Ellen Muehlberger

Ellen Muehlberger is an Associate Professor in Classical Studies, History, and Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan. Her academic affiliations include the Center for Middle Eastern & North African Studies (CMENAS), Global Islamic Studies Center (GISC), and Global and International Studies Center (GISC). She holds a PhD from Indiana University (2008). Her research focuses on Christianity in late antiquity (300–700 C.E.), emphasizing rhetorical and historiographical methods used as Christianity transitioned from minority to dominant religion in the Roman Empire. Current projects explore the subjective experience of death in late ancient Christian thought.

Teaching responsibilities include introductory courses on Christianity, advanced seminars on late antique Christianity, Gnosticism, and historiography, alongside language instruction in Greek, Coptic, and Syriac. Her work bridges textual analysis with cultural and theological frameworks, examining themes like asceticism, martyrdom narratives, and angelic theology.

Publications include Angels in Late Ancient Christianity (2013), articles on Theodoret’s historiography, and studies on death symbolism in late antique texts. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates religious studies, historical methodology, and linguistic analysis.

Muehlberger’s affiliations with CMENAS and GISC reflect her engagement with Middle Eastern and Islamic studies contexts, enriching her scholarship on late antique religious dynamics. She is based at the University of Michigan’s International Institute, contributing to its global humanities initiatives.