Contact Information
Phone: 202-319-6702
Fax: 202-319-5704
Email: millerb@cua.edu
Robert Miller II, O.F.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Biblical Studies Area Director
Specialization:
- The history and archaeology of ancient Israel/Palestine
- The Bible and theology
- Anthropological methods, especially dealing with orality, myth, culture
- The ancient Near Eastern influences that have shaped the development of the Old Testament
- The book of Judges
Biography
Born in Ohio, Robert D. Miller II is a Secular Franciscan, married (wife Anne-Marie) with four boys. He earned a PhD in Hebrew Bible from the University of Michigan. His book, Chieftains of the Highland Clans: A History of Israel in the 12th and 11th Centuries BC (2005), Oral Tradition in Ancient Israel (2011), and related articles have made him a recognized authority on Early Israel. He is also greatly interested in Biblical Theology, having organized several conferences on the subject, edited the volume, Syriac and Antiochian Exegesis and Biblical Theology for the 3rd Millennium (2008), and attempted a new critical biblical theology in Covenant and Grace in the Old Testament: Assyrian Propaganda and Israelite Faith (2012). He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the American Schools of Oriental Research and serves on the Board of Control of the New American Bible for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Current Research Projects
Zion, the Dragon, and the Nations
A major research project on the trope of Mount Zion in the Psalms and its relationship to the incorporation of the Gentiles into the people of God, exploring the ways in which Canaanite (and earlier!) mythic material on which these Psalms are based reappears in both the Psalms and their literary “offspring” (Daniel, Revelation).
Suggested Areas of Research for Prospective Postgraduates
I would particularly welcome proposals for research in the following areas:
- The history of ancient Palestine.
- The debate on historical methodology within Biblical Studies (the minimalist-maximalist debate).
- Folklore/mythography and the Bible: this is an area that has not been researched very extensively in decades and offers considerable opportunities for new research students.
- The critical study of the Old Testament as the “soul of theology” – practical exploration of how historical-critical scholarship can produce material of use to academic theology.
- Anything dealing with the book of Judges
