Rhonda Burnette-Bletsch
Professor and Department Chair of Biblical Studies
McInnis 200C
rburnett@eastern.edu
Dr. Burnette-Bletsch joined the Department of Theology at Eastern in 2014. A native North Carolinian, she completed her doctoral work at Duke University and taught biblical studies courses for seventeen years at Greensboro College (in Greensboro, NC) before joining Eastern’s faculty. Dr. BB is passionate about teaching and mentoring students toward maturity in the Christian faith. Her research interests concern the Bible’s use and influence within faith communities and in the broader culture, especially in the medium of film. She has published four books and several chapters and articles.
Dr. BB lives with her husband Rev. John Bletsch in Wayne, PA where John serves St. Matthews United Methodist Church. They have three children.
Read Dr. Burnette-Bletsch's curriculum vitae.
Education
Ph.D. Duke University
At Eastern Since 2014
Courses Taught
Introduction to the Old Testament; Introduction to the New Testament; Introductory Biblical Hebrew; Intermediate Biblical Hebrew; Torah/Pentateuch; The Prophets; Poetry and Wisdom Literature; Apocalyptic Literature; Jesus and the Gospels; Paul: His Life and Letters; Sex, Violence, and the Bible; Women and Scripture; Film and the Bible; The Bible and the Marginalized; Introduction to Christian Spirituality.
Research Interests
The historical and cultural background of biblical texts; Reception of biblical traditions in diverse theological contexts; Reception of biblical traditions in art, literature, and film; Biblical ethics and social justice; Biblical hermeneutics.
Books
- Noah as Antihero: Darren Aronofsky’s Cinematic Deluge, co-edited with Jon Morgan (Routledge Press, 2017)
- The Bible in Motion: A Handbook of the Bible and Its Reception in Film, 2 Volumes (De Gruyter Press, 2016)
- Studying the Old Testament: A Companion (Abingdon Press, 2007)
Selected Articles
- “The Last Temptation of Christ: Scorsese’s Jesus among Ordinary Saints,” In Scorsese as Theologian. Studies in Religion and the Arts. Edited by Christopher B. Barnett and Clark J. Elliston. (Leiden: Brill Academic, 2019).
- “Mediating Dinah’s Story in Film (Genesis 34),” In Handbook of Feminist Approaches to the Hebrew Bible. Edited by Susanne Scholz. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021).
- “American Slavery, Cinematic Violence, and the (Sometimes) Good Book,” In Bible and Film Handbook. Edited by Richard Walsh. (London: Bloomsbury, 2018).
- “Standing in The Shadow of Nazareth (Venus Features/Warner Features, 1913): The Hermeneutics of an Unauthorized Adaptation,” Pages 132-157 in The Silents of Jesus in the Cinema (1897-1927). Edited by David J. Shepherd. (London/New York: Routledge, 2016).
- “Speaking as ‘Any Foolish Woman’ – Job’s Wife in the History of Reception.” Pages 75-104 in Celebrate Her for the Fruit of Her Hands: Studies in Honor of Carol L. Meyers. Edited by Charles E. Carter and Karla G. Bohmbach. (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2015).
- “The Bible and Its Cinematic Adaptations: A Consideration of Filmic Exegesis,” Journal of the Bible and Its Reception 1.1 (2014): 129-160.
- “2001: A Space Odyssey,” Pages 3-8 in Bible and Cinema: 50 Key Films. Edited by Adele Reinhartz. (NY: Routledge Press, 2012).
- “Blade Runner,” Pages 39-45 in Bible and Cinema: 50 Key Films. Edited by Adele Reinhartz. (NY: Routledge Press, 2012).
- “The Reception of Genesis in Pseudo-Philo’s Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum.” Pages 447-468 in The Book of Genesis: Composition and Reception. Edited by Craig A. Evans, et al. (Vetus Testamentum Supplements. Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2012).
- “The Bible, Disability, and The Chosen.” Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 78.3 (2024): https://doi.org/10.1177/00209643241239670.