Dr. John Vonder Bruegge

Education:
Ph.D., Yale University
Th.M., Harvard Divinity School
M.Div., Covenant Theological Seminary
B.S., University of Missouri

712-707-7082
jvonder@nwciowa.edu

Dr. John Vonder Bruegge is the Marvin and Jerene DeWitt Professor of Biblical Studies and the dean of arts and humanities. As dean, he oversees the departments of art, biblical and theological studies, English, foreign languages, history, music, philosophy, and theatre.

A gifted teacher, he is the 2009 recipient of the Northwestern Teaching Excellence Award. His teaching interests include early Christian history and literature, the New Testament and archaeology, Johannine literature, and Josephus and ancient Judaism. He holds a doctorate from Yale University; a Master of Theology degree from Harvard University; and a Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Theological Seminary.

He has also studied archaeology in Israel and Greece, participated in an archeological excavation in Turkey, and authored a book called, Mapping Galilee in Josephus, Luke, and John: Critical Geography and the Construction of an Ancient Space.

In addition to his faculty and administrative duties, he also serves as a co-director of Northwestern's Honors Program and leads the Honors Program's summer study abroad in Greece. One of his favorite professional accomplishments came in 2019 when he was recognized as an official tour guide by the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Prior to joining Northwestern's faculty, he served as a research assistant at Harvard and Yale and as a teaching fellow and lecturer at Yale Divinity School. He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion.

+Publications and presentationsMapping Galilee in Josephus, Luke, and John: Critical Geography and the Construction of an Ancient Space (AJEC 93; Brill, 2016)."The Quest for the Geographical Luke: How Luke's narrative construction of Palestine makes him a better geographer than you might think," SBL Annual Meeting 2015 (Atlanta, GA), Gospel of Luke Section."'From Infancy Inured to War': Josephus' geographical excursus on Galilee (War 3.35-44) in light of Soja's 'Thirdspace'," SBL Annual Meeting 2015 (Atlanta, GA), Space, Place, and Lived Experience in Antiquity Section."Luke Never Consulted the Map in the Back of Your Bible, Part II: Implications of Edward Said's 'imaginative geography' for the portrayal of 1st c. Palestine in the book of Acts," SBL Central States Regional Meeting 2013 (St. Louis, MO), New Testament Narrative Literature Section.Response to Ellen B. Aitken, "The Body of Jesus Outside the Eternal City: Mapping and Ritual Space in the Epistle to the Hebrews," SBL Annual Meeting 2012 (Chicago, IL), Hebrews Section."Luke Never Consulted the Map in the Back of Your Bible: Conzelmann, Said, and an Outsider's View of Galilee," SBL Central States Regional Meeting 2012 (St. Louis, MO), New Testament Narrative Literature Section."Luke's 'Imaginative Geography': Revisiting Edward Said's Orientalism and its implications for Luke's Galilee," SBL Annual Meeting 2008 (San Diego, CA), Reading, Theory, and Bible Unit."'Mapping' Galilee: reconciling spatial theory with a historical discipline," SBL Upper Midwest Regional Meeting 2005 (St. Paul, MN), Jesus in Galilee Section."Geography Bending in the Fourth Gospel," SBL New England Regional Meeting 2004 (Cambridge, MA), New Testament, Early Christians, and Gnostics Section."Re-grounding John's Galilee," SBL International Meeting 2003 (Cambridge, UK), Archaeology Program Unit."The 'God-Fearer' Inscriptions of Aphrodisias: New Light on Theories Come of Age," SBL Annual Meeting 2000 (Nashville, TN), Papyrology and Early Christian Backgrounds Consultation.

+Professional experienceAssociate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Northwestern CollegeHonors Program Co-Director, Northwestern CollegeLecturer in New Testament Greek, Yale Divinity SchoolGraduate Teaching Center Consultant, Yale UniversityResearch Assistant, Yale UniversityResearch Assistant, Harvard UniversityTiberias Archaeological Excavations, Tiberias, IsraelSardis Archaeological Expedition, Salihli, TurkeyDirector of College Ministries, Central Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, MO

+MembershipsSociety of Biblical LiteratureAmerican Academy of Religion

+HonorsNorthwestern Scholarship Grant, Northwestern College, 2020Portz Grant for Curriculum Development, National Collegiate Honors Council, 2018Global Education Exploratory Travel Grant, Northwestern College, 2013Teaching Excellence Award, Northwestern College, 2009Yale University Dissertation Fellowship, 2003-04Yale University Fellowship, 1998-2002John Perry Miller Fund Award, Yale University, 2001Robert G. Rayburn Homiletics Award, Covenant Theological Seminary, 1994