University of Auckland

Graduate Student, School of Theology

Thesis Title: Jesus the Bum: Homelessness in Matthew's Gospel

About

My research interests are located primarily in the discipline of Biblical Studies. I completed Undergraduate degrees in Theology and Philosophy at the University of Auckland before embarking on postgraduate study in Biblical Studies at the same institution. I am currently in the midst of a PhD thesis on the connection between Jesus and homelessness, employing ideological criticism to probe the assumptions that shape its interpretation within contemporary scholarship (focusing on the Jesus simulacrum of Matthew's gospel). Although the image of a homeless Jesus appears frequently in scholarship, most depictions will "romanticize" homelessness in a way that divorces it from the marginalizing reality and reduced capacity for agency that usually accompanies the experience. I use this peculiarity to demonstrate how gospel interpretation is complicit in the politics of homelessness in contemporary society.

My other areas of interest include the use of critical theory in the interpretation of the Bible (particularly queer and gender theory), the intersection of religion/the Bible and popular culture, and men's studies in religion. These areas of ongoing research are represented by my publication and teaching record, and reflect a broader interest in the ways that the Bible is interpreted and used in its life as a theological and cultural product.

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