Received B.A. in Classical Greek and Latin from Brigham Young University, August 1990; M.A. Ancient History, University of Pennsylvania, May 1992; and Ph.D. Ancient History, University of Pennsylvania, Dec 1997. Joined the faculty at BYU full-time in 1994 as an Instructor of Classics, becoming an Assistant Professor of Classics and Ancient History in 1997. Transferred to the College of Religious Education, becoming an Assistant Professor of Ancient Scripture in 2003 and an Associate Professor in 2008. He was appointed as the coordinator of the Ancient Near Eastern Studies program in August 2012 after spending a year teaching at the BYU Jerusalem Center.
Ph.D. in Ancient History and Classics, University of Pennsylvania December 1997, dissertation: “The Family and Property of Livia Drusilla.”
M.A. in Ancient History, University of Pennsylvania May 1992, thesis: “Fourth Century Marriage, Motherhood, and Power: The Role of Women in the Macedonian Court.”
B.A. in Classical Greek and Latin, Brigham Young University August 1990, summa cum laude and highest honors
II. Academic Employment History
Adjunct Research Fellow, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.
Full-time faculty, Associate Professor of Ancient Scripture, Affiliated Faculty, Classics and Ancient History: Fall 2008–present.
Specialties: New Testament Studies, especially Johannine Literature, Pauline Epistles, and Luke-Acts; Early Christianity and the Roman World; historical context of the Bible.
Full-time faculty, Assistant Professor of Ancient Scripture, Affiliated Faculty, Classics and Ancient History: Fall 2003–2008
Full-time faculty, Assistant Professor of Classics and Ancient History: Winter 1998–Summer 2003.
Specialties: Greek and Roman history, Greek and Latin language and grammar, historical authors, women in antiquity.
Full-time faculty, Instructor: Fall 1994–Fall 1997.
Part-time faculty, Brigham Young University: Summers of 1991–94.
Student Instructor, Brigham Young University: Winter and Fall 1989, Spring and Summer 1990.
III. Awards and Honors
Honors Professor of the Year, 2011
Susan and Harvey Black Outstanding Publication Award in Ancient Scripture, March 2010.
Alcuin Fellow, Brigham Young University, 2009–2011 (awarded August 2008)
University of Pennsylvania: William Penn Fellow; senior writing fellow.
Brigham Young University: National Merit, Karl G. Maeser, and Hinckley scholar; Eta Sigma Phi (secretary-treasurer, vice president, president); Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
Personal Background
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but raised in upstate New York, western Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Married N. Elaine Scott in 1993. They have two children, Rachel (1997) and Samuel (2003).
Received B.A. in Classical Greek and Latin from Brigham Young University, August 1990; M.A. Ancient History, University of Pennsylvania, May 1992; and Ph.D. Ancient History, University of Pennsylvania, Dec 1997. Joined the faculty at BYU full-time in 1994 as an Instructor of Classics, becoming an Assistant Professor of Classics and Ancient History in 1997. Transferred to the College of Religious Education, becoming an Assistant Professor of Ancient Scripture in 2003 and an Associate Professor in 2008. He was appointed as the coordinator of the Ancient Near Eastern Studies program in August 2012 after spending a year teaching at the BYU Jerusalem Center.
He served in the Thailand Bangkok Mission (1985-86). Second counselor in the bishopric of the Philadelphia Third Ward (1991-94) and Provo Park Ward (1995-1996). Bishop of the North Park First Ward in Provo (1996-2002). Has served as an ordinance worker in the Provo Temple since 2002, and is currently a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.