Fowlkes, Isabel Blair.   “The Cults of Syrian-Phonecian Gods in Rome: Archaeology, Topography, and Connections to the Roman East.”   diss., New York University, 2012. [Near East/Rome]

Abstract:  This dissertation provides an in-depth analysis of the evidence for the cults of Syrian-Phoenician gods in Rome, and contributes to an understanding of their significance as “alternative” religions within the urban culture of the city during the imperial period. The introduction includes descriptions of the gods and a review of the historical-religious issues and previous scholarship as part of an intellectual history sparked initially by Franz Cumont’s category “Oriental religions.” Jupiter Dolichenus’ role as an “elective” cult that appealed to diverse civilians as well as members of the military contrasts with the “diaspora” cult sites of other gods that reflect the importance of ancestral gods among communities linked to their cities/region of origin. Continue reading →

Greer, Jonathan Samuel.  “Dinner at Dan: A Biblical and Archaeological Exploration of Sacred Feasting at Iron Age II Tel Dan.”  PhD diss., Pennsylvania State University, 2011. [Israel/Canaan/Dan/Ritual/Liturgy/Worship/Sacrifice/Festivals]

Abstract:  This study provides a biblical and archaeological investigation of sacred feasting at the Iron Age II site of Tel Dan and seeks to evaluate the historicity, nature, and significance of these events from the late 10th century – mid-8th century BCE. Biblical texts concerning the establishment of a cult at Dan are examined and seen to be reflective of a Yahwistic and traditional religious context in which these feasts may have been acted out. The contents of seven distinct deposits of animal bone, ceramic, and material remains from a temple complex at Tel Dan are analyzed and argued to be the remains of sacred feasts. From this analysis, contrast is noted between two spheres of activity and change in practice over time is suggested. A synthesis of the biblical and archaeological data highlights the correlation of these archaeological remains to biblical texts concerning sacrificial prescriptions, realia , and movements within sacred space, refining the reconstruction of the activities within the precinct. The study concludes by affirming that sacred feasts were indeed carried out at Iron Age II Tel Dan and by suggesting that they were likely Yahwistic and traditional in nature. It further places these events in their socio-political and religious contexts and suggests that these sacred feasts at Dan may have been utilized by the Northern monarchs of ancient Israel for kingdom building, initially to unify tribal factions and later to reinforce distinct social structures, as a society strove to incorporate its tribal past within a monarchic framework.

Renwick, David Alistair.  “Paul, the Temple, and the Presence of God.”  PhD diss., Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, 1988. [Israel/Christian/Theology/Presence of God]

Abstract:  The thesis proposed and defended in this dissertation is: THAT WHEREAS in the Judaism surrounding the first Christian century there was a pervasive concern to establish, enter, and maintain the presence of God, which counted as the very essence of salvation, AND WHEREAS such a concern belonged to, among others, the pre-70 Pharisees, of whom one was the Apostle Paul, AND WHEREAS such a concern was intimately related to concepts such as Jerusalem, the Temple, the Priesthood, and other matters related to the Cult, THEREFORE it can be assumed that such a fundamental concern, couched in similar terms, was of fundamental (and not merely secondary or illustrative) importance to the Apostle Paul, who even as a Christian continued to think in ways characteristic of Judaism and the Old Testament, AND THAT when such a hypothesis is made, Paul’s thought is greatly clarified. Continue reading →

Bloom, John Arthur.  “Ancient Near Eastern Temple Assemblies: A Survey and Prolegomena.”  PhD diss., Annenberg Research Institute, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 1992. [Near East]

Abstract:  The bulk of this thesis consists of a compilation of Akkadian and Sumerian primary source material which gives insight into the ancient concept of the assembly, especially those assemblies which were held on temple precincts. Continue reading →

Kang, Seung Il.  “Creation, Eden, Temple and Mountain: Textual Presentations of Sacred Space in the Hebrew Bible.”  PhD diss., The Johns Hopkins University, 2008.  [Israel/Creation/Eden/Mountain/Sacred Space/Theology]

Abstract:  Sacred space has become an important category in the study of religion since the mid-twentieth century, thanks largely to the work of Mircea Eliade. Continue reading →

LaRocca-Pitts, Elizabeth C. “Of Wood and Stone’: A Source Critical Analysis and Study of Early Biblical Interpretation Concerning bamot, massebot, ‘aseri m, and mizbehot.”   PhD diss., Harvard University, 1994. [Israel/Theology/Sacrifice/Covenants/Furnishings]

Abstract:  In the secondary literature on the biblical text it is often generally stated that bamot (so-called “high place” shrines), massebot (standing stones), ‘aseri m (so-called “sacred trees” or “poles”), and certain mizbehot (altars), were universally condemned by the biblical writers due to a clear connection between them and Canaanite religion. Continue reading →

Lee, Young S.  “Israelite Local Shrines and the Deuteronomic Mandate of a Central Sanctuary.”  PhD diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 2005. [Israel/Solomon/Furnishings/Theology]

Abstract:  The Old Testament attests to two altar laws, that of Exodus 20 and that of Deuteronomy and the Old Testament historical books. Deuteronomy 12:5; 14:22-29; 15:19-20; 16:6, 11, 16, and the like instructed Israel to worship Yahweh in a central sanctuary as one designated place. Continue reading →

Hearson, Nathanael Blake.  “‘Go Now to Shiloh’” God’s Changing Relationship with Sacred Places in the Hebrew Bible and Early Rabbinic Literature.”  PhD diss., Hebrew Union College, 2005. [Israel/Sacred Space/Bethel/Beer Sheba/Gilgal/Dan/Gibeon/Shechem/Shiloh]

Abstract:  While the notion of sacred space is certainly present in the biblical literature, it is an assumed concept and cannot be adequately defined by the semantic field of words associated with holiness. Thus, we must ask what constitutes sacred space according to the authors of the Hebrew Bible. Continue reading →

Anderson, Trever R.  “Doctrine and Covenants Section 110: From Vision to Canonization.”  M.R.E thesis, Brigham Young University, 2010. [Mormon/Elijah/Kirtland/Theology/Priesthood/Salvation of the Dead]

This Master’s thesis make some interesting and valuable contributions to Mormon understanding of the background and use of section 110.  The first chapter traces D&C 110 from its recording in 1836, through its inclusion in the Manuscript History of Joseph Smith, and its first publications in the Deseret News and Millennial Star, to its eventual inclusion in the 1876 D&C and its canonization in the 1880 D&C. Continue reading →

Note: Most universities now require the author of a PhD dissertation to write an abstract.  The following abstracts have been taken from the author’s written summary of his/her work.

Losie, Lynn Allan.  “The Cleansing of the Temple: A History of a Gospel Tradition in Light of Its Background in the Old Testament and in Early Judaism.”  PhD diss., Fuller Theological Seminary, 1985.  [Israel/Herod/Christian]

Abstract:  The Gospel pericope of the cleansing of the temple provides a special opportunity for the reconstruction of a history of tradition, since it is one of the few pericopes which is attested in all four Gospels. Continue reading →