Dr Peter Atkins (BA, MA, PhD)
Postdoctoral Fellow in Old Testament and Hebrew Bible
Address
- Street
-
Andrew F. Walls Room
School of Divinity
New College
Mound Place - City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH1 2LX
Availability
I am happy to meet with any student at a mutually convenient time. Please get in touch by email to arrange an in-person or online meeting.
Background
Peter Joshua Atkins is Postdoctoral Fellow in Old Testament and Hebrew Bible at the University of Edinburgh. He is also co-founder and co-chair of the 'Animals and the Bible' research group for the European Association of Biblical Studies.
Prior to his current position, Peter completed his doctoral studies in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Chester where he was also a Visiting Lecturer and worked as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant on the AHRC-funded project "Christian Ethics of Farmed Animal Welfare." In 2022, he moved to the University of Edinburgh's School of Divinity on a one-year teaching fellowship in Old Testament and Hebrew Bible, and is currently working on a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship as part of the Edinburgh Career Development Scheme.
Qualifications
BA (University of Sheffield), MA (University of Sheffield), PhD (University of Chester)
Responsibilities & affiliations
- Affiliate: The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities
- Convenor: Biblical Studies Research Seminar
- Academic Cohort Lead: Theology, and Divinity & Classics
Undergraduate teaching
Introducing Biblical Hebrew
Intermediate Biblical Hebrew
The Dark Lord: God and Violence in the Hebrew Bible
Postgraduate teaching
Hebrew Bible in Historical-Critical Perspective
Intermediate Biblical Hebrew (PG)
The Dark Lord: God and Violence in the Hebrew Bible (PG)
Approaches to Research in Divinity and Religious Studies (Biblical Studies)
Research summary
Animals and Animality in the Bible
The Book of Daniel
Ecological Approaches to the Hebrew Bible
History of Interpretation of the Bible
The History and Reception of Second Temple Literature
Current research interests
Peter's current research project is tentatively titled "Rewilding the Hebrew Bible: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Wild Animals in the Book of Isaiah". This work seeks to address the Hebrew Bible’s complex relationship with ecological issues by reading it in light of contemporary rewilding theory. By focussing on passages within the book of Isaiah, this project will demonstrate a stream of biblical tradition which is aware of the ecological effect gained by practices that might now be classified in the contemporary world as rewilding efforts. Such ecological practices and subsequent effects are attributed to divine intervention. The book will aim to demonstrate a theological understanding of the natural/non-human world within these texts that focuses not on how humans should manage it, but rather acknowledges the role of God in ensuring its flourishing. This effectively echoes contemporary rewilding theorists focus on managing the natural world by reactivating natural processes within an ecosystem rather than through human management. The project will therefore present a tradition within Isaiah that reflects an understanding of how the land and its nonhuman inhabitants most benefit when the land is left without direct human management.Past research interests
Peter's first major research project examined the affliction of Nebuchadnezzar as portrayed within the texts of Daniel 4 and was entitled: The Animalising Affliction of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4: Reading Across the Human-Animal Boundary. This engaged with the reception of the Danielic text in interpretative and commentary literature, and investigated the narrative using both a textual and contextual analysis. The goal of the project was to identify the exact nature of the king's affliction and how the human-animal boundary was constructed in the narrative. This also resulted in the identification of a construction of the human-animal boundary within the ancient Near East more generally. As well as a number of journal articles, the primary results were published as a monograph by Bloomsbury T&T Clark in 2023.Knowledge exchange
- Interview for the New Books Network Podcast: https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-animalising-affliction-of-nebuchadnezzar-in-daniel-4
- Blog post for WildCard entitled "Rewilding Christian Approches to Ecological Issues": https://wildcard.land/2024/10/rewilding-christian-approaches-to-ecological-issues