Judson G
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at Cambridge University
Expertise
Ancient Philosophy, Theology, Biblical Studies, Art & Faith, Church History
Bio
My interests sit at the intersection of philosophy, theology, and ancient history. How did ancient people think about the big questions of life? How can we explore those questions in conversation with them? My first book examined cosmology (the structure of the universe) by comparing Stoic, Epicurean, and Platonic philosophical models with ancient Jewish and Christian ones. I've had articles published on interpreting tough Greek texts from the Bible and on applying spatial scientific theory to Christian theological matters. While I mainly teach theology and biblical studies for my day job, I'm up for all things philosophy and Greco-Roman history. When I'm away from the books, I like doing magic tricks and making art (I'm part way through a big stained glass project). I was a Youtuber for a while (12,000 subscribers, 1.7 million views), have made a handful of Lego stopmotion films, and written a comic book.Project ideas
Philo and Monotheism
Some have argued that "monotheism" as a category is an anachronistic and problematic term to describe Judaism and Christianity in the first century CE. Would a Jewish philosopher like Philo of Alexandria agree? Philo both says that Jews should respect the gods of other nations, but also refers to his God as the one God. For this project we would look at Philo in his historical setting, understand his views, and then write a research paper explaining his view.
God's Body?
Most modern people of faith (with some exceptions) think that God has no body. In contrast with this view, many ancient texts describe God's body. We would pick one of these texts and investigate how the author understood God's body and then write a graphic novel style essay explaining it.
Emotions in Greco-Roman Philosophy
Lots of ancient philosophical groups—especially the Stoics—have a reputation for being down on emotions. But even the Stoics saw happiness as an ultimate goal of philosophy. For this project, we'd examine the positive role of emotions in one of Greco-Roman philosophical schools (Epicureanism, Stoicism, Platonism), and make a Youtube video challenging modern (mis)perceptions of ancient philosophy.