Steven J. Friesen

Steven J. Friesen is the Louise Farmer Boyer Chair in Biblical Studies and Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, College of Liberal Arts. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and previously served as Chair of Religious Studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Education:

• Ph.D., Harvard University
• M.Div., Fuller Theological Seminary
• B.A., Fresno Pacific College

Dr. Friesen specializes in the socio-economic dimensions of early Christianity within the Roman Empire. His research integrates archaeology, social history, and textual analysis to examine Revelation and apocalyptic literature, Roman imperial cults, indigenous religions, and poverty dynamics. Current work investigates Pauline economic practices and their implications for early Christian communities in the eastern Mediterranean.

Scientific Awards:

• East-West Center Cultural Studies Program Fellowship

His scholarship is anchored by the East-West Center fellowship and manifested in significant publications like Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John and Twice Neokoros. Dr. Friesen teaches foundational courses including 'Introduction to the New Testament,' 'Revelation and Apocalyptic Literature,' and 'What is Religion?' with recent offerings spanning Greco-Roman religious studies and end-times narratives across synchronous and in-person formats.