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The Rev Dr George Athas

Director of Research
Old Testament and Hebrew

Qualifications: BA (Hons) (Sydney), BD (Moore), PhD (Sydney)

I love teaching students about the Bible, and helping them grow in their faith, hope, and love. I’m fascinated by the biblical text and ancient history. I’ve been on faculty at Moore since 2006, and I’m also a regular visiting lecturer at George Whitefield College (Cape Town). Koula and I attend Marrickville Road Church, while our girls attend Narwee Baptist Church. I love good coffee, am pretty handy on the barbecue, enjoy long drives, and am a Formula One tragic.

Family: George is married to Koula, and they have two daughters: Hosanna and Josephine.

Research interests: include the Old Testament prophetic books; Ecclesiastes; Song of Songs; apocalyptic literature; the exilic and post-exilic periods; Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity; history and archaeology of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean; biblical theology; and Hebrew language.

Books and chapters in books
Journal articles

Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. Story of God Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020.

“Haggai.” In The Baker Illustrated Bible Background Commentary. Edited by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hayes. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2020.

“Zechariah.” In The Baker Illustrated Bible Background Commentary. Edited by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hayes. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2020.

Elementary Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar. 5th ed. Croydon Park: Ancient Vessel Press, 2016.

Deuteronomy: One Nation under God. South Sydney: Aquila, 2016.

Co-Author with D.R. Vance, Y. Avrahami & J.G. Kline, A Biblical Aramaic Handbook & Reader. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2016.

1 Samuel: Long Live the King. Sydney, Mountain Street Media, 2015.

Ezekiel: City Views, Sydney: Mountain Street Media, 2015.

“Tel Dan.” In The Routledge Encyclopedia of Ancient Mediterranean Religions. Edited by Eric Orlin  New York: Routledge, 2015.

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: A Reader’s Edition. Edited by Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph. 5th rev. edited by Adrian Schenker; lexical and grammatical apparatus Donald R. Vance, George Athas, Yael Avrahami. Stuttgart, Germany Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2014.

Co-author with I. M. Young, Elementary Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar (Fourth edition). Croydon Park, NSW: Ancient Vessel Press, 2008.

“Reflections on Scripture: Using the Distinction between Jews and Gentiles as an Exegetical Key.” Pages 125–40 in Donald Robinson: Selected Works. Edited by Peter G. Bolt & Mark D. Thompson. Camperdown:  Australian Church Record, 2008.

“The Creation of Israel: The Cosmic Proportions of the Exodus Event.” Pages 30–59 in Exploring Exodus: Literary, Theological and Contemporary Approaches. Edited by Brian S. Rosner and Paul R. Williamson. Nottingham: Apollos, 2008.

Co-author with I. M. Young, Highlights of Biblical Hebrew. 2nd ed. Beverly Hills, NSW: Ancient Vessel Press, 2003.

The Tel Dan Inscription: A Reappraisal and a New Interpretation. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series, 360. Copenhagen International Seminar, 12. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2003.

“Qohelet in His Context: Ecclesiastes 4,13–16 and the Dating of the Book.”  Biblica 100/3 (2019): 353–372.

“Has Lot Lost the Plot? Detail Omission and a Reconsideration of Genesis 19.” Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 16.5 (2016):  1–18.

‘The Hebrew Bible’ CASE 43 (2015): 22–26.

“’A Man After God’s Own Heart’: David and the Rhetoric of Election to Kingship.” Journal for the Evangelical Study of the Old Testament 2.2 (2013): 191–98.

“In Search of the Seventy ‘Weeks’ of Daniel 9.” Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 9:2 (2009): 1–20.

“Setting the Record Straight: What are we Saying about the Tel Dan Inscription?” Journal of Semitic Studies 51.2 (2006): 241–55.