Mary L. Conway
Associate Professor Emerita of Old Testament
Mary L. Conway has taught courses in Old Testament biblical studies and Hebrew. She has recently published Judging the Judges: A Narrative Appraisal Analysis. Edited by Cynthia L. Miller and J. A. Naudé. LSAWS 15. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns, 2020, which involves an adaptation of Appraisal Theory to Hebrew narrative in order to evaluate characters and determine authorial stance in the book of Judges. A former secondary English teacher, she is particularly interested in literary and linguistic interpretation of the Bible. Her articles include “Monarchy in Judges: Positive or Negative?” in the Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies, “Daughter Zion: Metaphor and Dialogue in the Book of Lamentations,” which has been published by the Society of Biblical Literature in Daughter Zion: Her Portrait, Her Response, and “’The Wisest Might Err’: A Re-evaluation of Solomon’s Character as Revealed by His Prayer for Wisdom in I Kings 3:1-15” in the Canadian Theological Review. She is currently co-authoring a new commentary on Judges for the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament.
Practical Ministry Experience:
Mary has taught adult classes in her home church for many years on subjects such as: teaching skills for the church, Old Testament book studies, Christian theology and application, and Gender in ministry.
Research Interests:
- The Book of Judges
- Gender in the Bible and the Church
- Hebrew Grammar and Interpretation
- Narrative Discourse
- The Five Scrolls
- Evaluation/Appraisal Theory
Current Projects:
- Discourse Commentary on Judges
- Gender and Genesis 1-3
- Women and the Law in the OT
“Gender in Genesis 1–3 in Conversation with 1 Timothy 2.” Paper presented at the Evangelical Theological Society, Evangelicals and Gender section, Denver, CO, November 2018.
“Narrative Appraisal as a Linguistic Approach to Evaluation in Text: The Case of Pronouns.” Paper presented at the Society of Biblical Literature, Linguistics in Biblical Hebrew Section, Boston, MA, November 2017.
“Jephthah: Savvy Diplomat or Bungling Negotiator?” Paper presented at the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies section of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada, May 2017.
“Judges 20 Revisited: Order in the Midst of Confusion (Revised and expanded).” Paper presented at the Evangelical Theological Society, San Antonio, TX, November 2016.
“Judges 20 Revisited: Order in the Midst of Confusion.” Paper presented at the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies section of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Calgary, AB, Canada, May 2016.
“Caleb Reproved; Achsah Approved.” Paper presented at the Society of Biblical Literature, Joshua-Judges Section, Atlanta, GA, November 2015.
“An Evaluation of Ehud as Revealed by the Narrative Appraisal Model.” Paper presented at the Institute for Biblical Research conference, San Diego, CA, November 2014.
“Insights Obtained by the Application of Heller’s Discourse Structure to the Narrative of Judges.” Paper presented at the Evangelical Theological Society, San Diego, CA, November 2014.
“Subdue the Earth? A Re-evaluation of the Use of כבשׁ in Genesis 1:28.” Paper presented at the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies section of the Congress in the Humanities and Social Sciences, St. Catharines, ON, May 2014.
“The (Im)mutability and (Im)passibility of YHWH: The Contribution of Judges 2:11-23.” Paper presented at the Canadian Evangelical Theology Association section of the Congress in the Humanities and Social Sciences, St. Catharines, ON, May 2014.
“‘The Wisest Might Err’: A Re-evaluation of Solomon’s Character as Revealed by His Prayer for Wisdom in 1 Kings 3:1-15.” Paper presented at the New Voices in Canadian Evangelical Theology Conference, Canadian Evangelical Theology Association, Hamilton, ON, October 2012.
“‘In the Eyes of Yahweh’: The Role of Linguistic Evaluation Theory in Determining Normative Voice in Judges.” Paper presented at the Tyndale Biblical Studies Symposium, Toronto, ON, February 2012.
“From Objective Observation to Subjective Participation: Daughter Zion and the Speaker in Lamentations.” Paper presented at the Society of Biblical Literature, Biblical Hebrew Poetry Section, Boston, MA, November 2008.
Publications:
In Press, co-authored with Mark J. Boda: Judges: A Commentary. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, in press.
In Press: “Gender in Creation: Genesis 1–3.” In Discovering Biblical Equality, edited by Cynthia Long Westfall and Ronald W. Pierce. 3rd edition. Grand Rapids, MI: InterVarsity.
In Press: “The Treatment of Women under the Mosaic Law.” In Discovering Biblical Equality, edited by Cynthia Long Westfall and Ronald W. Pierce. 3rd edition. Grand Rapids, MI: InterVarsity.
Conway, Mary L., Judging the Judges: A Narrative Appraisal Analysis. Edited by Cynthia L. Miller and J. A. Naudé. LSAWS 15. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns, 2020. https://www.eisenbrauns.org/books/titles/978-1-57506-724-7.html.
“Narrative Appraisal as a Linguistic Approach to Evaluation in Text: The Case of Pronouns.” Journal for Semitics 28 (2019) 1–23. https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6573/6406.
Forthcoming: “A Cord of Three Strands is Not Quickly Broken: The Deterioration of Unity and Community in Judges.” In Festschrift, edited by Rick Wadholm, Jr. Eugene, OR: MDC Press, forthcoming.
“Monarchy in Judges: Positive or Negative?” Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies 4 (2019) 26–41.http://jbtsonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/JBTS-4.1-Article-2.pdf
Review of Beldman, David J. H. The Completion of Judges: Strategies of Ending in Judges 17–21. Siphrut 21. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2017. Catholic Biblical Quarterly (2019). https://muse.jhu.edu/article/721285
Review of Edenburg, Cynthia, Dismembering the Whole: Composition and Purpose of Judges 19–21 (Ancient Israel and Its Literature, 24; Atlanta: SBL, 2016). Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 17 (2017). http://www.jhsonline.org/reviews/reviews_new/review828.htm
“Appraisal Theory and the Interpretation of Judges 6.” In Modeling Biblical Language: Papers from the McMaster Divinity College Linguistics Circle, edited by Stanley E. Porter, Gregory P. Fewster, and Christopher Land. Linguistic Biblical Studies. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2016.
Review of Frolov, Serge. Judges. FOTL 6B. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2013. Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 14 (2014).http://www.jhsonline.org/reviews/reviews_new/review731.htm
“The Wisest Might Err”: A Re-evaluation of Solomon’s Character as Revealed by His Prayer for Wisdom in 1 Kings 3:1-15.” Canadian Theological Review 2 (2013): 29-45.
“Daughter Zion: Metaphor and Dialogue in the Book of Lamentations.” In Daughter Zion: Her Portrait, Her Response, edited by Mark J. Boda, Carol J. Dempsey, and LeAnn Snow Flesher. Atlanta: SBL, 2012.
“Ann Murry.” In The Biographical History of Women Biblical Interpreters, edited by Marion Taylor. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012.
Review of Pratico, Gary D. and Miles V. Van Pelt, Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar (2nd ed., Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007); Pratico, Gary D. and Miles V. Van Pelt, Basics of Biblical Hebrew Workbook (2nd ed., Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007). Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 11 (2011). http://www.jhsonline.org/reviews/reviews_new/review534.htm
Review of Foster, Robert L., and David M. Howard. My Words Are Lovely: Studies in the Rhetoric of the Psalms. The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies. New York: T&T Clark, 2008. Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 9 (2009). http://www.jhsonline.org/reviews/reviews_new/review366.htm
“Worship Music: Maintaining Dynamic Tension.” McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry 7 (2006) 132-59. http://www.mcmaster.ca/mjtm/volume7.htm
Accreditations
Current Course List
| Course Title | Instructors | Term | Year/Month | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hebrew 1 (Introduction) | Mary L. Conway | Fall | 2020 | |
| Hebrew Syntax - Jonah and Ruth* | Mary L. Conway | Winter | 2021 | |
| Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning* | Mary L. Conway | Winter | 2021 |