Matthew McAffee

Matthew McAffee is Provost, Dean, and Professor of Old Testament at Welch Divinity School (Gallatin, TN), affiliated with Welch College. His expertise spans Hebrew Bible studies, Ancient Near Eastern literature, and Northwest Semitic languages. He holds a PhD from the University of Chicago.

• Roles: Provost, Dean, Professor of Old Testament
• Affiliations: Welch Divinity School, Welch College
• Research Interests: Hebrew Bible language/literature, Ugaritic studies, ancient mortuary practices, covenant theology, and Iron Age archaeology

His research focuses on narrative cohesion in Genesis, Ugaritic mythology (e.g., Rāpi'u parallels), and covenantal frameworks in Hebrews. He has authored textbooks on Biblical Hebrew and edited volumes on Northwest Semitic languages. Recent work includes studies on death in the Hebrew Bible and Judahite afterlife beliefs.

Publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches, blending textual analysis with archaeological and linguistic insights. His book Life and Mortality in Ugaritic (2019) explores lexical frameworks of ancient life/death concepts. Reviews engage with translations, Semitic grammar, and theological debates.