John J. Pilch (Georgetown University)

Submitted: Wed, 03 May 1995 12:02:15 -0400 (EDT)

John J. Pilch
Visiting Assistant Professor
Gerogetown University 
1318 Black Friars Road
Catonsville, MD 21228-2710
                           
Phones: (410) 788-5106 (residence)
        (202) 687-4513 (office)
FAX:    (202) 687-8000 
Email:   PILCHJ@Guvax.Georgetown.edu


I work on the ancient, Mediterranean cultural context of the
sacred writings of the Judaeo-Christian tradition. The research
and publications of the Human Relations Area Files (Yale) are
especially helpful in my work. I also rely heavily on insights
from cultural anthropology and Mediterranean anthropology and
their various sub-disciplines. The historical period of interest
to me is specifically the first century of the Common Era, though
I am also interested in the broader perspective from 2,000 BCE to
the present. Some of my recent research and publication interests
include: child-rearing strategies in the Ancient Middle East;
altered states of consciousness in Middle Eastern cultures
(drawing here on psychological anthropology); violence in Middle
Eastern cultures; and the like. 
In the Department of Theology at Georgetown University, I teach
the Introduction to Biblical Literature Course, using two books I
wrote (Introducing the Cultural Context of the Old Testament; and
Introducing the Cultural Context of the New Testament [Paulist,
1991]).
Among my other publications, one recent article is: "Secrecy in
the Mediterranean World: An Anthropological Perspective"
(Biblical Theology Bulletin (24 (1994) 151-157; and "The
Transfiguration of Jesus: An Experience of alternate reality"
book-chapter forthcoming in Modelling Early Christianity, edited
by Philip F. Esler, London: Routledge, Fall, 1995. 

I read Polish, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Greek
and Hebrew.