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David Moessner

David Moessner, Ph.D.

A. A. Bradford Chair and Professor of Religion

817-257-6130 210E Beasley Hall

Program Affiliations

AddRan College of Liberal ArtsReligion
  • Bible /
  • Christianity /
  • Early Christianity

Education

AB, Princeton University (1971)
M.Div., Princeton Theological Seminary (1975)
BA, University of Oxford, Honours School of Theology (1976)
MA, University of Oxford, Honours School of Theology (1980)
Dr.Theol., University of Basel, Switzerland (1983)

Courses Taught

GREE 20463 Fourth Semester College Greek
RELI 30113 Jesus and the Gospels
RELI 40130 Issues in Biblical Interpretation: Narrative and Rhetorical Contexts of the Greek Bible
RELI 40130 Issues in Biblical Interpretation: The Bible Has a History: The Formation of 'Canonical' Scriptures

Areas of Focus

Hellenistic narrative epistemology
The use of Scripture in early Judaism(s) and in the New Testament
Relations between Jewish groups (esp. Palestinian Jewish) to Hellenism in the Greco-Roman world
Jewish Christianity
The Septuagint as Jewish Scripture
Luke-Acts
Biblical theology in the twenty-first century
Origins, relations among, and theologies of the four Gospels
The relation of New Testament “theologies” to “ideological readings” of texts

  • “Luke as Tradent and Hermeneut: ‘As one who has a thoroughly informed familiarity with all the events from the top’ (Luke 1:3),” Novum Testamentum 58 (2016): 259–300
  • “Das Doppelwerk des Lukas und Heil als Geschichte: Oscar Cullmans auffälliges Schweigen bezüglich des stärksten Beführworter seiner Konzeption der Heilsgeschichte im Neuen Testament,” in Moessner, Luke the Historian of Israel’s Legacy (2016), 302–14
  • Luke the Historian of Israel’s Legacy, Theologian of Israel’s ‘Christ’: A New Reading of the ‘Gospel Acts’ of Luke, Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 182 (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2016)
  • “Redemption,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology, eds. S. E. Ballentine, et al. (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2015): 2:222–27
  • Edited with D. Marguerat, M. Parsons and M. Wolter, Luke the Interpreter of Israel, vol. 2, Paul and the Heritage of Israel: Paul’s Claim upon Israel’s Legacy in Luke and Acts in the Light of the Pauline Letters, Library of New Testament Studies 452 (London: T&T Clark, 2012)
  • Edited, Luke the Interpreter of Israel, vol. 1, Jesus and the Heritage of Israel: Luke’s Narrative Claim on Israel’s Legacy (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1999)
  • Lord of the Banquet: A Literary and Theological Investigation of the Lukan Travel Narrative (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989), repr. (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1998)
  • “How My Mind Has Changed or Remained the Same,” presented at Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (San Antonio), The Gospel of Luke Section’s special session: “Luke, Historian and Theologian: Engaging the Work of David Moessner and Loveday Alexander,” November 21, 2016
  • “The Strange ‘New Dish’ Called Acts!” presented at Universität Regensburg (Germany), Doctoral New Testament Seminar (at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Tobias Nicklas, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity), October 5, 2016
  • “The Role of Acts in Interpreting the New Testament,” presented to Russian Orthodox seminary students at the East-West Colloquium on the Gospels and Their Theology, Moscow (Russia) (at the invitation of the Metropolitan of Moscow, his Eminence, Bishop Hilarion), October 1, 2016
  • “Das Doppelwerk des Lukas und Heil als Geschichte: Oscar Cullmans auffälliges Schweigen über den stärksten Beführworter seiner Konzeption der Heilsgeschichte im Neuen Testament,” presented at the conference, “Zehn Jahre nach Oscar Cullmans Tod: Rückblick und Ausblick,” University of Basel (Switzerland), Faculty of Theology and the Fondation oecuménique Oscar Cullman, June 6, 2009
  • “‘Abraham Saw My Day’: Making Greater Sense of John 8:48–59 from the LXX Version than the MT Genesis 22,” presented at the University of Bonn (Germany), Faculty of Theology, March 31, 2009
  • Multiple lectures on ancient narrative hermeneutics and the Gospels, presented at the Universities of Stellenbosch, the Free State, the North-West, KwaZulu-Natal and Pretoria (South Africa), May 23 – June 26, 2008
  • “And All Were Baptized into Moses … and the Rock Was Christ: Moses as Typos of a Faith-less Israel and Paul’s Warnings of Idolatry to the Church at Corinth (1 Cor 10:1–22),” presented at the International Congress on “The Apostle Paul and Corinth: Celebrating 1950 Years Since the Writing of the Epistles to Corinth,” Municipality of Corinth (Greece), September 23–25, 2007.
  • “Hellenistic Narrative Arrangement” and “Luke’s ‘Plot of the Christ,’” presented at the Carmichael-Walling Lectures, Abilene Christian University (Abilene, TX), November 18, 2004
  • Princeton University: Phi Beta Kappa, Magna cum laude, High Honors for the Department of Religion, Elks’ Most Valuable Student Award, National Awards (for freshman year, 1967–68)
  • Princeton Theological Seminary: Summa cum laude, National Rockefeller Scholar (1972–73), Ranked First Academically (Class of 1975), Robert L. Maitland Prize in New Testament Exegesis (1975)
  • University of Oxford: Viva voce Exam for “First Class,” Honours School of Theology (1976)
  • Pew Charitable Trusts: E.S.I. Research Fellowship (1993–94)
  • Eberhard-Karls-Universität (Tübingen, Germany): Guest Professor (Winter Semester, 1993–94), conducting the doctoral seminar, “Paulus und Lukas: Exegetische Erwängungen zum Thema ‘narratalogische Theologie’”
  • University of Pretoria (South Africa), Department of Biblical Studies: Honorary Professor (2008–)
  • University of Dubuque: John Knox Coit Prize in Teaching Excellence (April, 2010)
  • Society of Biblical Literature, Annual Meeting (San Antonio, TX): Special session in honor of career and contributions to scholarship, in the Gospel of Luke section (November 21, 2016)
  • Southwest Region of the Society of Biblical Literature: President (2017–18)
  • Elite American Educator (2013–)
  •  Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS)
  • Society of Biblical Literature (SBL)
  • North American Patristics Society (NAPS)
  • Chicago Society of Biblical Research (CSBR)
  • Association of Literary Scholars and Critics
  •  Co-Executive Editor of the monograph series Supplements to Novum Testamentum
  • Member of the Editorial Board for the journal Novum Testamentum
  • Member of the Editorial Board for the Societas Novi Testamenti Studiorum (the journal New Testament Studies and the SNTS Monograph Series) (2003–5)
  • Member of the Editorial Board for the journal Sacra Scripta: Review of the Center for Biblical Studies (Cluj-Napoca, Romania) (2006–)
  • Member of the Eastern European Liaison Committee of the SNTS (helping to re-establish Eastern European departments of religious studies and the libraries of St. Petersburg, Russia; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Cluj-Napoca, Romania) (1996–)
  • Co-Chair of the SNTS’s Reception of Paul Seminar (2005–9)
  • Co-Chair of the SNTS’s Luke-Acts Seminar (1995–2000)
  • Co-Chair of the SBL’s Luke-Acts Seminar (1991–95, 1996–98)
  • Member of the Greek Education Ministry’s International Professional Consultant Scholars program (2013–)

Last Updated: November 19, 2024

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