Shafer-Elliott Adds Expertise to William Jessup University’s Bible and Theology Department

ROCKLIN, Calif. – Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, Ph.D., will join William Jessup University as a full-time Assistant Professor in the Bible and Theology department effective this fall.

Shafer-Elliott formerly served as an adjunct professor at William Jessup throughout this past year.

During the summer, Dr. Shafer-Elliott will lead a team of WJU students to Israel where she will teach a Bible and Field Archaeology course at the biblical city of Gath, home of Goliath the Philistine. Students will learn hands-on the excavation methods of Syro-Palestinian Archaeology and how archaeology enhances the understanding of ancient Israel, its neighbors, and the biblical text.

Prior to her work with the growing university in Rocklin, Shafer-Elliott was a lecturer at The University of Leeds and The College of the Resurrection, both located in England. She was also a lecturer with The University of Sheffield, England, where she received her doctorate in Biblical Studies. In addition, she has taught numerous collegiate courses, chaired various conferences, and conducted archaeological fieldwork.

Shafer-Elliott’s book will be released this fall through Equinox Publishing and is entitled, Food in Ancient Judah: Domestic Cooking in the Time of the Hebrew Bible. The book explores both the archaeological remains and ancient Near Eastern sources to see what they reveal about the daily life of ancient Judahites.

Other publications by Shafer-Elliott include a chapter on “Gender and Syro-Palestinian Archaeology” in A Land Like Your Own: Traditions of Israel and Their Reception; and she was a contributing author to “Iron and Bronze Production in Iron Age IIA Philistia,” that was published in The Journal of Archaeological Science.

Her most recent work is the entry on “cooking” for the 2013 publication of the new Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Archaeology

Shafer-Elliott currently resides in Auburn with her husband, where they are small group leaders for young families at Auburn’s Bayside Church.

About William Jessup University

Founded in 1939 by William Jessup, the University moved to Rocklin, California, in August 2004.  WJU is the first and only WASC accredited private four-year university to have its main campus located in the greater Sacramento area, offering degrees in many different disciplines, including Business Administration, Family & Children’s Ministry, English, History, Intercultural Studies, Liberal Studies (Teacher Education), Math, Music, Pastoral Ministry, Psychology, Public Policy and Youth Ministry.  Anticipated majors include fields in the humanities and science. WJU also offers a School of Professional Studies (SPS) at its campuses in Rocklin and San Jose. Program concentrations include Business Administration, Christian Leadership, Counseling Psychology and a Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Credential Program. For more information, please visit www.jessup.edu or call (916) 577-2200.