Dr. Marshall Cunningham

Biography

Marshall Cunningham studies the Hebrew Bible with a focus on ancient Near Eastern communities, both ancient and modern, considering how major geographical, political, and cultural changes influence them. He employs a multidisciplinary approach that combines traditional tools of the historical-critical paradigm in Biblical Studies with a theoretical framework developed from the critical study of religion and social sciences. This approach allows him to explore issues of individual and group identity, social and textual authority, as well as community-creation. His current research project, 'Reconstructing Judeanness: Homelands, Diasporas, and the Production of Judean Identity in the 6th and 5th Centuries BCE,' applies insights from trauma studies, diaspora studies, and ethnicity studies to evidence from Egypt, Babylonia, Samaria, and Judea to address the question of what it meant to be 'Judean' following the fall of the kingdom of Judah. As a teacher, Cunningham focuses on themes of identity formation and the use of rhetoric and narrative, examining the persuasive power of authoritative literature in both ancient and contemporary contexts. He offers courses aimed at understanding ancient literature such as the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament in light of the cultural, political, and religious contexts that produced them. Additionally, he explores the processes that determine how texts and ideas become authoritative for subsequent communities and the range of factors that play a role in these outcomes. He also teaches Core classes and pursues broader theoretical questions about religion and practice in his studies.

Research Interests

Experience