David Brakke, the new Joe R. Engle Chair in the History of Christianity and professor of history, arrived on campus in July and invigorated by the spirit of Ohio State jumped right in to campus life, teaching two undergraduate courses fall semester.

“I was attracted by the energy here — from the president to the deans to the faculty and students there is an optimism about the future that made it clear to me that this was an exciting place to be where I could retool and rejuvenate my career,” he said.

Brakke, who taught for 19 years in the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University and was department chair from 2006 to 2011, said the offer of holding an endowed chair was an honor hard to refuse, “but the people, the resources — and of course, the energy — of Ohio State really cinched the deal.

“Here, I have colleagues in a wide range of related areas, along with those in my own areas of research. For studies in periods ranging from late antiquity to early Byzantium — this is one of the best places in the country.

“This is not only a boon to my own research and scholarly development, it is a big payoff for students because there are people right here to answer virtually any questions they might have. There are so many doors that lead to such a great array of opportunities for students at Ohio State. I make sure students are aware of those doors.”

Brakke cites the Center for the Study of Religion as another factor in his decision to come to Ohio State. “It’s an amazing center that maintains vigorous programs that allow for scholarly cross-fertilization.”

The Joe R. Engle Chair is an endowed chair made possible by a gift from Ohio State alumnus Joe Engle, well-known nationally for his support of religious studies. History Department Chair Peter Hahn said this about the donor who made this position possible and the scholar chosen to fill it, “Professor Brakke delivers esteemed teaching to our students and world-class scholarly credentials to our faculty. We are deeply grateful that Joe Engle made the generous gift that enabled us to enrich our department so profoundly.“

Brakke, who studies and teaches the history and literature of ancient Christianity from its origins through the fifth century works to make his research accessible to students at all levels.

“The periods of antiquity that I study with their themes, problems, events, are relevant today,” Brakke said. “The challenge is making antiquity interesting and fun. So, I try to really think about what I do and how I can translate it in terms that would be understandable to anyone because I believe it is very important to be able to engage a wider audience.”

Brakke realizes the power of titles in “hooking” an audience, whether they are students: calling the 200-level course he is teaching this semester, Introduction to Christianity: From Jesus to Joel Osteen; or the general public: his December 3 investiture lecture, How Jesus Could Have a Wife and Still Not Be Married: Gender, Cosmology, and Salvation in Early Christianity, should certainly attract attention.

A prolific and noted scholar with a BA in English from the University of Virginia; M.Div. from Harvard University; and PhD in religious studies from Yale University, he is the author of Athanasius and the Politics of Asceticism (Oxford UP 1995; Johns Hopkins UP 1998), in which he examined the social and political dimensions of a bishop's ascetic teachings. Demons and the Making of the Monk: Spiritual Combat in Early Christianity (Harvard UP 2006) explores the role of evil forces in the formation of the monk as a virtuous self and as a social role.

Brakke’s latest monograph, The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity(Harvard UP 2010), argues for a social and cultural approach to the definition of "Gnosticism" and to the question of "orthodoxy" and "heresy" in the era before Constantine. It was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2011.

He also has edited and translated early Christian texts, most recently Evagrius of Pontus's Talking Back: A Monastic Handbook for Combating Demons (Liturgical Press 2009) and he has co-edited several scholarly volumes, including Religion and the Self in Antiquity (Indiana UP 2005) andShifting Cultural Frontiers in Late Antiquity (Ashgate 2012).

Brakke's research has received support from the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Currently, he is a member of an international team of scholars that is producing the first unified critical edition and translation of the works of Shenoute of Atripe (ca.348-465), the leader of a large monastic community in Upper Egypt and the greatest native writer of Coptic.

Additionally, Brakke is beginning work on a monograph on scriptural practices and canon formation in early Christian communities and a commentary on the Gospel of Judas.

He is the editor of the Journal of Early Christian Studies, which is sponsored by the North American Patristics Society and published by Johns Hopkins University Press, and the president-elect of the International Association for Coptic Studies