PhD Student Profile: Peter J. Smith
September 8, 2021
Area of Study: History of Christianity and Historical Theology
Peter J. Smith is a doctoral student in Historical Theology and a native of Athens, Ohio. He received a bachelor’s degree in church music from Anderson University and a master’s degree in theological studies from Asbury Theological Seminary. His research focuses on the development of theological anthropology and soteriology in the 4th and 5th centuries, as well as the early articulation of Wesleyan theology. His master’s thesis discussed the anthropological implications of Athanasius’ doctrine of deification. His essay on liturgical development in 4th-century Jerusalem won the inaugural David Bauer Prize for Excellence in Theological Writing at Asbury Theological Seminary.
Papers and Publications
“John Cassian’s Royal Road: Discretion, Balance, and the Tradition of the Fathers” in The Downside Review March 2021
Book Review – Christian Theologies of Salvation: A Comparative Introduction ed. Justin S. Holcomb in Wesleyan Theological Journal Spring 2021
“John Cassian’s Royal Road: Discretion, Balance, and the Tradition of the Fathers” at Southeast AAR (SECSOR) Spring 2020
“Breathing with the Spirit: Reflections on Wesleyan Reciprocity” at Midwest AAR Spring 2019
“Baptized with Water and Spirit: Progressing from ‘babes in Christ’ to Christian Maturity.” Presented at Annual Meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society, Cleveland, TN, 2017.
“Deification of Body and Soul in Athanasius of Alexandria: A Present Foretaste of Resurrection.” M.A.T.S Thesis, Asbury Theological Seminary, 2017.