Professional Affiliations

International Organization for Qumran Studies

Society of Biblical Literature

Canadian Society of Biblical Studies

Enoch Seminar

Research Areas

Dead Sea Scrolls

Hebrew Bible Minor Prophets

Intertextuality in Antique Literature

Material Reconstruction of Fragmented Manuscripts

Second Temple Judaism

Early Christianity

Formation of Canon

Space and Place in Antiquity

Dead Sea Scrolls in Modern Religious Traditions

Use of Non-Canonical Religious Texts in Modern Religious Movements

Research Languages

Biblical Hebrew

Qumran Hebrew

Koine Greek

Attic Greek

Syriac

Modern Hebrew

Latin

German

French

While discipleship constitutes the primary motivation of my research philosophy, I am equally committed to maintaining academic excellence as I aim to build faith, understanding, and guide individuals to find answers to their questions and concerns.

My experiences as an assistant professor in the department of Ancient Scripture and the Jerusalem Center at Brigham Young University, as a religious educator in Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, as well as my time as a teacher of record at Florida State University, have aided me in developing a hermeneutic of belief that aims to help myself and others fully engage in the rigors of an intellectually enlarging study, while at the same time learning by faith through the teachings of apostles, prophets, and exemplary Latter-day Saints to develop the tools necessary to become lifelong deep learners of the standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, especially the Old and New Testaments and the Book of Mormon.

My scholarship philosophy has been shaped by my desire to continue the legacy of BYU Religious Education professors of the past, by contributing to the knowledge and resources available to Latter-day Saints in the fields of Dead Sea Scrolls, Old Testament, and New Testament studies. I believe that the best scholarship is built through research, frequent attendance at academic conferences, cultivating relationships with other experts by giving and receiving feedback, and consistent publication.

Academic Editorial Boards and Projects

SBL Hebrew Bible Critical Edition: Editor of the book of Haggai

BYU New Testament Commentary Series: Editor of the Introductory Volume to the BYUNTC Project

Recorded Presentations

God’s Steadfast Love, Mercy, and Kindness (23 January 2026): Josh presents on his research on understanding the metaphorical reading of Hosea 1–3

Coming to Know Jesus Christ through I AM Statements in the Book of Mormon (20 January 2024): Josh presents on his research on the I AM statements of the Savior in the Book of Mormon

Kurt Manwaring with fromthedesk.org interviewed me about this presentation here

Chad Nielsen similarly picked up on this presentation for the Times and Seasons Blog here

Enticements from the Introductory Volume (29 April 2023): Josh, acting in his role as editor, presents the purposes behind and an overview of the studies contained in the BYU New Testament Commentary Introductory Volume

Placing Hebrews amidst Studies of the New Testament among Latter-day Saints (5 March 2021): Josh presents his research on the ways in which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has institutionally encouraged the study of the New Testament

Decoding Wilford Woodruff’s Journals (4 March 2023): Josh presents his research of analyzing the nearly 10,000 drawings that are in Wilford Woodruff’s Personal Journals and the insights they can provide in coming to know Wilford Woodruff better

Wilford Woodruff’s Symbols Included in Wilford Woodruff Papers Journal Transcripts: Here you can find a brief explanation of each of the symbols frequently utilized by Wilford Woodruff in his journals and see the drawings in the journals themselves

Excellence is the Step Beyond Mediocrity (24 April 2020): Josh outlines how his education at Florida State University has shaped his scholarship and research agenda