Raymond F. Person

Biography

I enjoy my teaching at Ohio Northern University and regularly offer the following courses: Introduction to Old Testament, Introduction to New Testament, Women in the Bible, the Bible and Postcolonialism, and the Bible and the Environment. My research interests especially include how insights from the comparative study of oral traditions and conversation analysis can bring additional methodological insights to the study of literature, especially the Hebrew Bible. I also live on a 20-acre organic farm with a large vegetable garden and some livestock that is run by a cooperative that I formed, so that my normal routine includes tending the livestock in the barn as well as my teaching and research. One result of this unusual combination has been how my life on the farm has influenced my research interests in terms of ecological issues.

Education

Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Semitic Studies, Duke University
M.Div., Phillips Theological Library, 1987

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

My research is characterized by interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary approaches. Although my primary discipline is biblical studies, I strive not only to learn enough about other disciplines in order to apply insights from these disciplines to the Hebrew Bible, but also to contribute to the discussions in these other disciplines. As a result, in addition to my regular involvement in the Society of Biblical Literature and participation in other conferences in biblical studies, I have given papers at conferences for other disciplines, including the following: International Pragmatics Association, Modern Language Association, International Society of the Empirical Study of Literature, the Society for Text and Discourse, the European Forum for the Study of Religion and Environment, and the Society for Literature, Science and the Arts. Moreover, some of my publications are not directed primarily to audiences in biblical studies. For example, I have published articles in the following journals outside of biblical studies: Oral Tradition, Language and Communication, Journal of Historical Pragmatics, and Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies.
This interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary approach is evident in the following four areas of research in which I have published and continue to participate in the scholarly discussions: Deuteronomic literature (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, Jeremiah, Zechariah 9-14), the comparative study of oral traditions, the application of conversation analysis to literary discourse, and ecological hermeneutics.

Personal Interests

I enjoy organic farming, singing in the church choir, and spending time with friends and family, often eating food produce on my farm.

Books