamous:

   1. First, you are advised to avoid citing anyone who has been blacklisted by the community, such as someone who was later discovered to be antisemitic.

   2. Second, here’s a list of people who are recognized as thee expert in certain areas. In no particular order:

      1. Lee Martin McDonald - Canon formation

      2. Steve Mason - Flavius Josephus

      3. Annette Yoshiko Reed - Jewish-Christianity, the Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1-36)

      4. James C. VanderKam - the Book of Jubilees

      5. Loren T. Stuckenbruck - 1 Enoch 98-108

      6. Gary Anderson - Sin

      7. Dale C. Allison Jr. - the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus-Moses typology, historical Jesus

         1. Noteworthy mention: Nathan Eubank on the Gospel of Matthew and Sin

      8. Richard Bauckham - the Gospel of John, Jude and 1 Peter

      9. Matthew J. Thomas - Paul & Justification in Early Christianity

      10. Joel S. Baden - the Documentary Hypothesis

      11. Molly Zahn - the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Temple Scroll

      12. Mark Goodacre - Farrer Hypothesis

      13. Kenneth Atkinson - the Psalms of Solomon

      14. Candida Moss - early Christian persecution/martyrdom

      15. Michael Fishbane - Jewish Biblical Interpretation

      16. Markus Bockmuehl - Simon Peter, Living Memory

      17. Jennifer Glancy - Slavery in Early Christianity

      18. David Goodblatt - Jewish institutions of authority

      19. David Instone-Brewer - Rabbinic Literature in relation to the New Testament

      20. Jon D. Levenson - Genesis esp. binding of Isaac, resurrection in ancient Judaism

      21. Leroy A. Huizenga - intertextuality

      22. John M.G. Barclay - Paul and grace, Judaism in the diaspora

      23. John P. Meier - the Historical Jesus

      24. Please let me know if I am missing anyone. There are some figures I have not included on the list due to their mixed or controversial reception among scholars, meaning I am unsure if I can say they are recognized as thee expert on some matter.

6. Know about Ancient and Modern Judaism: As a New Testament student, it is worth knowing extensively about ancient and modern Judaism. Don’t treat Judaism as mere background for Christianity. I would advise getting to know the literature and times of Jesus well, which means knowing the “Pseudepigrapha” and reading widely beyond just the canonical texts.

   1. From the Maccabees to the Mishnah - Shaye J.D. Cohen

   2. The Jewish Annotated New Testament

      1. The essays at the back are simply marvelous.

   3. Charlesworth’s Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (2 vols).

      1. If you have the budget, the Jewish Publication Society’s Outside of the Bible (2 vols).

   4. Scholars like Amy-Jill Levine have done much to counteract negative Christian stereotypes about Jewish people, including in New Testament scholarship.

      1. The Bible With and Without Jesus (book)

      2. The Misunderstood Jew (book)

         1. Highly practical, especially the final chapter.

   5. Jon D. Levenson’s work is simply brilliant.

      1. Sinai & Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible

      2. Resurrection and the Restoration of Israel: The Ultimate Victory of the God of Life

      3. The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of Child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity

      4. So many others I could list.

   6. There are also introductions to Ancient Judaism like VanderKam’s An Introduction to Early Judaism.

      1. There’s also Early Judaism: A Comprehensive Overview, which I highly recommend.

      2. If you can afford it, there is the T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism (2 vols), and Lester Grabbe’s comprehensive history of Second Temple Judaism (4 vols).

      3. The Cambridge History of Judaism, especially the first four volumes, is still used often by New Testament scholars. It is, however, expensive.

7. Know the programs: Every program is different. Some programs are more theologically oriented or welcoming, whereas others are more historically critically oriented. Some programs a more canonically oriented, whereas others put the canonical texts to the side. Both of these approaches are illuminative and valid, but, I think, only knowing how one approach works and not the other leaves you malformed as a thinker. Overall, you need to know what you’re getting yourself into before you apply.

   1. You should reach out to the person you’d want to study under, either at SBL or over ZOOM. Your application should not be the first time a scholar you’re interested in working with has heard of you.

   2. Connections are everything in Academia. Develop genuine and intellectually fulfilling friendships with scholars. Those connections and letters of recommendations can take you very far.