Roy E. Ciampa
Chair, S. Louis and Ann W. Armstrong Professor
Howard College of Arts and Sciences
Biblical and Religious Studies
215 Chapman Hall
rciampa@samford.edu
205-726-4785

Roy Ciampa came to Samford in August 2018 from the Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship at American Bible Society, where he provided advanced professional development in biblical studies, Bible translation and Scripture engagement for leaders in that area of scholarship around the world. Previously he was Professor of New Testament and chair of the Division of Biblical Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary near Boston, where he taught for thirteen years and where he continues to provide leadership for their Doctor of Ministry track in Bible Translation. Before going to Gordon-Conwell, he was a missionary professor of biblical studies in Portugal for over a decade and served as a translator for the Portuguese Bible Society’s contemporary Portuguese translation of the Bible.

Ciampa teaches New Testament and biblical studies, and his research focuses on the use of the Old Testament within the New Testament and Pauline studies. He is the author of The Presence and Function of Scripture in Galatians 1 and 2 (Mohr Siebeck, 1998), The First Letter to the Corinthians (with Brian Rosner) in the Pillar Commentary on the New Testament series (Eerdmans, 2010), as well as numerous scholarly articles and essays.

He is an ordained Baptist minister and active member of Shades Mountain Baptist Church. He also provides pulpit supply for other churches in the area.

He is married with two adult children and two grandsons. He enjoys hiking, boating, traveling, studying and teaching about the Bible, and spending time with his wife, his family and his students.

Degrees and Certifications

  • BA, Gordon College
  • MDiv, Denver Seminary
  • PhD, University of Aberdeen

Books

  • The First Letter to the Corinthians (with Brian S. Rosner). Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010.
  • The Presence and Function of Scripture in Galatians 1 and 2. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament II/102. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1998.

Selected Articles and Book Chapters

  • “Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans: Echoes, Allusions, and Rewriting” in Scripture, Texts, and Tracings in Romans. Edited by Andrew Das and Linda Belleville. Philadelphia, PA: Lexington/Fortress Academic, 2021; pages 11-29.
  • “The Function of 1 Cor 10:1-22 in Its Literary Context (1 Cor 8-11): Food for Thought” in Paul and Moses: The Exodus and Sinai Traditions in the Letters of Paul. Edited by Florian Wilk. Studies in Education and Religion in Ancient and Pre-Modern History in the Mediterranean and Its Environs, 11. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020; pages 83-99.
  • “Prophecy in Corinth and Paul’s Use of Isaiah’s Prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14:21-25” in Scripture, Texts, and Tracings in 1 Corinthians. Edited by B.J. Oropeza and Linda Belleville. Philadelphia, PA: Lexington/Fortress Academic, 2019; pages 141-59.
  • “Suffering in Romans 1-8 in Light of Paul’s Key Scriptural Intertexts” in Suffering in Paul. Edited by Siu Fung Wu; Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2019; pages 7-28.
  • “Composite Citations in 1-2 Corinthians and in Galatians” in Sean A. Adams and Seth M. Ehorn, eds., Composite Citations in Antiquity: Volume Two: New Testament Uses. LNTS; London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2018; pages 159-89.
  • “Genesis 1-3 and Paul’s Theology of Adam’s Dominion in Romans 5-6” in From Creation to New Creation: Essays on Biblical Theology and Exegesis. Edited by Daniel M. Gurtner and Benjamin L. Gladd. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2013; pages 103-22.
  • “Approaching Paul’s Use of Scripture in Light of Translation Studies.” Paul and Scripture: Extending the Conversation. Edited by Christopher D. Stanley. Early Christianity and Its Literature, 9. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2012; pages 293-318.
  • “‘Examined the Scriptures’? The Meaning of ἀνακρίνοντες τὰς γραφάς in Acts 17:11,” Journal of Biblical Literature 130, no. 3 (2011): pages 527–541.
  • “Paul’s Theology of the Gospel” in Paul as Missionary: Identity, Activity, Theology, and Practice. Edited by Trevor J. Burke & Brian S. Rosner. LNTS; Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 2011, pages 180-91.
  • “A Note on Problems with the Representation of 1 John 1:7 in Codex Alexandrinus,” Novum Testamentum 52 (2010); pages 267-271.
  • “Revisiting the Euphemism in 1 Corinthians 7:1,” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 31.3 (2009); pages 325-338.
  • “Scriptural Language and Ideas” in As It Is Written: Studying Paul's Use of Scripture (SBL Symposium Series, 50; edited by Stanley N. Porter and Christopher D. Stanley; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2008); pages 41-57.
  • “The History of Redemption” in Central Themes in Biblical Theology: Mapping Unity in Diversity, edited by Scott Hafemann and Paul House (Grand Rapids: Baker; Leicester, England: InterVarsity, 2007); pages 254-308.
  • “The Structure and Argument of 1 Corinthians: A Biblical/Jewish Approach” New Testament Studies vol. 52.2 (Apr 2006); pages 205-218 (co-authored with Brian S. Rosner).

Recent Conference Presentations

  • “Habakkuk 2:4 in Galatians: Echoes, Allusions, and Rewriting” for the 2021 SBL Seminar on Paul and Scripture (San Antonio, Texas), November 20, 2021.
  • “Wrestling with Paul’s Use of Scripture in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18” for the Paul and Scripture Seminar of the Society of Biblical Literature, November 24, 2019; San Deigo, CA.
  • “Bible Translation and Embodiment: Incarnation as a Metaphor for Translation” and “Bible Translation and Embodiment: Incarnational Mission vs. Docetic Conceptions of the Work of Bible Translation.” The 2019 John Beekman Lectures for the Biennial Conference on Bible Translation, Dallas, TX, October 11-15, 2019.
  • “The Function of 1 Cor 10:1-22 in Its Literary Context (1 Cor 8-11): Food for Thought” for the conference on “Paulus und Mose. Zur Deutung der Traditionen um Israels Aufenthalt am Sinai und in der Wüste durch den Völkerapostel.” Part of Sonderforschungsbereich 1136: “Bildung und Religion” at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany, May 2019.
  • “Biblical Authors and Biblical Scholars as Activist Translators” for the Institute for Biblical Research’s UnScripted session at the SBL meeting, Boston, MA, November 2017.
  • “Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans: Echoes, Allusions, and Rewriting” for the Scripture and Paul Seminar at annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Boston, MA, November 2017.
  • “‘By faith’? Ongoing Translation Issues (500 Years after the Reformation)” for BT2017, the Biennial Bible Translation Conference, Dallas, TX, October 13-17, 2017.
  • “The Place of Habakkuk 2:4 in Paul’s Understanding and Exposition of Righteousness by Faith” for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Reformation Celebration Conference, October 26-28, 2017, South Hamilton, Massachusetts (to be published in a volume based on the conference).
  • “Resurrection as the Realization/Redemption of Adam’s Reign: Paul, Scripture, and Adam Christology in 1 Corinthians 15” (paper presented and discussed at the 1 Corinthians and Intertextuality Seminar at the 2016 annual SBL meeting in San Antonio, TX in November, 2016).
  • “Contemplating an Ethics of Scripture Engagement,” main presentation for the Scripture Engagement Development Group meeting dedicated to the same theme, at the annual meeting of the International Forum of Bible Agencies, Rochester, NY, April 11, 2016.

Research

  • Paul’s letters, especially it approach to ethics and use of the Old Testament
  • The interpretation of Scripture in early Judaism and Christianity
  • Johannine Epistles

Involvement

  • Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas / Society for New Testament Studies
  • Society of Biblical Literature
  • American Academy of Religion
  • Institute for Biblical Research
  • Catholic Biblical Association