Peter is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, having earned his PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Iowa in 2022. He specializes in Christian monasticism within Syriac-speaking communities. By working across multiple languages including Syriac, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Coptic, Peter seeks to understand the exchange and development of religious and scientific ideas across the ancient world through the art of translation and the development of religious education centers in the late antiquity. His current research interests focus on the preservation of Greek astrological texts in Syriac and the translation and preservation of Ptolemy among Syriac-speaking thinkers such as Severus Sebokht.

Peter’s dissertation focused on the process of monastic training in the Syriac Christian Church of the East. His dissertation, “Usual Labors and the Wealth of Philosophy: Syriac Monastic Education in the Fifth Through Ninth Centuries” sought to trace the relationship between scholastic institutions and East Syrian reform monasteries, most centrally the monastery of Beth Abhe in Northern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). His goal was to better understand how a novice trains to become a monk, and the ways in which this training was influenced by institutions such as the School of Nisibis. By expanding education from purely literary definitions and incorporating physical activities like fasting, labor, and craft as well as spiritual exercises of vigil, demon combat, and meditative prayer, Peter aimed to expand on the knowledge of this understudied Christian community. His approach is centered especially on the experiences of daily life gleaned from literary, historical, and legal sources. Peter also actively pursues digital and public scholarship opportunities, having completed the Certificate in the Digital Humanities in conjunction with his PhD.

Before joining the faculty at the University of Iowa, Peter spent several years teaching as a Graduate Student Teaching Assistant across both the Classics and Religious Studies departments, leading courses on a variety of topics related to Biblical and Classical texts in both ancient and modern readings. He has also served as a visiting instructor in Philosophy and Religion at Coe College, leading a course on Western Religions (REL:108). Peter has also worked as both a student excavator and staff member on archaeological digs, serving as a member of the GIS and Total Station team for the Lechaion Harbor and Settlement Land Project (LHSLP), an active archaeological dig near Corinth, Greece from 2017-2019 and participating in the Tel Megiddo excavation in Israel in 2014.

In addition to his doctorate, Peter holds Master of Arts degrees in Religious Studies and Classics from the University of Iowa. Before coming to the University of Iowa, Peter completed a Master of Theological Studies degree at Vanderbilt University, focusing on monastic life and ascetic thought in Syriac communities. In particular, he studied the reception of the writings of Evagrius of Pontus in dialogues regarding demons and the human mind. His thesis, “Evagrius of Pontus and the Late Antique Demon: Alone Among the Thoughts” earned him the Elliot F. Shepard prize for excellence in Church Historical Studies. Alongside his research, Peter worked first as an Editor and then as a Project Leader on the Syriaca.org Reference Portal under the guidance of Dr. David Michelson, working with XML encoding of Syriac manuscripts. In addition to this, Peter undertook a study of ancient Egyptian history and culture and several courses on the art history of Christianity, Judaism, Egypt, and Greco-Roman religions. Prior to his Master’s work, Peter earned his BA from Coe College with honors in Religious Studies, in addition to completing a Mathematics major and Classical Studies minor. He worked for two years as a high school instructor in Brentwood, Tennessee with Mary Lee Bunch and Associates, an alternative education and tutoring company, where he led courses in history and computer science in addition to private tutoring.

Research Interests:

Late Antiquity, Syriac Christianity, Eastern Mediterranean monasticism, ascetic thought and practice, daily life in antiquity, early Islamic/Christian relations, ancient astronomy, history of science, book technology, ancient translation and scribal practice.

Courses Taught:

CLSA:3247: Banned from the Bible: Pseudepigrapha and Apocrypha
REL:108: Introduction to Western Religions (Coe College)
RELS:2620: Politics, Sex, and the Bible
CLSA:1340:  Magic in the Ancient World
CLSA:1181: Ancient Medicine
CLSA:3750: Medical and Technical Terminology
POLI:1050: Big Ideas: Information, Society, and Culture” (POLI:1050)
RELS:1015: Religions in a Global Context (now titled Global Religious Conflict and Diversity)
RELS:1001: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
RELS:1225: Medieval Religion and Culture

Selected Presentations:

“The Enemy You Know: Polemic, Instruction, and Apology in Theodoret of Cyrrhus’ Episcopate” (International Medieval Congress, 2023).
“John and the Emir: Muslim and Christian Dialogue and Debate in the 7th Century” (Tri-Faith Initiative, 2020).
“Jewish Wisdom, Pagan Authors, Christian Monasteries: The Syriac Sentences of Menander and the Translation and Preservation of Classical Authors in Syriac Manuscripts” (Oxford Patristics, 2019).
“Paper Adoption and Manuscript Repair in Syriac Cultural Contexts” (SBL, 2016); publication forthcoming

Certifications:

Center for Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Associate (2021)
TILE Classroom Certification (University of Iowa, 2016)

Selected Awards, Honors, and Grants:

Summer 2021: Digital Scholarship and Publishing Studio Summer Fellowship
Fall 2020: University of Iowa Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
Spring 2020: University of Iowa Post-Comps Fellowship
Spring 2020: Peter Green Essay Prize in Classics