Category Archives: Research

My academic (I flatter myself!) inquiries into the biblical texts, the ANE, historical and literary criticism, and the social sciences.

Thrumming Like a Steel Thread

Posted on 7 August 2025 by Benj

“Our mission [as theological educators] is to think, read, write, and teach about the triune Lord of Christian confession. This is a hard thing. Each of us should be tense with the effort of it, thrumming like a tautly triple-woven … Continue reading →

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The Gospel for Libertarians

Posted on 31 July 2025 by Benj

LCI graciously invited me to help represent them at FreedomFest, June 10–14, in Palm Springs, CA. In addition to schmoozing and working the conference floor and the LCI booth, I got to talk about my book and to share the gospel with a room full of liberty-minded folks, explaining why Christianity is the best foundation for liberty and human flourishing. Continue reading →

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New Publication on the NT’s Use of OT

Posted on 13 May 2025 by Benj

I’m pleased to announce a new open-access article:

Benjamin D. Giffone, “Descending to Bring Up ‘The Knowledge of the Son of God’: The Descent–Ascent Use of Psalm 68:18 in Ephesians 4:8–10, Compared with Romans 10:6–8’s use of Deuteronomy 30.” Religions 2025, 16(5), 578; DOI: 10.3390/rel16050578. Special Issue: “Resurrection and New Creation in Ephesians.” Continue reading →

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New Publication: Isaiah 63–66 in Mark 5

Posted on 19 November 2024 by Benj

I’m pleased to announce that an article on the use of Isaiah 63–66 in Mark 5, cowritten by me and a former student, is now published:

Benjamin D. Giffone and Sage E. Wile: “No One Strives to Take Hold of You: Mark 5’s Echoes of Isaiah 63:7–66:17.” Neotestamentica 57.2 (2023): 229–243. DOI: 10.1353/neo.2023.a943176. Continue reading →

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Theological Education in Missions

Posted on 12 July 2024 by Benj

In this post, I want to highlight certain distinctions between different types of theological education (TE), while also presenting both the challenge and the rewards of investing in global theological education. My intended audience is mainly Western Christians, who might intuitively acknowledge that such investments are important, but might not understand many of the complexities–and the potential rewards for their own Western communities (besides the fruits of obedience to God). Continue reading →

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New Book: Economics Before Economics

Posted on 18 May 2024 by Benj

A economist colleague of mine from the Czech Republic, Tomáš Evan, has just published a book of economic history, and I am listed as a coauthor (with another economist, Jonathan Warner) for contributions to two sections and some work editing the book overall. The project took about five years since Tomáš first approached me about being part of it, and the book ended up looking quite different than I expected when I agreed. Continue reading →

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Conference Paper: “‘Gods Your Ancestors Have Not Known’ in Deuteronomy: The Devil You Know?”

Posted on 27 November 2023 by Benj

I’ve posted the version of the paper I read at ETS in November 2023, the full title of which is: “‘Gods Your Ancestors Have Not Known’ in Deuteronomy: Is the Devil You Know Better than the Devil You Don’t Know?” … Continue reading →

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Conference Papers: How to Present Them Slightly Less Badly

Posted on 20 November 2023 by Benj

Young scholars often present too long and focus too much on method and background, to show that they’ve done their homework. This misses an opportunity, however, to test out key aspects of your hypothesis in a room full of smart people. Continue reading →

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New Publication on Isaiah, Kings and Chronicles

Posted on 2 November 2023 by Benj

The follow publication was just published online, open-access: Giffone, Benjamin D. “Toward a Better ‘Hezekiah’: The Literary Structuring of Isaiah 1–39.” Old Testament Essays 36.2 (2023): 471–489. DOI: 10.17159/2312-3621/2023/v36n2a10. It doesn’t look like the DOI is working immediately, but you … Continue reading →

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Series on Isaiah, and a Few Publications

Posted on 5 April 2023 by Benj

I realized that it’s been a while since I’ve posted here, so I wanted to give a few quick updates… Continue reading →

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