Dr Mark Finney

BA, PhD

School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities

Lecturer in Religion

Photo of Mark Finney
Profile picture of Photo of Mark Finney
m.t.finney@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 0512

Full contact details

Dr Mark Finney
School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
Jessop West
1 Upper Hanover Street
Sheffield
S3 7RA
Profile

My major research interests are conflict and violence in the sacred texts and traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and the contemporary aspects of religion and conflict in the Middle East (e.g., the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Zionism, Christian Zionism, and the influence of the Christian Right in US foreign policy).

I am a member of the Sheffield Centre for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies (SCIBS).

Research interests
  • Afterlife
  • Early Christianity in its Greco-Roman Environment
  • Judaism
  • Islam
  • Religion & Art
  • Religion, Conflict & Violence
  • Religion, Politics, & the Modern Middle East
  • Social-scientific approaches to interpreting ancient religious texts

Current research projects / collaborations:

Publications

Books

  • Finney MT (2016) Resurrection, Hell, and Afterlife: Body and Soul in Antiquity, Judaism, and Early Christianity. London: Routledge. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2012) Honour and Conflict in the Ancient World. T&T Clark Int'l. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2011) Honour and Conflict in the Ancient World. Bloomsbury T&T Clark. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2011) Honour and Conflict in the Ancient World: 1 Corinthians in its Greco-Roman Social Setting. RIS download Bibtex download

Journal articles

  • Finney MT (2013) Servile Supplicium: Shame and the Deuteronomic Curse—Crucifixion in Its Cultural Context. Biblical Theology Bulletin: Journal of Bible and Culture, 43(3), 124-134. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2013) Social Identity and Conflict in Corinth: 1 Corinthians 11.17-34 in Context. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2013) SERVILE SUPPLICIUM, SHAME & THE DEUTERONOMIC CURSE— CRUCIFIXION IN ITS CULTURAL CONTEXT. Biblical Theology Bulletin, 43(No. 3), 88-102. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2013) The Priority of the Soul: Constructions of Afterlife in Second Temple Judaism. Journal of Biblical Literature. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney M (2012) Abraham, the Nations, and the Hagarites: Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Perspectives on Kinship with Abraham. Edited by MARTIN GOODMAN, GEORGE H. VAN KOOTEN, JACQUES T. A. G. M. VAN RUITEN.. The Journal of Theological Studies, 63(1), 203-205. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2012) Jesus in Visual Imagination: The Art of Invention. Biblical Reception, 1(1), 21-43. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2010) Honor, rhetoric and factionalism in the ancient World: 1 corinthians 1-4 in its social context. Biblical Theology Bulletin, 40(1), 27-36. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2010) Honour, Rhetoric, and Factionalism in the Ancient World: 1 Cor 1-4 in its Social Context. Biblical Theology Bulletin, 1(40). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2010) Honour, Head-coverings & Headship: 1 Corinthians 11.2-16 in its Social Context. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 1(33). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2007) Conflict and Honour in the Ancient World: Some Thoughts on the Social Problems Behind 1 Corinthians. Proceedings of the Irish Biblical Association. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2005) Christ Crucified: The Inversion of Roman Imperial Ideology in 1 Corinthians. Biblical Theology Bulletin, 1(35). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2005) Christ Crucified and the Inversion of Roman Imperial Ideology in 1 Corinthians. Biblical Theology Bulletin: Journal of Bible and Culture, 35(1), 20-33. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT () Review essay of Pearce (S.) (ed.), The Image and its Prohibition in Jewish Antiquity.. Classical Review. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT () Review essay of Steven Fine, Art & Judaism in the Greco-Roman World: Towards a New Jewish Archaeology. Palestine Exploration Quarterly. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT () Review of Geert Van Oyen & Tom Shepherd (eds), Resurrection of the Dead: Biblical Traditions in Dialogue. Journal for the Study of the New Testament. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT () Review of Stefan Alkier, The Reality of the Resurrection: the New Testament Witness. Journal for the Study of the New Testament. RIS download Bibtex download

Chapters

  • Finney M (2023) Deuteronomy in the Apostle Paul In Edelman D & Guillaume P (Ed.), Deuteronomy Outside the Box Equinox RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2016) Christian Zionism, the US and the Middle East: A Sketch and Brief Analysis In Sandford M (Ed.), The Bible, Zionism and Palestine: The Bible's Role in Conflict and Liberation in Israel-Palestine (pp. 20-31). Dunedin, New Zealand: Relegere Academic Press. View this article in WRRO RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2016) What the ...? Developments of Hell in its Jewish and Christian Contexts, RESURRECTION, HELL AND THE AFTERLIFE: BODY AND SOUL IN ANTIQUITY, JUDAISM AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY (pp. 158-176). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2016) The Rise of Gehenna Afterlife in Early Christianity, RESURRECTION, HELL AND THE AFTERLIFE: BODY AND SOUL IN ANTIQUITY, JUDAISM AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY (pp. 144-157). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2016) The Priority of the Body Post-Mortem Existence in the Later New Testament, RESURRECTION, HELL AND THE AFTERLIFE: BODY AND SOUL IN ANTIQUITY, JUDAISM AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY (pp. 123-143). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2016) Resurrection, Hell and the Afterlife Body and Soul in Antiquity, Judaism and Early Christianity Conclusion, RESURRECTION, HELL AND THE AFTERLIFE: BODY AND SOUL IN ANTIQUITY, JUDAISM AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY (pp. 177-184). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2016) New Testament Beginnings Afterlife in the Thought of the Apostle Paul, RESURRECTION, HELL AND THE AFTERLIFE: BODY AND SOUL IN ANTIQUITY, JUDAISM AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY (pp. 100-122). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2016) Life after Death in Additional Jewish Literature The Dead Sea Scrolls and Later Rabbinic Thought, RESURRECTION, HELL AND THE AFTERLIFE: BODY AND SOUL IN ANTIQUITY, JUDAISM AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY (pp. 78-99). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2016) Biblical Beginnings Death and Afterlife in the Hebrew Bible, RESURRECTION, HELL AND THE AFTERLIFE: BODY AND SOUL IN ANTIQUITY, JUDAISM AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY (pp. 25-48). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2014) Jesus and the Contours of Oppression: Labelling and Deviance in the Johannine Passion In Chalcraft DJ, Uhlenbruch F & Watson RS (Ed.), Methods, Theories, Imagination: Social Scientific Approaches in Biblical Studies Sheffield: Phoenix Press. View this article in WRRO RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2014) Social Identity and Conflict in Corinth: 1 Corinthians 11.17-34 in Context In Tucker JB & Baker CA (Ed.), T&T Clark Handbook to Social Identity in the New Testament Bloomsbury View this article in WRRO RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2013) Afterlives of the Afterlife: The Development of Hell in its Jewish and Christian Contexts In Exum JC & Clines D (Ed.), Biblical Reception Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press. View this article in WRRO RIS download Bibtex download

Book reviews

Dictionary/encyclopaedia entries

  • Finney MT (2008) Koinonia. In New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible (Vol 3). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2006) Common. In New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible (Vol 1). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2006) Common Life. In New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible (Vol 1). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2006) Community. In New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible (Vol 1). RIS download Bibtex download
  • Finney MT (2006) Community of Goods. In New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible (Vol 1). RIS download Bibtex download
Research group

Areas of supervision for potential PhD students:

  • Afterlife
  • Judaism and Christianity in their Greco-Roman contexts
  • Religion and Violence
  • Religion, Politics, and the modern Middle East
  • Social-scientific approaches to Biblical Interpretation

Research Supervision

Current Students

All current students

Completed Students
  • Young Gil Lee (second supervisor)- From Fertility to Manipulation: Female Characterizations and the Birth Narratives in the Hebrew Bible
  • Rosa Wu - The Veil in Biblical and Classical Antiquity: A Sociocultural and Exegetical Study of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16
  • Mohammed Alruwaili - Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong (CRFW): A Critical Evaluation of the use of Ibn Taymiyyah in the Ideology of ISIS

 

Find out more about PhD study in History

Teaching activities

Undergraduate:

  • HST202 - Historians and History
  • HST2042 -The Arab-Israeli Conflict
  • REL118 - An Introduction to Islam
  • REL127 - Language Skills (Greek)
  • REL210 - Understanding Islam
  • REL359 - Biblical Texts
  • REL382 - Religion in an Age of Terror

Postgraduate: 

  • HST6802 - Research Presentation
  • REL6000 - Research Methods
Professional activities and memberships
  • Member of the Sheffield Interdisciplinary Institute for Biblical Studies
  • Society of Biblical Literature
  • British New Testament Society
  • Book reviewer: Journal for the Study of the New Testament; Journal of Theological Studies; Palestine Exploration Quarterly; Classical Review

Administrative roles:

Programme Director and Team Leader for Religion & Theology

Public engagement

I am frequently asked for interviews on BBC Radio Sheffield related to my expertise in the area of religion, conflict and violence. This especially involves issues related to the Middle East (Iraq, Gaza etc).