My Background

I read New Testament Greek and Classical Hebrew as part of my BA Hons degree in Biblical & Theological Studies at Trinity College Dublin. For my Masters at Exeter College Oxford I specialised in Early Byzantine history and Medieval Greek for which I gained a distinction. My PhD on Roman Administration in Galilee 44-66AD (under the supervision of Professor Sean Freyne, TCD) was based on the Greek text of Josephus' Bellum Judaicum, Antiquitates, and Vita, as well as the Latin text of Tacitus'  Annals (Book XII). A close reading of texts in the original was always central to my academic training and is the core element in all the courses that I offer both at beginners and advanced level.

I have wide experience teaching New Testament Greek in Britain and Ireland in various contexts ranging from adult education and colleges of further education, to university settings where I tutored undergraduates.

For many years I gave private instruction to individuals who required a grounding in New Testament or Classical Greek for research purposes or as a condition of their being accepted on higher degree courses. I also instructed third level students preparing for supplemental (i.e. repeat) examinations in New Testament Greek, as well as coordinated one and two week intensive summer school programmes for beginners and advanced level students.

I have also taught New Testament Greek to missionaries as part of their preparation for translation work in Africa and the Middle East. I co-founded and for several years was involved in the Irish New Testament Greek Society which drew a wide membership from around the country, and provided a forum for discussion, debate, and critical engagement with the Greek text of the gospels and epistles.

Latterly I have been promoting the study of New Testament Greek on the Isle of Wight and in Hertfordshire, including the setting up of reading groups for those who have completed the beginners course. Although I continue to attract and welcome individuals whose ultimate objective is to read classical or Graeco-Roman texts, my primary goal is to generate interest in the study of New Testament Greek among the various Christian communities in Great Britain and Ireland.