C. Thomas McCollough
Nelson D. and Mary McDowell Rodes Professor of Religion
Emeritus
Education
BA: University of Florida
MA and PhD: University of Notre Dame
MDiv: Duke University.
Expertise
Christianity and Christian thought — Biblical history — Contemporary Middle East — Archaeology in the Middle East;
Expertise in the history of Christianity and Christian thought, Biblical history and archaeology, and the contemporary Middle East;
An avid participant in archaeological digs in Israel, often taking Centre students. He and his students were part of a team that uncovered at Sepphoris rare amulets estimated to be around 2000 years old;
Co-editor, along with Douglas R. Edwards, of Archaeology and the Galilee: Text and Context in the Graeco-Roman and Byzantine Periods (Scholars Press, 1997).
BIOGRAPHY
Thomas McCollough retired as professor of religion and history at Centre College in 2017, where he had taught since 1980. He has held the Rodes Professorship since 2002. In 2009, he received the Kirk Teaching Award. In 2012, he was named Kentucky Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. In 2013, he was selected as the Annual Professor at the Albright Institute for Archaeological Research in Jerusalem and spent the spring of 2013 in residence. He has particular expertise in the history of Christianity and Christian thought, biblical history and archaeology, and the contemporary Middle East. He is the director of the Archaeological Excavations at Khirbet Qana (Cana of Galilee), and since 2008, he has been the program director for the Istanbul Program offered by the Kentucky Institute for International Studies.
Since 1985 McCollough has been the assistant director of archaeological digs in Sepphoris, Israel taking along a number of Centre students for summer excavations during this time. In 1992 and 1993, he and his students were part of a team that uncovered rare amulets at Sepphoris that are estimated to be around 2000 years old. At the beginning of 2002, McCollough also became the assistant director for the archaeological excavations of Khirbet Kana. He and fellow Centre professor, Beth Glazier-McDonald, have published scholarly articles about the amulets in "Atiqot and Archaeological Odyssey."
McCollough is a co-editor, along with Douglas R. Edwards, of "Archaeology and the Galilee: Text and Context in the Graeco-Roman and Byzantine Periods (Scholars Press, 1997)." He also has published articles in academic journals including "Studi Patristica and Religious Studies Review." McCollough has forthcoming books entitled "Ancient Christian Commentary of the Book of Daniel" and another co-edited book entitled "The Archaeology of Difference." He recently received a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to support his research and publication of the excavations at Sepphoris.
McCollough received a B.A. from the University of Florida, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame. He also has an M.Div. degree from Duke University.