Jonathan Darby, Ph.D (Manchester), Visiting Lecturer in Biblical Studies, Nazarene Theological College.

‘Shaping Text Through Song: The Influence of Singing Upon Process of Textual Interpretation and Variation in the Dead Sea Scrolls’ (NTC), 2023.

Jon completed his doctoral research in late 2023, defending the thesis “Shaping Text Through Song: The Influence of Singing Upon Process of Textual Interpretation and Variation in the Dead Sea Scrolls.” Drawing together insights from textual criticism, literary analysis and musicology, this thesis seeks to illuminate the oral and written processes that produced scriptural texts, highlighting the role of singing in shaping these textual traditions. 

In spring of 2022, Jon spent two months fulfilling the Matlow Scholarship at the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, presenting some of his research at the Greenfield Scholars Seminar. He has presented at a variety of scholarly conferences, including the British New Testament Conference and the 11th Congress of the International Organization of Qumran Studies. 

Jon has been active in teaching at Nazarene Theological College since 2018, delivering units in Biblical Backgrounds, Introduction to Biblical Studies, Hebrew Texts, New Testament Greek, Greek Texts, co-teaching the MA unit “Contextualising Scripture,” and acting as first or second marker for other units, including “Paul and His Epistles” and “Advanced Hebrew Texts.”

Before returning to full time academia in 2017, Jon worked for many years in Christian ministry and as a musician, and continues work in music part-time.

Supervisors:

Dr Svetlana Khobnya and Dr Samuel Hildebrandt.

Publications:

“Beyond Definitions of Prayer: Applying Genre Theory to Some Persisting Problems in the Categorization of Liturgical Texts Among the Dead Sea Scrolls.” AABNER 2/2 (2022): 11–47.

“Singing and Meditation in the Seventh Song of the Sabbath Sacrifice: The Semantic Overlap of רנן and הגה in the ‘Cycle of Summons’ (4Q403 1 i 36–7).” Proceedings of the Eleventh Meeting of the International Organization of Qumran Studies, Zurich, 2022 (forthcoming). 

Review of Leviticus and its Reception in the Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran, by Baesick Choi. Eugene: Pickwick, 2020 (forthcoming). 

Email address:

jondarby55@hotmail.com