If I could have gone back…

When I was accepted to Durham I had about 11 months before coming and I was doing some teaching and working (for a publishing company), but I wanted to do something to prepare for my research.  So, I started to research heavily in the area of my proposal.  Seems reasonable enough…But when I arrived and [...]

Online Resource for Biblical Studies

My mentor at GCTS, Roy Ciampa, has a really amazing website (www.viceregency.com) which has links to loads of useful info for NT studies.  The amount of work he has done is beyond description, just take a peek and you’ll understand.

Oxford English Dictionary Online

If you are using your institution’s network, you may have access to Oxford English Dictionary online (www.oed.com). If you haven’t used it before, it is great for comprehensive definitions – excellent resource for defining key terms in your own writing, or looking up words you don’t know. Also, you can choose helpful options [...]

Amazon full-text

I have just added a page at the top ‘Amazon…’ that links to NT academic books that are of great value to research students. I will be adding more whenever I have time. Most of the books are from the SNTS monograph series – completely searchable. Enjoy! Also, please comment if [...]

Viva: Tips

The ‘viva’ is the word used in the UK for the oral thesis defense. The decision to award you a PhD results from a successful completetion of the viva, along with your written work (of course). So, its helpful to know about it. Some people may be under the impression that all [...]

Book Reviews: Reading Critically

Writing the book review obviously requires reading the book. But, the reading must be done with a critical engagement. I’m sure some people can just sit and read a book and write their thoughts. However, I have tried to find an approach that will help me make notations and markers in the [...]

Writing a Book Review

I have found that one of the best ways to stay up-to-date on current research is to volunteer to do book reviews.  I have done about five or six and I have four more on contract that I am working on with various periodicals.  What I notice when reading reviews is how much they vary [...]

New Testament/Biblical Studies Academic Societies

As future academicians, it is very helpful to engage in a scholarly community, highly specialized to your discipline, and relevant at a more general level so you can learn from similar or parallel disciplines. Plus, when it comes time for getting a job, membership in scholarly societies shows that you show an active interest [...]

“I got into a PhD program in the UK, now what???” Tips on where to start…

For those of us who did not do extensive research in our MDIVs or MAs (beyond exegesis papers), it is a terrifying experience to realize that you don’t even know where to begin (other than having a decent research topic). I found that a couple of things have helped:
(1) Read How to Get a [...]

Presenting an Academic Paper (vis-a-vis SBL)

If you are currently pursuing a doctorate in biblical studies, you may be thinking about presenting a paper at an academic conference. Now, I have not actually presented a paper, but I hope to soon and I asked John M.G. Barclay for some advice about how to get my paper proposal accepted. First [...]