Dr. Coblentz Bautch is Professor of Religious and Theological Studies and Department Chair. She teaches courses in biblical studies, religion in antiquity and classical languages. 

The research of Dr. Coblentz Bautch concerns ancient Mediterranean religions. She is especially interested in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman periods and her scholarship takes up the interpretation of Scripture, deuterocanonical books, and texts that are described today as pseudepigraphal and apocalyptic. She also explores in her work the history of women in antiquity and otherworldly figures like angels and demons in early Judaism and Christianity.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity; M.A. in Biblical Studies, the University of Notre Dame
  • M.T.S. in Biblical Studies, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University
  • B.A. with Honors in Religious Studies; Germanic Studies, Indiana University

Achievement & Involvement

Honors and Awards

  • Distinguished Teaching Award, St. Edward’s University
  • Frankel Fellow, University of Michigan
  • Invited Residency at École biblique, Jerusalem
  • McCarthy Chair, Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome
  • Regional Scholar of the Southwest Region, Society of Biblical Literature

Organizations, Boards and Memberships

Professional Societies:  Society of Biblical Literature  *  Catholic Biblical Association  *  Enoch Seminar  *  Southwest Commission on Religious Studies  *  South Texas Jewish Studies Colloquium  *  American Academy of Religion

Leadership Roles

  • Society of Biblical Literature, Program Committee Member
  • Catholic Biblical Association, Co-chair, Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Continuing Seminar
  • Enoch Seminar, Vice-Director

Research

Research

Current projects concern a commentary on 1 Maccabees (Liturgical Press) and a general introduction to the Pseudepigrapha (Eerdmans).

External Grants

Previously Awarded Grants

Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion Grant

CCD Biblical Scholarship and Biblical Literacy Promotion Grant

American Academy of Religion Regional Development Grant

Lilly Theological Research Grant

Harvard University Sheldon Fellowship

Publications & Articles

Publications

SELECT BOOKS AND PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES

  • “Rulers, Rivals and 1 Maccabees,” Biblische Notizen 200 
  • Fallen Angels Traditions: Second Temple Developments and Reception History (ed. with A. K. Harkins and J. Endres; Catholic Biblical Association)
  • A Study of the Geography of 1 Enoch 17-19: "No One Has Seen What I Have Seen" (Brill)
  • "Spatiality and Apocalyptic Literature,” Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel  5
  • “Kyrios Christos in light of Twenty-First Century Perspectives on Second Temple Judaism,” Early Christianity 6

Co-editor of Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha

Presentations

Presentations

“The Reception of 1 Maccabees in African Contexts,” Research Report. Catholic Biblical Association Annual Meeting, Creighton University, July 2023

“Political-Economic Dynamics and the Maccabean Revolution,” Economics in the Biblical World Section, Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, San Antonio, November 2022

For Students

Class Preparation

Professor Coblentz Bautch enjoys mentoring undergraduate and graduate students and is an enthusiastic supporter of student research. She encourages her students to aim high in developing and meeting their academic goals. To that end, Dr. Coblentz Bautch celebrates student successes and works to make further opportunities available for students.

Outside the Classroom

Professor Coblentz Bautch encourages students to share their research with others at the St. Edward’s Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE), the Central Texas Colloquium on Religion Research Conference, and the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies Annual Meeting. Graduate students who work in the area of Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity should explore also the Enoch Graduate Seminar. 

Department Group

School Group

School of Arts and Humanities