Michael Hundley

I teach modern comparative religion at the University of Memphis, but my research focuses on the intersection of human and divine in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the ancient Near East. I believe that understanding religion helps us to better understand other people and ourselves, and the insights gained from Religious Studies can be transformational, both personally and professionally. Regarding my education and research, I earned my B.A. in Economics from Amherst College, followed by a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Research fellowship at the University of Munich (LMU). My first book, Keeping Heaven on Earth, analyzes the Priestly system designed to secure and safeguard the divine presence at the heart of the Israelite community. My study addresses how the Priestly writers describe the nature of divine presence, elicit that presence and prepare for its arrival, and maintain it through regular service and damage control rites. My second book, Gods in Dwellings, explores temples, divine presence, and regular service in different ANE societies (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Hittite Anatolia, and Syria-Palestine). My third book, Yahweh among the Gods, explores the diverse deities of ANE literature and the non-Priestly Pentateuch, examining their context-specific approach to deity, which produces complex and seemingly contradictory portraits. I argue that ancient deities gain prominence primarily by co-opting the attributes of other deities, rather than by denying their existence or inventing new powers. The primary difference between biblical and ANE presentations lies in their rhetorical goals, not in their conceptions of gods. While other ANE texts promote divine supremacy, Genesis and Exodus promote exclusive worship. This monolatry redefines the biblical divine sphere and paves the way for the later development of monotheism and monotheistic explanations of evil. I am currently working on a book on ancient Gods and Monsters, and my future projects include a short book comparing divine presence in the ANE and Hindu traditions, a monograph on gender and divinity, another on the variable presentation of deity by genre, and a long-term project on divine presence in the Hebrew Bible. Feel free to contact me or check out my other websites about my publications and my teaching.