Classical Studies PhD Student
I am a fourth-year PhD student at BU, having received my BA (2019) and MA (2021) in Classics at the universities of British Columbia and Alberta, respectively. My research interests lie at the intersections of classical and late antique rhetorical/philosophical texts and biblical literature—a wide range, perhaps, but that is precisely the point: the stream of ancient literature is deeper, broader, and fuller than any of the labels we assign to its tributaries (“canonical,” “pagan,” “Christian,” etc.). It is easier, consequently, to describe the methods that interest me rather than any single subject-area: I am most interested in how close reading, attention to scribal and editorial decisions, and an understanding of the traditionality of literary language can still bring old shadows into new light for readers today.
Sometimes these shadows are lying in plain sight; articles currently under review include a study of Augustine’s use of conventional wordplay to present his idea of “confession,” and a reassessment of the genre and structure of Gregory of Nazianzus’ “First Theological Oration.” Since last year I have also been collaborating with Brian Dunkle SJ on the first English translation of Hilary’s Tractatus super Psalmos, forthcoming from Catholic University Press.
This year I am working on my dissertation, a study of the textual and literary conventions for indicating the speaker’s interlocutors, real or imagined, in the ancient “diatribe” genre. I am also currently studying Hebrew, as well as Greek papyrology and palaeography, ever trying to broaden and deepen my knowledge of our wonderful field.
I currently live in Framingham, MA with my wife, Rebecca and our (forthcoming) daughter.
Publications
forthcoming (with Brian Dunkle SJ, Henry Wansbrough OSB, and Dunstan Enzor OSB), Hilary of Poitiers: Tractatus super Psalmos, a new translation in the Fathers of the Church series, CUA Press
2024 “‘Grand Words for a Common Thing’: Precursors to The Grammar of Assent in John Henry Newman’s Early Classical Readings (1809-1826)” in The Newman Studies Journal 21.1 (https://doi.org/10.1353/nsj.2024.a934089)
2024 “Elementary Errors: Philosophers, Idolaters, and τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου in Paul and Clement of Alexandria” in Vigiliae Christianae (published online ahead of print 05/06/24: https://doi.org/10.1163/15700720-bja10090)
Book Reviews
2024 review of T.A. Brookins, Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Corinthians: Paul, Stoicism, and Spiritual Hierarchy, forthcoming in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 86, no. 3 (July, 2024), pp. 610-12 (http://doi.org/10.1353/cbq.2024.a931752)
Select Conference Papers
Aug 2024 “The Etymology of ‘Confessing’ in Augustine’s Early Works” Oxford Patristics Conference Oxford, UK
May 2024 “The Structure and Purpose of Gregory’s ‘First Theological Oration’” North American Patristics Society Conference Chicago, IL
January 2024 “Blindness and Vergil’s Auditory Imagination” Society for Classical Studies Annual Conference Chicago, IL