Mark K. George

Mark K. George is Professor of Bible and Ancient Systems of Thought. He works primarily with the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and, within that corpus, the Pentateuch and narrative texts. The focus of his work is ancient systems of thought operating within this literature and the societies that produced it, whether they be social systems and structures expressed through the practices and conceptions of space, or the creation of particular subjectivities and the ways in which individuals govern or conduct their lives.

George teaches courses on the Hebrew Bible and the Bible more broadly. These include critical studies of specific books, such as Deuteronomy, and examinations of larger issues, such as The Bible and Contemporary Issues, and The Bible in the Digital Age. Fundamental to his teaching is the conviction that each generation must find new ways to make the Bible relevant for their lives and religious communities. This is especially important in a world where digital and technological changes are transforming societies and social life at a rapid pace.

George is the author or editor of three books, including Israel’s Tabernacle as Social Space (SBL Press, 2009) and a number of articles and encyclopedia entries, including “Aniconism” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and the Arts (Oxford, 2016). His current project is a book titled Deuteronomy’s Subject: Governmentality and the Creation of “Israel,” an analysis of the systems and techniques by which Deuteronomy creates Israel as a governable subject, one that is loyal and docile. He also is learning natural language processing (NLP), which is opening up new avenues of research as well as new perspectives from which to examine ancient systems of thought.

George is an active member of the Society of Biblical Literature and American Academy of Religion. He regularly presents new work at professional meetings and has organized such meetings both in the US and internationally. He serves as a reviewer for several journals and book series. He is actively involved in the Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) sponsored by the University of Denver and Iliff and has directed or been a committee member on a number of doctoral dissertations. He frequently speaks and makes presentations to local organizations and religious communities.