J. Albert Harrill
Contact Information
Emeritus Professor
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Areas of Expertise
- Ancient History
- Religion in History
J. Albert Harrill (Ph.D., University of Chicago) is professor emeritus of history and classics. Previously, he was a professor of religious studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. He held guest professorships at Williams College as Croghan Bicentennial Visiting Professor in Biblical and Early Christian Studies, and the University of Chicago Divinity School as Visiting Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature. He taught at Boston University, DePaul University, and Creighton University.
His scholarship and teaching investigate early Christianity in its Greco-Roman world, which includes ancient Judaism. As a social and cultural historian, Harrill created new avenues of research into ancient slavery. His publications include Paul the Apostle: His Life and Legacy in Their Roman Context (Cambridge University Press, 2012); Slaves in the New Testament: Literary, Social, and Moral Dimensions (Fortress Press, 2006); and The Manumission of Slaves in Early Christianity (Mohr Siebeck, 1995). He is currently at work on a new, historical-critical commentary on Paul's Letter to the Ephesians to appear in The Anchor Yale Bible Series. His research has received support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany) and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Professor Harrill’s course development widened OSU's curriculum in Greco-Roman antiquity to include “Introduction to the New Testament: History and Literature,” “Paul and His Influence in Early Christianity,” “The Historical Jesus,” “Slavery in the Ancient World,” “Ancient Roman Religion,” “Literary Forgery in the Early Christian Tradition,” and “Dreams and Dream Interpretation in Antiquity: Social Mores and Daily Life.” His teaching garnered awards from peers and students alike.
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