Congratulations to Dr. Michael Johnson (McMaster PhD 2019) on the publication of his coedited volume, Performance, Space, and Time in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Papers from the Eleventh Meeting of the International Organization for Qumran Studies, Zürich 2022, with Brill: brill.com/edcollbook/t...

Dr. Fumi Yao, a former postdoc in our department, will give a colloquium paper entitled “On a Manuscript of the Vinayoddānagāthā: What It Brings to Our Knowledge of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya,” on Monday April 20, 2pm in LRW 3001. All welcome.

Keep an eye out for Dr. Hanna Tervanotko’s new book, Signs and Meanings: Divination and the Production of Knowledge in Jewish Antiquity, which comes out later this year with University of California Press! www.ucpress.edu/books/signs-...

Dr. Justin Klassen (Bellarmine University, McMaster University PhD 2009) just published a new article, “Uselessness as Disruption: Spiritual Resources for Eco-Crisis,” in Spiritus. muse.jhu.edu/article/986932

Looking to learn something new this Spring? Consider taking Introduction to Sanskrit virtually, Mondays/Wednesdays, 1-4pm EST!

Wherever you are this Spring, you can learn Biblical Hebrew!

Congratulations to Dr. Adele Reinhartz (McMaster PhD 1983) on the publication of her edited volume (in collaboration with Oded Irshai), In Praise of Wisdom, a Festschrift in honour of Paula Fredriksen!

Congratulations to Dr. Andrew Krause (McMaster PhD, 2015) who has been named Assistant Dean and Associate Faculty at St. Stephen's College at the University of Alberta!

On March 27th, the Department of Religious Studies celebrated the retirement of Doreen Drew. Doreen was a beloved member of the department, serving as our graduate administrative assistant for 22 years (and almost 40 years total at the university!). To many new and exciting adventures, Doreen!

🎉🎉Congratulations to Dr. Jeremy Cohen on winning the 2026 MSU Excellence in Teaching Award! 🎉🎉

Why not use this Spring and Summer to learn something new? All our courses are online so you can study from wherever your Spring and Summer adventures take you!

Check out Dr. Rob Jones’ (McMaster PhD 2020) latest article, “Was There an Enoch Group in the Second Temple Period? The Contribution of the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls,” in the Journal of Ancient Judaism

Congratulations to Dr. Jordan Ryan (McMaster PhD 2016) on the recent publication of his article, “Filipino American Biblical Interpretation: Nascent Hermeneutics” in Currents of Biblical Research!

Check out Dr. James Benn’s latest essay on demonic states from Suramgama sutra in a new volume entitled Meditation Sickness: A Sourcebook on the Dangers of Buddhist Practice! uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/medita...

Today at 1.30, Dr. Myriam Nafte will join the Department of Religious Studies to give a talk entitled, "Mediating Mortality: The Afterlife of Human Remains." All are welcome to join!

Recently, Dr. Michael Gabizon (McMaster PhD 2022) spoke about intermarriage in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Period with Isaac Oliver on the Talmud for Everyone Podcast. Check it out below! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4my...

This Friday at 1.30pm, Dr. Myriam Nafte will join the Department of Religious Studies to give a talk entitled, "Mediating Mortality: The Afterlife of Human Remains." All are welcome to join!

Today, Matthew Thiessen will give a paper entitled "Mapping Biblical Studies and Christian-Jewish Relations" at the Mapping the Field of Jewish-Christian Relations Conference at Boston College. For more details or to watch via Zoom, click here: www.bc.edu/content/bc-w...

A number of students, alumnae, and faculty of McMaster’s Grad Program in Religious Studies will be busy this weekend attending and presenting at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies in Vancouver! See details in thread.

Tonight at 7pm, Dr. Matthew Thiessen will deliver the Annual Jakob Jocz Lecture at Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto. His lecture is entitled, "Jesus and the Jewish Law: The Purification Mission of Jesus." Dr. Michael Gabizon (McMaster PhD 2022) will respond.

Congratulations to Dr. Mark Scott, Associate Professor at Stonehill College and McMaster B.A. Honours in Religious Studies 2001, on the recent publication of his book, The Beauty of Souls: Aesthetic Encounters with Marilynne Robinson (Fortress Press, 2025)! www.fortresspress.com/store/produc...

Congratulations to Sayed Mohaqqeq, a doctoral student in our program, on being awarded a Graduate Pedagogy Fellowship from Yale University's Life Worth Living Network! More details on this fellowship can be found here: lifeworthliving.yale.edu/fellowship

Today at 4:30-6:00pm, Dr. Aya Oba will give a talk entitled "Building Connections in a New Land: Chinese Religious Communities and Support Around Funerals" in LRW 1003. All are welcome to attend!

Dr. Lily Vuong (McMaster PhD 2010 and Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Oregon) recently published a co-edited volume entitled *The World of the New Testament: Encountering Texts in Context* with Fortress Press. www.fortresspress.com/store/produc...

REMINDER! Any and all McMaster undergraduate students are invited to join us for the SCAR Winter Warm Up, which will take place TODAY from 2:30PM to 4:00PM in the foyer of University Hall. Come meet other undergrads interested in the study of religion, as well as our faculty and staff!

Tonight at 6pm: grad and undergrad students are invited to attend the Religious Studies Movie Talk Night! Film: Children of Men, an all too timely film that explores a world ravaged by nationalism, xenophobia, and economic decline. Presenter: Wayne Chandira Room: LRW 1003 Bring your own snacks!

Save the Date! Dr. Aya Oba, who was recently at McMaster on a postdoctoral fellowship, will give a talk entitled "Building Connections in a New Land: Chinese Religious Communities and Support Around Funerals" on March 5th, 4:30-6:00 in LRW 1003. All are welcome to attend!

Congratulations to John Ottuh, a doctoral student in Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity, on the recent publication of his article, “Jesus’s Prayer Location in the Gospels and African Christianity,” in the Stellenbosch Theological Journal (2026). ojs.reformedjournals.co.za/index.php/st...

Tonight, Professor Adele Reinhartz (McMaster PhD 1983) will deliver the Irish Theological Quarterly Lecture entitled "Shared Scriptures, Shared Questions: Jewish readings of the Christian Testament" at St. Patrick’s Pontifical University in Maynooth.

All grad and undergrad students are invited to attend the Religious Studies Movie Talk Night, Feb 27, 6pm! Film: Children of Men, an all too timely film that explores a world ravaged by nationalism, xenophobia, and economic decline. Presenter: Wayne Chandira Room: LRW 1003 Bring your own snacks!

Any and all McMaster undergraduate students are invited to join us for the SCAR Winter Warm Up, which will take place on Monday, March 2nd from 2:30PM to 4:00PM in the foyer of University Hall. Come meet other undergrads interested in the study of religion, as well as our faculty and staff!

Recently, Dr. Liyakat Takim published an essay entitled “From Tradition to Reason: The Evolution and Development of Early Shiʿi Exegesis,” in A Luminous Intellect: Essays in Honor of Hamid Algar (Brill, 2025). De Gruyter Brill brill.com/display/titl...

Check out Dr. Hanna Tervanotko’s “Why centuries-old astrology and tarot cards still appeal to us?” on The Conversation! theconversation.com/why-centurie...

Dr. Matthew Thiessen recently published both introduction and critical notes to the book of Leviticus in the Anabaptist Community Bible (MennoMedia, 2025). www.mennomedia.org/anabaptist-c...

Check out Dr. Shayne Clarke’s recent essay “A Preliminary Survey of Viśākha(deva)’s Bhikṣuvinayakārikākusumasraj,” published in Minding the Buddha’s Business: Essays in Honor of Gregory Schopen (Wisdom Publications, 2025). wisdomexperience.org/product/mind...

In 2025, Dr. Ellen Amster was appointed the McMaster University Global Ambassador to Morocco on a mission organized by the Canadian embassy to Morocco. This meeting connected Canadian universities with over 35 Moroccan universities. Read more here: healthsci.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-glo...

Check out Dr. John Martens (McMaster PhD 1992) article, "Was There Universal Education of Girls and Boys in the Qumran Communities?" in the most recent issue of Dead Sea Discoveries! brill.com/view/journal...

Recently, Dr. James Benn published an essay entitled “The Inner World of a Self-immolator?,” in Inner Worlds: Individuals and Interiority in Chinese Religious Life (De Gruyter Brill). Check it out here: brill.com/edcollbook/t...

Check out Dr. Katharine Fitzgerald’s (McMaster PhD 2023) recent article, “Threatened bodies: Gender and trauma in the narratives of Judith and Susanna,” in the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha! journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Recently, Dr. Liyakat Takim published an essay on Muḥammad Muḥsin Fayḍ Kāshānī in *Qurʾānic Hermeneutics from the 13th to the 19th Century* (De Gruyter, 2025). www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

Today, Greek and Roman Studies hosts a lecture by Dr. Hanna Tervanotko (Department of Religious Studies), “Dice, Stars, and Names: Divinatory Techniques in Jewish Texts of the Greco-Roman Era.” There will be a reception at 4pm and then the lecture at 4:30 in the Great Hall in Alumni Memorial Hall.

Dr. Matthew Thiessen recently published an essay entitled “Paul among the Sons of God" in *Paul within Paganism* (eds. Paula Fredriksen, Alexi Chantziantoniou, and Stephen Young; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2025). www.fortresspress.com/store/produc...

McMaster grad Dr. Jordan Ryan (PhD 2016) talked with fellow McMaster grad Dr. John Martens (PhD 1992) on the What Matters Most Podcast about his commentary on Acts for the New Testament in Color, and so much more. Links below: open.spotify.com/show/3R2CTf0... podcasts.apple.com/.../what-mat...

Today, at 11am! Come join us to hear from McMaster Faculty of Social Sciences alum, Gurratan Singh (former MPP of Brampton East), who will speak about the value of social sciences and the humanities for a life of public service and leadership.

McMaster University's Graduate Program in Religious Studies will celebrate its 60th anniversary on Saturday, May 23, 2026. All former and current graduate students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend, so please mark your calendars for this special occasion.

Recently, Dr. Hanna Tervanotko co-edited with Dr. Elisa Uusimäki a special issue of Dead Sea Discoveries entitled *Intersectional Investigations into the Complexity of Social Life in Early Judaism*. Check it out here: brill.com/view/journal...

Congratulations to Dr. Shayne Clarke on the recent publication of *Minding the Buddha’s Business: Essays in Honor of Gregory Schopen*, coedited with Daniel Boucher (Wisdom Publications, 2025)! wisdomexperience.org/product/mind...

Congratulations to Dr. Ellen Amster, whose book, Medicine and the Saints: Science, Islam, and the Colonial Encounter in Morocco 1877-1956, was recently translated and published in Arabic! utpress.utexas.edu/9780292762114/

Congratulations to Dr. James Benn (@jamesabenn.bsky.social) on the recent publication of *Inner Worlds: Individuals and Interiority in Chinese Religious Life* (Brill, 2025), co-edited with Benjamin Brose. @degruyterbrill.bsky.social brill.com/edcollbook/t...

Save the date! Next Monday, the Department of Religious Studies will host former MPP of Brampton East, Gurratan Singh, for a discussion of the value of the social sciences and the humanities for a life of public service. @mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social