معرفی
Dr. David Vila is the Abila Chair in the Archaeology and History of the Biblical World and a Professor of Religion and Philosophy at John Brown University (JBU). He holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Saint Louis University, alongside degrees from Covenant Theological Seminary and Covenant College. His research focuses on early Christian-Muslim relations, Arabic Christianity, and biblical archaeology, particularly through his leadership of the Abila Archaeological Project in Jordan since 2008. He directs JBU’s Jordan Summer Studies Program, enabling students to participate in archaeological excavations. Dr. Vila has authored works on early Christian martyrs and is currently writing The Churches of Abila and a book on the medieval Muslim theologian al-Ghazali.
Teaching responsibilities include Old/New Testament surveys in the University Core, courses on Islam (Islamic Art, Qur’an studies, Muhammad’s life), and Hinduism/Buddhism. He also teaches Greek, advanced biblical studies, philosophy, and honors humanities/theology courses. His 2006-07 Fulbright tenure at Jordan University involved teaching English and archaeology research.
Awards include a Fulbright grant (1995-96) and his endowed chair at JBU. His Abila excavation work has uncovered five Byzantine churches, central to his archaeological contributions. Beyond academia, he balances family life with four children and adventurous hobbies like motorcycle touring on his KTM 90 Adventure.
