Faculty Directory
M. David Litwa
Abstractor, New Testament Abstracts
M. David Litwa
Ph.D.
Contact
Simboli Hall 204A
Telephone: 617-552-3082
Email: litwa@bc.edu
ORCID 0000-0002-4778-045X
Education
- B.A., Grove City College
- M.Div., Emory University
- Th.M., Duke University
- Ph.D., University of Virginia
Research Interests
New Testament, Greco-Roman religions; Philonic Studies; Hermeticism, heresiology; Gnostic and Nag Hammadi studies; ancient philosophy; ancient mythology; deification (theosis); ancient esoteric movements (in particular, Greek mystery cults); ruler worship
Expertise
- Biblical Studies
- Historical Theology and Church History
Profile
Dr. M. David Litwa (MDiv, Emory University; ThM, Duke University; PhD, University of Virginia, 2013) is a scholar of ancient Mediterranean religions with a focus on the New Testament and early Christianity. Prior to coming to Boston College, he taught courses at Virginia Tech, the College of William & Mary, and the University of Virginia. From 2017-2022, he was Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.
He currently serves as one of the unit chairs of the Bible, Myth, and Myth Theory Group at the Society of Biblical Literature. He is also an active member of the North American Patristics Society, where in recent years he has organized panels on Alternative Christianities (2022), and Nag Hammadi and Gnostic Studies (2018). He is also a member of the Society for New Testament Studies. In an effort to make scholarship more widely available, Dr. Litwa maintains an active online presence. He has participated in numerous podcasts, online seminars, virtual panels, and is active on several digital teaching platforms.