John Van Maaren, Ph.D. Candidate
A Few Words About Me
John believes that the synoptic gospels, if read through the eyes of their own time, still portray a picture of Jesus as a Jew who was faithful to the law.
Education
John is currently a Ph.D. candidate at McMaster University, Ontario, Canada where he is writing his dissertation on the Jewishness of the gospel of Mark. He holds M.A. and B.A. degrees from Trinity International University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Professional Experience
John has been teaching the Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament course since its inception. He also has teaching experience in high school, university, and seminary settings.
John VanMaaren is a Ph.D. Candidate in Early Christianity at McMaster University (Canada) and a Doctoral Fellow at Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies (Jerusalem). His research focuses on changing conceptions of Jewishness in Eretz Israel during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (200 BCE-135 CE) and the gradual emergence of a distinct, non-Jewish, Christian identity. His dissertation, Mark within the Boundaries of Jewishness: Repositioning the Second Gospel, is the first monograph-length study that reads Mark as an authentically Jewish text.