Excited to be Elected to SNTS

Senior Research Professor of Biblical Theology Dr. Alan Streett is the first professor in the history of the Criswell College to be elected into the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS), the most prestigious society dedicated to New Testament studies. The election occurred during the summer 2019 meeting of the 74th annual SNTS society in Marburg, Germany.

The society consists of a select group of scholars with a special interest in the study of the New Testament from a first century point-of-view, and they approach it from a historical rather than confessional perspective. Two current members must nominate a candidate for election based on the prospective member’s scholarly publications, which must meet a standard of excellence at the international level. 

Streett’s two monographs, Subversive Meals: Eating the Lord’s Supper under Roman Domination during the First Century (Pickwick) and Caesar and the Sacrament: Baptism as a Ritual of Resistance (Cascade) along with articles and chapters published by Wiley Blackwell, T & T Clark Bloomsbury, and Oxford University Press, were the basis of his election. Peter Davids, PhD (US) and William S. Campbell, PhD (UK) nominated Streett for membership.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
Founded in 1939, past presidents have included, CH Dodd, Rudolf Bultmann, Joachim Jeremias, WG Kümmel, Oscar Cullmann, Bruce Metzger, Ernst Kasemann, CK Barrett, FF Bruce, Raymond Brown, Martin Hengel  James Dunn, Wayne Meeks, Adela Yarbro Collins, among others. John S Kloppenborg is the current President.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
Four years ago, Streett was invited as a guest at the SNTS meeting in Montreal. As he sat listening to papers and scholars addressing their research, answering questions, receiving and offering constructive criticism—all in the spirit of commradrie—he realized his own shortcomings. “I was introduced to a level of scholarship that I had never seen before, all brought together in one place,” he said. “These were people teaching Cambridge and Harvard. I sat in a seminar on the Apostle Paul and the Book of Romans … one person would present a paper that would last an hour. And you would have two hours of interchange with the other scholars.” Streett never imagined that he would one day be elected to the society.

In addition to teaching two or three classes each semester on Criswell’s campus, Streett spends the majority of his time writing and researching, and is presently working on “Songs of Resistance: Challenging Caesar and Empire” (Cascade) and several chapters in edited volumes. 

Streett holds degrees from the University of Baltimore (BA), Wesley Theological Seminary (MDiv), and the University of Wales, UK (PhD).