Priest, St. Anne’s In-The-Fields Episcopal Church, Lincoln MA
Visiting Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, Theology Department, Boston College
kimmelja@bc.edu
MA, Clinical Psychology, Wheaton College
MDiv, Comparative Theology, Harvard Divinity School
PhD, New Testament and Early Christianity, Harvard University
Joseph is a scholar of early Christianity, comparative religion, and comparative theology. Specifically, he studies how early Christians understood proper names and how they invoked proper names (e.g., “Jesus”) to access otherworldly power for an array of goals: from healing to harming. Having spent years living in Tibet and studying Tibetan, Joseph brings a comparative lens to this analysis.
Moreover, through his work, he aims to show the significance of these ancient beliefs and practices for contemporary materialist philosophies. Outside of academia, Joseph works as an Episcopal priest at a parish near Boston.
Recommended Readings
Martin Laird. Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Brother Lawrence. The Practice of the Presence of God. Boston: Shambhala, 2015.
Thomas Merton. New Seeds of Contemplation. New York: New Directions, 2007.
Martin Smith. The Word is Very Near You: A Guide to Praying with Scripture. New York: Cowley Publications, 1989.
Susan Stabile. Growing in Love and Wisdom: Tibetan Buddhist Sources for Christian Meditation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.