Dr Casey Strine

College Lecturer in Theology

I am the College Lecturer for Old Testament at Oriel College, where I teach papers on all areas of the Old Testament, ancient Near Eastern religions, and archaeology.  I also teach Biblical Hebrew for the Faculty of Theology and serve as a visiting lecturer in Old Testament for King’s College London.

In my own research, I focus on the development of ancient Israelite theology and identity (primarily between 650 and 400 B.C.E.).  My work is both historically and theologically attentive.  Some of my projects are historically reconstructive: for instance, my doctoral thesis explored how the divine oath is used by the book of Ezekiel to sustain an intra-Judahite and anti-Babylonian polemic and offers new insights on the historical growth of the book of Ezekiel and the development of monotheistic belief.  But, I also do theologically constructive work: along with earlier work on the role of human repentance in the book of Ezekiel, I am currently involved in an interdisciplinary seminar that is examining those passages in the Gospels where Jesus appears to incorrectly predict the imminent arrival of the eschaton.  My next major project applies the growing social scientific field of refugee studies to analyzing ancient Israel’s origin narratives.  Specifically, I am investigating how the use of historical narratives by forced migrants and the distinct views of migrant generation units can clarify why the autochthonous patriarchal tradition (Gen 12–36) and the allochthonous exodus tradition (Exod–Num, Deut) are first pitted against one another and then later reconciled in the Hebrew Bible.

My undergraduate degree is from Georgia Tech, where I studied Industrial Engineering. I worked for six years as a management consultant prior to beginning my education in biblical studies.  I first came to Oxford in 2007 to pursue my doctoral studies at Christ Church.  Outside the classroom and library, I spend my time trying to keep up with my wife and 2 year old son.