Mark R. Fairchild, Ph.D.
Professor of Bible & Religion
Huntington University; Huntington, IN 46750
(260) 359-4235 Office
mfairchild@huntington.edu www.AncientBiblicalWorld.com
Employment History
• 1987 – Current; Professor of Bible & Religion; Huntington University; Huntington, IN
• 2004-2020; Chair of Dept. Bible & Religion; Huntington University; Huntington, IN
• 2014-2018 Inaugural recipient of the Luke J. Peters Research Chair
The chair rotates among HU faculty every four years.
Academic Degrees
Ph.D. Drew University; Madison, NJ Biblical Studies--New Testament
M.Phil. Drew University; Madison, NJ Biblical Studies
M.Div. Asbury Theological Sem.; Wilmore, KY Specialized Research Curriculum
B.A. Toccoa Falls College; Toccoa Falls, GA Bible & Theology
B.S. Pennsylvania State Univ.; Univ. Park, PA Biology - Genetics
Academic Appointments
• 2021-2022 Fulbright Research Scholar – Research in collaboration with Uludağ
University in Bursa, Turkey
• 2017-2020 Member of the Scientific Committee for the Gülnar International Archaeology
Symposium. Mersin, Turkey.
• 2002 Research Grant for the National Endowment for the Humanities Seminar: "Societal
Transformation and the Legitimation of Power in the Early Islamic States," directed by
Fred Donner and Ken Hall, University of Chicago; Chicago, IL.
• 1993 Visiting Scholar--Department of Theology; University of Notre Dame; Notre
Dame, IN
• 1992 Research Grant for the National Endowment for the Humanities Seminar: "The
Greek Encounter with Judaism in the Hellenistic Period," directed by Louis H. Feldman,
Yeshiva University; New York, New York.
Monograph
• 2017 Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor. Revised and expanded 2nd ed.
Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2017.
• 2015 Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor. Istanbul: Arkeoloji ve Sanat
Yayınları, 2015.
Recent Refereed Publications
• 2019 “Barnabas, John Mark and Their Early Ministry on Cyprus,” Chapter 25 in
Lexham Geographic Commentary on Acts through Revelation. Bellingham, WA:
Lexham, 2019, 310-322.
• 2019 “Paul’s Early Ministry in Syria and Cilicia: The Silent Years,” Chapter 39 in
Lexham Geographic Commentary on Acts through Revelation. Bellingham, WA:
Lexham, 2019, 494-519.
• 2018 “Nicea’s Underwater Basilica,” Coauthored with Mustafa Şahin, Biblical
Archaeology Review, vol. 44, no. 6 (November / December 2018), 30-37, 61.
• 2017 "Laodicea’s Lukewarm Legacy: Conflicts of Prosperity in an Ancient Christian
City," Biblical Archaeology Review, vol. 43, no.2 (March / April 2017), 30-39, 67-68.
• 2016 “Archaeological Views: Turkey’s Treasures in Trouble,” Biblical Archaeology
Review, vol. 42, no. 6 (November / December 2016), 24, 68.
• 2014 "The Jewish Communities in Eastern Rough Cilicia," in The Menorot of Limyra
and Judaism in Asia Minor: Archaeology, Visual Culture and Literature. Journal of
Ancient Judaism, 5 (2014), 204-216, photographic plates 285-288.
• 2014 "The Search for Jesus: Outside of the New Testament, What Evidence Is There
About Jesus," In The Life of Jesus of Nazareth. Ed. by Ben Nussbaum. Irvine, CA: I-5
Publishing, 2014, 4-11.
• 2013 "Why Perga? Paul's Perilous Passage through Pisidia," Biblical Archaeology
Review, vol. 39, no.6 (November / December 2013), 52-59, 84.
• 2012 "Turkey's Unexcavated Synagogues: Could the World's Earliest Known
Synagogue Be Buried Amid Rubble?" Biblical Archaeology Review, vol. 38, no. 4 (July
/ August 2012), 34-41, 65.
• 2009 Three articles on "Agora," "Amphitheater," and "Areopagus" in Encyclopedia of
the Bible and Its Reception Ed. by Hans-Josef Klauck, Bernard McGinn, Paul MendesFlohr, Choon-Leong Seow, Hermann Spieckermann and Eric Ziolkowski. Vols. 1 & 2.
Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
• 2000 Eleven articles on "Astronomy," "Beast," "Gennesaret," "Head," "Jerusalem,
Gates," "Lightning," "Power," "Salamis," "Star," "Wind," and "Wolf," in Eerdmans
Dictionary of the Bible, Ed. by David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers and Astrid B.
Black. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
• 1999 "Paul's Pre-Christian Zealot Associations: A Re-examination of Gal. 1:14 and
Acts 22:3." New Testament Studies, vol. 45, 514-532.
Selected Professional Paper Presentations
• 2019 “Satan’s Throne at Pergamon: Where Was It?” Biblical Archaeology Society.
Bible and Archaeology Fest XXII, Nov. 24, 2019. San Diego, CA.
• 2018 “Paul’s Little-Known Mission to Cilicia,” Biblical Archaeology Society. Bible
and Archaeology Fest XXI, Nov. 17, 2018. Denver, CO.
• 2017 “Paul, the God Fearers and the Cult of Theos Hypsistos,” Biblical Archaeology
Society. Bible and Archaeology Fest XX, Nov. 18, 2017; Boston, MA
• 2017 “St. Paul and the Cult of Theos Hypsistos (the Highest God) in Rough Cilicia,”
International Gülnar Symposium. August 26, 2017; Mersin, Turkey.
• 2016 “Wealth and Poverty in the Lycus River Valley: Colossae, Laodicea, Hierapolis
and Tripolis,” paper presented at the Biblical Archaeology Society. Bible and
Archaeology Fest XIX, Nov 18, 2016; San Antonio, TX.
• 2016 “Paul and the Twelve Disciples at Ephesus,” paper presented at the Ephesus
Conference. May 27, 2016; Selçuk, Turkey.
• 2015 “The Apostle Paul and the School of Tyrannos,” paper presented at the Biblical
Archaeology Society. Bible and Archaeology Fest XVIII, Nov21, 2015; Atlanta, GA.
• 2015 “The Apostle Paul and the Synagogues of Rough Cilicia,” paper presented to the
Mersin Archaeology Group. March 30, 2015; Mersin, Turkey.
• 2014 "Graven Images and the Jewish Communities at Perge and Aphrodisias," paper
presented at the Biblical Archaeology Society. Bible and Archaeology Fest XVII, Nov.
22, 2014; San Diego, CA.
• 2014 "God-Fearers and the Cult of Theos Hypsistos at the Synagogue in Çatıören,"
paper presented at the International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature; Vienna,
Austria; July 9, 2014
• 2014 "Monotheism among Jews and Gentiles in Rough Cilicia," paper presented at the
Ephesus Conference; Kuşadası, Turkey; May 26, 2014
• 2014 "Archaeological Remains and the Jewish Communities in Eastern Rough Cilicia"
paper presented at the conference The Menorot of Limyra and Judaism in Asia Minor;
Program of the Austrian Archaeological Institute and Vienna University Institute for
Jewish Studies; Vienna, Austria; Jan. 23, 2014
• 2014 "Pirates and Robbers in Southern Anatolia" paper presented at the Izmir
Conference on Antiquities; Izmir, Turkey, Jan. 15, 2014
• 2013 "Why Did John Mark Depart from the Anatolian Mission," paper presented at the
Biblical Archaeology Society. Bible & Archaeology Fest XVI, Nov. 2013; Baltimore, MD.
• 2013 "The Journeys of Paul in Turkey and Greece," paper presented at the Biblical
Archaeology Society Gala Dinner, Feb. 2013; New York, NY.
• 2012 "Pirates, Synagogues and Curses in Cilicia," paper presented at the Biblical
Archaeology Society. Bible and Archaeology Fest XV, Nov. 2012; Chicago, IL.
• 2012 "Anatolia in the Ancient World and Turkey in Current Affairs," paper presented
to the American Turkish Association; Washington, D.C.
• 2012 "Turkey: The Crossroad of Civilizations Ancient and Modern," paper presented
to the World Affairs Council; Washington, D.C.
• 2012 "Ageless Turkey: Anatolia's Past and Present," paper presented to the Turkish
Embassy; Washington, D.C.
• 2007 "The Religious Climate of the Roman World and Early Christianity", Lecture for
the Special Exhibit: Roman Art from the Louvre, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
• 2007 "Economic Aspects of Roman Emperor Worship and Early Christian
Persecutions", The Ephesus Meeting: An Academic Conference at Ancient Ephesus;
Ephesus, Turkey.
• 2007 "Cultural Anthropology in the Imperial Roman World and Early Christianity",
Colloquia Anatolica et Aegaea Antiqua at Dokuz Eylül Universitesi; Izmir, Turkey.
• 2002 "Muhammad and the Jewish Messiah." Paper delivered at University of Chicago;
Chicago, IL.
Published Photography
• Numerous Biblical photographs licensed for use in ten books published by various
publishers: Abingdon Press, Hendrickson Publishers, Pickwick Publishers, Wipf and
Stock Press, InterVarsity Press and Oxford University Press. Five of these volumes
include book cover photographs from my collection of over 300,000 photographs. Other
photographs have been published in a variety of periodicals.