A few months ago I had the privilege of sitting in and listening to the successful defense by Keith Campbell of his dissertation entitled "The Appropriation of the Psalmic Lament in the Synoptic Gospels: A Study in Characterization." His primary reader was Dr. Andreas Köstenberger, his secondary reader was Dr. Heath Thomas (OT--specialty is Lament), and his outside reader was Dr. Joel F. Williams (New Testament--Cedarville University, book editor for JETS). His abstract is as follows:
"In 2007, Stephen P. Ahearne-Kroll published The Psalms of Lament in Mark‘s Passion: Jesus‘ Davidic Suffering (SNTSMS 142) wherein he explores Mark‘s appropriation of the Psalmic Lament in characterizing Jesus. While previous scholars tended to conflate Mark‘s appropriation of the Lament Psalms indistinguishably into his appropriation of his Isaianic Servant motif, Ahearne-Kroll establishes, among other things, that Mark portrays Jesus in the passion distinctly as the David Psalmic Lamenter par excellence. This dissertation, by building upon the works of OT and NT scholars from Hermann Gunkel to Joel Marcus, advances Ahearne-Kroll‘s work by, first, exploring how Mark appropriates the Psalmic Lament in relation to his use of other psalmic literature, in relation to his characterization of Jesus‘ opponents, and in relation to his use of Isaiah‘s Servant motif. Second, this dissertation advances Ahearne-Kroll‘s work by exploring the degree to which Matthew and Luke detect and appropriate Mark‘s use of the Psalmic Lament to characterize Jesus and Jesus‘ opponents, in relation to other psalmic literature, and in relation to Isaiah‘s Servant motif."
Dr. Campbell has a great future awaiting him in ministry. He has the privilege of co-authoring with Dr. Köstenberger the forthcoming Exegetical Greek Guide to the New Testament: Mark (eds. Kostenberger and Murray Harris; Broadman and Holman Academic, forthcoming, 2014). In addition, he has an article in the latest BBR (July 2011). Also, beginning this fall, he will begin teaching as Visiting Prof. of Christian Studies and Theology at Shanghai Normal University this Fall.
Great job, Keith!
The subject of your blog post is very interesting and informative. I have been searching about dissertation for ages now and got so tired until I found your blog. Kindly keep doing the great job.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI also took a glimpse of the thesis online. I’m not sure where I saw it but it is certainly a great topic to start with. And from the way the thesis statement was written, the information is just there and you don’t need to find it somewhere. It just supplements the whole thesis to be a strong argument and persuasive paper.
ReplyDeleteDr. Campbell is a great writer; I believe his dissertation is being published very soon (don't remember the publisher off the top of my head, though).
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