Alumnus Alex T. ('10) at St. Andrews

Hello fellow archaeologists! I write to you from the cold, foggy beaches of St. Andrews on the west coast of Scotland. After graduating from UE in 2010, I started working on a Master of Divinity as a Pitts scholar at Candler School of Theology in Emory University. While seminary is a very different environment than the archaeology classes of UE, the skills I gained in critical thinking, historical research, and ancient languages have proved invaluable as I spend my time negotiating historical theology, biblical studies and their modern application to the life of faith. Besides my time spent in class, I was also chosen to take a trip to Israel with several students to discuss issues of peace and religion in Israel. Although the conference was exhausting, I made time to see several local sites including the excavation at Megiddo.

Alex visits Israel.

Two years into my theological education in Atlanta, Georgia, I was awarded the Bobby Jones fellowship for a year of funded study at the University of St. Andrews, where I am currently living and working on a Masters of Letters (similar to an M.A. in the States). While living in Scotland, I have had the opportunity to work with many noted biblical scholars including N.T. Wright, as I explore the connection between the Bible and its role in shaping theology. St. Andrews is a beautiful place with cathedral ruins along the rugged coast only a few yards from my room, not to mention the coffee shop where the now princess Kate and prince Will first met. Although I have been primarily focused on my school work and research on Acts, I plan on doing some travelling this summer once the weather gets nice. After finishing my time here, I will be returning to Candler to finish up my M.Div and applying to Ph.D. programs in New Testament and Early Christianity.

The cathedral ruins in St. Andrews.