This field of study is meant for students who want to pursue graduate studies at both the M.A. and Ph.D. levels in the textual traditions, which are not included in the canons of the Hebrew Bible, Old Testament or New Testament. The groups and subjects covered are Enochic Judaism, the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, but also the Therapeutae, Apocalypticists, early Christians, Jewish Gnostics, and pre-Rabbinic groups. The literary works studied are those of the Septuagint, the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, the Qumran Scrolls, Philo and Josephus, the Christian Pseudepigrapha as well as the early Rabbinic literature.
Faculty
Fields of expertise: Hebrew Bible, Greco-Roman Judaism and Christian Origins.
Teaching and Research: Hebrew Bible (Religion of Ancient Israel / Exilic and Post-Exilic Period / Literature of Ancient Israel / Prophets); Second Temple Period (Apocalypticism, Qumran Scrolls, Pseudepigrapha, and Christian Origins in the Greco-Roman Period).
Research interests: Second Temple Period (Qumran Scrolls, Pseudepigrapha and Christian Origins in the Greco-Roman Period); Christian Origins (Pauline Epistles and Theology / Synoptic Gospels and Historical Jesus).
M.A. Requirements
Students are required to show proficiency in Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek which will normally be assessed in terms of their having acquired 12 credits in one of these languages at the undergraduate level. It is strongly advised that students have at least 6 credits in one of the other two biblical languages, but this is not required.
Course Requirements: Students will be expected to continue work in Biblical Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic through advanced seminar work, which will enhance their abilities in exegesis, as well as taking more general seminars in the field which will be decided upon in consultation with their supervisor.
All students must demonstrate reading competency in a foreign scholarly language normally by the end of their first year.
All M.A. students are required to take RELG 645 Methods in Religious Studies.
The thesis topic will be determined in consultation with the supervisor and will normally be submitted for approval to the Graduate Policy and Program committee no later than the end of their second term in residence.
All students must obtain a minimum of a B- 65% in all courses.
Ph.D. Requirements
Students will normally have completed an M.A. in the field or its equivalent and will have demonstrated an ability to interpret the relevant ancient texts as described above. Biblical Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic are normally required, but where the student has not gained an adequate knowledge in any one of these languages s/he will be required to take an advanced level seminar in that language in addition to the required Ph.D. seminars.
Students will have reached a reading knowledge of at least one foreign scholarly language and will be expected to have passed the second scholarly language before the Major comprehensive examination.
Course Requirements: In addition to the requirements set out in the Graduate Studies Manuel, students are expected to continue working on the Biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
All students are expected to choose their course of studies in Ph.D.1 and Ph.D.2 in conjunction with their supervisor.
Graduate Students
Ph.D.
Matheus Grillo R. de Carvalho (M.A. in Bible and the Ancient Near East; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Ph.D. 2018-). Angels, gods or demons performing ritual actions (Ph.D. Thesis, School of Religious Studies McGill University; in progress)
Mathew Kipchumba (M.A. Gordon-Conwell 2016; M.A. Concordia 2020; PhD 2020-). Immigration and the reception of Genesis 1:28 (Ph.D. Thesis, School of Religious Studies McGill University; in progress)
Joong Wook Choi, (M.A. Boston Univ. 2012; PhD 2020-). Isaiah 11 in the MT, LXX and DSS (Ph.D. Thesis, School of Religious Studies McGill University; in progress)
Andrew Lairenge (B.D. St. Paul 2003; M.T.S. Drew Univ. 2008; Ph.D. 2015-). Slavery in the Martyrdom of Polycarp (Ph.D. Thesis, School of Religious Studies McGill University; in progress)
M.A. Students
N.A.
Completed M.A.s, S.T.M. and Ph.D.s
Ph.D.
Carla Sulzbach, From Here to Eternity and Back: Locating Sacred Spaces and Temple Imagery in the Book of Daniel (Ph.D. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2009)
Sara Parks, Gender in the Rhetoric of Jesus. Women in Q (Ph.D. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2015)
Shayna Sheinfeld, Crises of Leadership in the Post-Destruction Apocalypses 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch (Ph.D. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2015)
Jean Maurais, The Old Greek Text of Deuteronomy (Ph.D. Thesis; School of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2020)
David Anthony Basham (Ph.D. 2017–2022): Th.M. (Emory), M.A. (Durham), The Temple as Metaphor in 1 Corinthians (Ph.D. Thesis, School of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2022)
M.A.
Shem Miller, The Angel Story: A Study of the Interpretation of Genesis 6:1-4 in the Jewish Literature of the Second Temple period (M.A. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University, completed in 2005)
Sara Parks, The Role of Women in 1 and 2 Maccabees (M.A. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University, completed in 2005)
Elkanah El-Shekari, Philo’s and Paul’s retelling of the Abraham narrative in De Abrahamo and Galatians 3–4 and Romans 4 (M.A. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2015)
Jean Maurais (M.A. without Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2016)
Sarina Meyer, Aseneth in Alexandria: The Ethics of Wealth in ‘Joseph and Aseneth’ in the Ancient Ascetic Context (M.A. Thesis; Faculty of Religious Studies McGill University; completed in 2017)