I. Personal

7 Yarmouth Rd., Chatham, NJ 07928, USA

sfinlan@yahoo.co.uk (732) 266-8035

citizenship/nationality: U.S.A.

II. Academic Specialization

Primary: Pauline theology. Secondary: Christian atonement theology; canonical gospels; anthropology of sacrifice and expulsion rituals; Patristics; Greek and Hellenistic philosophy and religion; Hebrew prophets.

III. Education

2004 Ph.D. in Pauline Theology, University of Durham.
Dissertation: The Background and Content of Paul’s Cultic Atonement Metaphors.
Supervisor: Stephen Barton. Readers: James D. G. Dunn and Markus Bockmuehl.

1999 M.Phil., New Testament Studies, Drew University, Madison, NJ, passing all Doctoral Examinations (Scholarship of the New Testament; Pauline Writings; History of Early Christianity; Hellenistic Religions) and the French and German exams.

1997 M.A. in New Testament Studies, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, Calif.
M.A. Thesis: The Rejection of Prophets Theme: The Use of Second Zechariah in the New Testament. Committee: Mary Ann Tolbert, PSR; Jeffrey Kuan, PSR; Joel B. Green, American Baptist Seminary of the West.

Cumulative Graduate School GPA (5 years): 3.75 (3.89 in NT). Language coursework: Hebrew: 3 yrs; Greek: 3½ yrs; German: 3 yrs; French 1 yr; Avestan (Zoroaster’s language): 1 semester.

1997 B.A. in Liberal Arts with concentration in a non-Western language (Hebrew), Excelsior College, New York.

1995 Participated in the archaeological dig at Bethsaida, Sea of Galilee, Israel.

1993 Scored 780, 800, 730 on Graduate Record Exam (800 is the highest possible).

IV. Employment

a. Teaching Experience

2006-2007 “Intro to New Testament” at Fordham University. Terrence Tilley (718) 817-3241.

2002–2003 “Introduction to Bible” and “Christian Belief and Thought” at Seton Hall University,

and 2006 South Orange, NJ, Religious Studies, Dr. Chuck Carter (973) 761-9331 or 761-9480.

2001– “Western Civ I” at Middlesex County College, History Dept., Edison, NJ 08818.

2006 Department head: Jerry Shindelman (732) 906-2503.

2001 “Western Civ I” University of Monmouth, History Dept., W. Long Branch, NJ 07764

2000–01 Greek Teacher, Cranmer Hall, St. John’s College, University of Durham, U.K.

1999–2001 Teacher’s Assistant in Biblical Greek, Theology Department, University of Durham.

1998 “Core IV: Global Issues,” Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ 07940.

b. Academic, non-teaching Employment

1999– Research assistant for Thomas Oden’s Ancient Christian Commentary Series (IVP),

current with the Original Language Version team, locating and annotating passages in Greek (and occasionally Latin) where Church Fathers quote certain Scriptures.

c. Non-Academic Employment

Six years as a typesetter at Ram Insta-Print, Mill Valley, CA, Sonja Jensen, (415) 383-4177, and Human Resources (Bechtel), San Francisco, CA, using Word, MCS; wrote 2 procedures manuals.

V. Awards

1999–2001 Evans Scholarship, Theology Dept., Univ. of Durham, U.K., two consecutive years

1998 Dean’s Honour Award, Drew University.

1997 Pew Younger Scholars Program; was in seminar on Political Science at Notre Dame.

VI. Publications

a. Books

Forthcoming: Options on Atonement in Christian Thought. Liturgical Press. Editor: Peter Dwyer.

2006: co-editor and one of the authors of Theōsis: Deification in Christian Theology. Princeton Theological Monograph Series 52. Wipf & Stock Publishers. Editor: K. C. Hanson.

2005: Problems with Atonement: The Origins of, and Controversy about, the Atonement Doctrine. Liturgical Press. Publisher: Peter Dwyer.

2004: Publication of The Background and Content of Paul’s Cultic Atonement Metaphors by Society of Biblical Literature and Brill. Academia Biblica 19. Editor: Mark Allan Powell.

b. Articles

Feb., 2007: “Can We Speak of Theōsis in Paul?” in Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the Christian Traditions (Madison, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press), edited by Michael Christensen and Jeffery Wittung.

“Introduction,” “Second Peter’s Notion of Divine Participation,” “The Comedy of Divinization in Soloviev,” in Theōsis: Deification in Christian Theology (see “Books”).

“Values: Preservation and Adaptation.” In Religious Horizons and the Vocation of the University, 2002 Faculty Summer Seminar, Center for Catholic Studies, Seton Hall University. Also at
http://library.shu.edu/respubs_ccs_2002summer-seminar.pdf

c. Book Reviews

Violence, Hospitality, and the Cross: Reappropriating the Atonement Tradition by Hans Boersma. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004. On-line RBL review at www.bookreviews.org/pdf/4460_4498.pdf.

Recovering Theological Hermeneutics: An Incarnational-Trinitarian Theory of Interpretation, by Jens Zimmermann. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004. RBL: www.bookreviews.org/pdf/4587_4683.pdf.

Must There be Scapegoats? Violence and Redemption in the Bible, by Raymund Schwager, Crossroad, 2000. In Journal of Theological Studies 52, no. 2 (2001), pages 706–9.

The Reverse of the Curse, by C. Marvin Pate. WUNT, Reihe 2, 114. Tübingen: Mohr (Paul Siebeck), 2000. In RBL 4 (2002), 409–12 and at bookreviews.org/Reviews/3161472861.html.

A Primer of Biblical Greek, N. Clayton Croy. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999. In RBL 2, 125–27.

VII. Professional Society Memberships

Society of Biblical Literature. Catholic Biblical Association.

VIII. Academic Papers Presented

“The Holy Payment in Paul’s Soteriology” at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Nov. 19, 2006.

“Do Not Be Ashamed of the Testimony—2 Tim 1:8; Imprisonment and Martyrdom” at Great Spiritual Books Conference, Seton Hall University, Nov. 12, 2005.

“Can We Speak of Theosis in Paul?” at the “Partakers of the Divine Nature” Conference, Drew University, May 21, 2004.

“Maccabean Martyr Themes in Galatians” at Annual Meeting, Mid-Atlantic Region, Society of Biblical Literature. March 14, 2003.

“Elihu, the Unappreciated,” Mid-Atlantic Meeting, Society of Biblical Literature, 3-14-03.

“Covenant, Exodus and Repentance in the Book of Hosea” at North of England Institute for Christian Education Sixth Form Study Day, University of Durham. March 22, 2001.

“Conflation of Messianic and Divine Imagery in Revelation” at British New Testament Conference at Roehampton Institute, Surrey, London. August 9, 2000.

“The Grail and Charles Williams” at Drew University Graduate Student Conference in the Humanities, Drew University, Madison, NJ. October 31, 1998.

“Images of Sacrifice and of Curse-Transmission Applied to the Death of Jesus by Paul” at Annual Meeting, Mid-Atlantic Region, Society of Biblical Literature. March 12, 1998.

“Comparing the Greek Fragments of Thomas with the Synoptics” at Annual Meeting, Mid-Atlantic Region, Society of Biblical Literature. March 12, 1998.

IX. Volunteer and Denominational Activity

2003–5 Chairman of Deacons at Stelton Baptist Church, Edison, NJ. Licensed to preach.

1992–94 and 2003–5 Volunteer ESL teacher in San Francisco and in Edison, NJ.

2004, 2006 Organized public discussions of Da Vinci Code at a church and a Barnes & Noble.

1998 Served as Student Area Convenor for Biblical Studies at Drew University.

1998 Served on the New Testament Faculty Search Committee at Drew.

1995–96 Served on the Faculty Committee on Academic Program at Pacific School of Religion.

1979–83 Got Congresspersons to call for release of USSR prisoners I. Kovalyov and T.Osipova.

X. Referees

Letters obtainable from S. C. Barton, J. D. G. Dunn, C. Carter, J. Pain, or J. Shindelman.