Spencer J. Elliott, PhD

Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies
When we read the Old Testament today, it is easy to forget that ancient Israel existed long ago and had neighbours who lived, spoke, and thought in very similar ways. By reading the Old Testament as a text for an ancient audience, we can begin to see theological ideas for our contemporary age that we would not otherwise see.

Spencer Elliott grew up on the Canadian prairies in Saskatoon. After completing MAs at Jerusalem University College (2017) and Trinity Western University (2019), he wrote a dissertation at New York University (2024) on the religious and scribal backgrounds of the book of Psalms. From 2024-2026, he was a postdoctoral researcher with the Flemish Research Council (FWO) at KU Leuven in Belgium. There, he reevaluated the literary composition of the book of Psalms as a collection of prayers by looking at contemporary examples of prayer collection in the ancient world. He is currently working on the published version of his dissertation, an edited volume for the series “Ancient Literature for Old Testament Studies” (Zondervan Academic), and a collection of essays from a conference on ancient prayer hosted at KU Leuven. His articles have been published in several major journals. As a teacher, his greatest joy is helping students see that the Old Testament has positive theological value beyond the stereotypes and assumptions it is often assigned.

He is married to Melissa, and they have two daughters. If there are not too many papers to grade, they can be found exploring the mountains and forests of BC.

  • PhD Hebrew and Judaic Studies (New York University; 2024)
  • MA Biblical Studies (Trinity Western University; 2019)
  • MA Hebrew and Cognate Languages (Jerusalem University College; 2017)
  • BA Biblical Studies (Millar College; 2014)

Expertise

The Books of Psalms, Prayer, Ritual Texts, Historical Geography, Ugaritic, Akkadian, Aramaic, History and Religion of Ancient Israel

Selected Grants and Fellowship

  • Flemish Research Council (FWO) Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship (2024-2026)
  • Fellow at MagEIA, DFG Centre for Advanced Studies (Würzburg), (2025)
  • Global Research Institute Grant (NYU) (2023)
  • Antonina S. Ranieri International Scholars Fund Travel Grant (NYU) (2023)
  • SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (2020-2024)
  • MacCraken Doctoral Fellowship (NYU) (2019-2024)
  • Logos Fellow, Science and Christianity in Oxford (2019)

Awards & Honours

  • Governor General’s Gold Medal, Trinity Western University (2019)

Recent Publications

Selected Publications

  • “Parts and their Sum: Integrated Ritual Writing at Ugarit: RS 24.643 / KTU 1.148,” with Elizabeth Knott. Die Welt des Orients, forthcoming.
  • “Praying Prophets: Scribal Identities in the Creation of Prophetic Literature.” Revue Biblique, forthcoming.
    “Town and Country: Jephthah, Gilead, and the Preservation of Late Bronze Age Politics.” Vetus Testamentum, forthcoming.
  • “RS 24.266: Scribal Creativity in the Making of Ritual at Ugarit.” Maarav 30 (2026): 1–40.
    “Praying from the Past: Ritual Practice and Scribal Imagination in BM 40474 and the Psalms.” Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions 25 (2025): 115–141.
  • “Is There Brawn in Gilead? The Figure of Esau in the East,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 86 (2024): 450–468.
  • “The Use of οίκος/οικία in Greek Exodus: An Attempt to Understand Principles of Lexical Variation in Greek Exodus,” with Larry Perkins. Journal of the Septuagint and Cognate Studies 54 (2021): 111–128.

Affiliations & Memberships

  • Society of Biblical Literature
  • European Association of Biblical Studies
  • American School of Overseas Research
  • International Association of Assyriology

  • RELS 111 Introduction to Old Testament
  • RELS 341 The Pentateuch
  • RELS 342 Psalms and Wisdom Literature
  • RELS 446 Hebrew Prophets