Changes are coming to our Ancient Near Eastern Studies (ANES) program: Dr. Matthew Grey (Ancient Scripture) has been named the new faculty coordinator. He’s not new to this position, however; from 2023–2024, he was interim coordinator of the program while faculty coordinator Dr. Cecilia Peek was acting as interim director of the BYU London Centre. (We appreciate Dr. Jason Combs’ service as interim coordinator during winter semester 2025.) Now that Dr. Peek has been appointed director of the Centre, we are pleased to have Dr. Grey beginning as ANES faculty coordinator on 1 July.
Grey’s interest in the ancient Near East began when he was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I fell in love with studying and teaching scripture,” he says. “This love was fostered by a mission culture that saw deep gospel learning as an essential part of our ministries. As a result, I began reading the work of Latter-day Saint scholars who were writing about a wide variety of scriptural topics and had my first opportunity to learn some Hebrew at a local synagogue—together, these experiences inspired me to make biblical studies a lifelong pursuit.”
When he returned home and enrolled at BYU, he was excited to discover the ANES program, which allowed him to continue studying these topics that had fascinated him in a way that was both academic and faith-informing. A highlight of his undergraduate experience was the chance to spend a semester at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. “This extraordinary opportunity to learn more about the writings of the Bible in their historical, cultural, and physical setting convinced me that I wanted to continue doing so at a higher level,” he says.
Accordingly, after graduating from BYU he completed an MA in archaeology and the history of antiquity at Andrews University (2003–2005), an MSt in ancient Judaism at the University of Oxford (2005–2006), and a PhD in ancient Mediterranean religions—with a major emphasis on archaeology and the history of early Judaism, and a minor emphasis in New Testament studies—at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2006–2011). During this time he also participated in archaeological excavations throughout the Mediterranean and cultivated research interests in a wide range of issues pertaining to the world of the New Testament, including the Jewish context of Jesus’s life and ministry, the archaeology of daily life in Roman Palestine, and the development of sacred spaces (such as temples, synagogues, and churches) within ancient Judaism and early Christianity.
After finishing his PhD program, he was hired in the Department of Ancient Scripture at BYU, where he teaches courses on the New Testament gospels, the travels and writings of Paul, and temples of the biblical world. “For the last 14 years,” he adds, “I have also continued to work as a field archaeologist by supervising the excavation of the ancient (late Roman) synagogue at Huqoq, in Israel’s Galilee region.”
His connection with the Kennedy Center began early in his career, when he became an affiliated faculty member of the ANES program. In addition to teaching courses, sitting on the executive committee, and being involved in events, since 2015 he has also taken several groups of ANES students to the Huqoq excavation as part of an archaeological field school. He says, “It has been enormously fulfilling to come full circle from my undergraduate experience and return to being involved with the Ancient Near Eastern Studies program as a member of its faculty.”
Then, in 2023, Peek accepted the interim director assignment at the London Centre, and Grey stepped in as interim coordinator of ANES. “The time in that position allowed me even greater opportunities to interact with ANES students, to reflect on the program’s curriculum and contribution to the university, and to serve on Kennedy Center committees dedicated to supporting the international research being done by colleagues across campus,” he says. “I have been profoundly inspired by the leadership, vision, collegial environment, and deep concern for the student experience that defines the Kennedy Center. It has been one of the greatest blessings of my career to help advance the mission of BYU by working with such extraordinary colleagues and students in the dynamic setting fostered by this institution.”
Now that he has been appointed as the faculty coordinator of the program, he says he is looking forward to continuing to think “about how our curriculum, experiential learning, and study abroad opportunities can best inspire students on their journeys of disciple-scholarship and can help them reach their highest potential as future teachers, scholars, and ministers in the Church. I am also excited to support the program’s outstanding faculty in their research and to build upon the work of past coordinators in cultivating a learning environment built on mutual trust, respect, and a shared love of the biblical world.”
Above all that, though, he says he is “excited for the ANES program to help students participate in the great Latter-day Saint tradition of ‘seeking diligently . . . out of the best books’ (D&C 88:118), ‘translating scripture and obtaining a knowledge of history’ (D&C 93:53), and establishing a sacred community ‘of learning and faith’ (D&C 88:119).”
Reflecting on the ANES program, he says, “The Middle East has long been one of the most important and dynamic regions in the world. By studying that region’s ancient history, literature, culture, and religions, we gain a much deeper appreciation for its beauty, complexities, and significance, as well as for its ongoing impact on the global stage. This is also the region that produced the writings of the Bible and the world’s three great Abrahamic faith traditions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. By studying the origins of these biblical texts and religious communities, students can experience a more profound understanding of scripture and a greater appreciation for the importance of reading it in its historical context. Such perspectives instill a biblical literacy that is desperately needed in today’s world and that can be transformative for students on their journeys of becoming ‘disciple-scholars.’ In these ways, the ANES program makes a meaningful contribution to the BYU experience (‘the world is our campus’) and encourages students to aspire to the ideals of the Restoration—that is, the learning of history, scripture, and biblical languages, ‘by study and by faith’ (D&C 88:118; 90:13-16), to help bring about ‘the salvation of Zion’ (D&C 93:53)."
Learn more about the ANES program here.