Curriculum Vitæ
Keith J. Gibbs
Education
Masters of Theological Studies (M.T.S) in Biblical and Historical Studies, Boston University School of Theology, Boston, Massachusetts. May 2005. Major Field of Study: Late Medieval to Early Modern Religious Development, especially currents of Neoplatonism, Magic, Occult Science, Mystism, and Alchemy.
Bachlors of Arts (B.A) in Philosophy, Bachlors of Arts (B.A.) in Religious Studies, magna cum laude, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. May 2003. Areas of Study: Philosophy of Religion, Mysticism, Gnosicism.
Research Interests
- Areas of research within the history of religion, focusing on the intersection of "mainstream" Late Medieval and Reformation-Era religion and Neoplatonic philosophy and occult science.
- Alchemical art, symbolism, and philosophy in popular discourse (art, theater, literature, politics) in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Presentations
"Pico della Mirandola: The Intersection of Christian Humanism and Jewish Mysticism", presented at the Central Pennsylvania Consortium Judaic Studies Conference, 2003.
Honors
Honors Scholarship (full-tution), Boston University School of Theology. 2003-2005
Rev. Arthur W. Barley Prize, Franklin & Marshall College. May 2003. Awarded to individual graduating with best progress in Religious Studies department.
Phi Beta Kappa. Inducted May 2003.
Notable Papers
"Paracelsian Genesis: Paracelsus's Speculative Theory in the Exegesis of Weigel and Böhme "May 2005 (unpublished, pending further research) - A tracing of elements of Theophrastus von Hohenheim, better known as Paracelsus, in the writings of Lutheran mystic, Valentin Weigel and 17th century visionary, Jacob Böhme.
"The Rosicrucian Ideal and Confessionalism: The Rosicrucian Manifestos (1614-1616) as Appealing to Protestant Religious Identity" May 2005 (unpublished, pending further research) - A look at the Fama Fraternis, Confessio Fraternis, and The Chemycal Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz and their place (and appeal) to Lutheran and pan-Reformation religious self-identity.
"Piety, Transgression, and Antinomianism: The Self-Consciousness and Ambivolence of the Sorcerer in Medieval Solomonic and Necromantic Works" May 2005 (unpublished) - Looking at the Munich Handbook (Clm 849) alongside the Clavicula Salomonis, Lemegaton, the Sworn Book of Honorius, this paper identified the tension between transgression, peity, and antinomianism inherent in the works of medieval cleric-necromancers.
"The Weekday Bible: Almanacs and Religious Ideals in 17th Century England and America" May 2004 (unpublished) - An examination of 17th Century English and American printing and consumption of almanacs and astrological manuals, and the blurring of lines between popular prenostication or occult science and religious piety.
"Discovery within Ritual: A Myth-ritualist Treatment of Renaissance and Early Modern Alchemy" April 2004 (unpublished) - Utilizing myth-ritualist anthropolical interpretation, this study looks at several progressions of the great work and symbol sets in Ashmole's Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum, including Norton's Ordinall of Alchemy and Ripley's Compound of Alchymie, as well as Maier's Atalanta Fugiens.
"Pico della Mirandola: The Intersection of Christian Humanism and Jewish Mysticism", May 2003 (version presented at the 2003 Central Pennsylvania Consortium Judaic Studies Conference) - This paper explores Pico della Mirandola and his amalamation of Christian, Neoplatonic, and Jewish mystical philosophy and theology, arguing that Wirszubski's evaluation of the Conclusiones Cabalisticæ was perhaps a bit too unforgiving and that Pico had more of a command of primary source materials of Kabbalah than previously assumed.
