Barbara Thiede

Ph.D., University of Missouri

Biblical Studies

I hold an M.A. and my PhD in History from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a second M.A. from UNC Charlotte’s Department of Religious Studies. I teach a range of courses on the texts of Hebrew Bible. My current research lies largely in the field of biblical Masculinity Studies.

My first monograph Male Friendship, Homosociality, and Women in the Hebrew Bible: Malignant Fraternities (2022) was published with Routledge Press. My second book, Rape Culture in the House of David: A Company of Men, was also published by Routledge in 2022 as part of the Rape Culture, Religion, and the Bible series. My next book, Yhwh’s Emotional and Sexual Life in the Books of Samuel: How the Deity Acts the Man will be published by Bloomsbury Press.

My pronouns are she, her, and hers.  My office is a Safe Zone.

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Community Talks

I offer lectures and talks on a regular basis. Topics include sexuality, the performance of gender, and the wide-ranging and intricate literary features of the Hebrew Bible.

Teaching

I love to teach.  That’s the most important thing. Head for the tab “Syllabi” above to see some of mine.

Undergraduate Courses (selected)

  • RELS 2000 Religion and Magic
  • RELS 2104 Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament
  • RELS 3000 Why God Lies: The Difficult Deity of the Hebrew Bible
  • RELS 4000 God and Sex in Hebrew Bible
  • RELS 4000 Ketuvim: The “Female Books” of the Hebrew Bible
  • RELS 4000 Malignant Fraternities: Male Friendship, Homosociality, and Women in Hebrew Bible

Graduate Courses

  • RELS 5000 God and Sex in Hebrew Bible
  • RELS 5000 Ketuvim: The “Female Books” of the Hebrew Bible
  • RELS 5000 Malignant Fraternities: Male Friendship, Homosociality, and Women in Hebrew Bible
An ancient gaming board currently residing in The Oriental Institute of Chicago (photo by Ralf Thiede)

An ancient gaming board currently residing in The Oriental Institute of Chicago. That the museum name includes the word “oriental” should lead to discussion. Interested in finding out why? Check out what scholar Edward Said has to say at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVC8EYd_Z_g (Photo by Ralf Thiede)

Research Interests

They range. Biblical texts (and their historical contexts) fascinate me and I enjoy introducing students to their complex, multivalent nature.