Holden Marshall is a doctoral student in Mesopotamian Civilizations (Language, Culture, and History) in the Department of Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is advised by Dr. Stephen J. Tinney. His primary research centers on Old Babylonian literary texts composed in Sumerian, with particular attention to the theme of death. His research also includes Sumerian grammar, the representation of suicide in the ancient Near East, and the depiction of demons in Sumerian incantations and literary compositions.
In addition to his primary research, Holden maintains secondary scholarly interests in Christian history and theology, particularly Patristics—with a focus on figures such as St. Augustine and St. Jerome—as well as hamartiology (the study of sin).
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy (cum laude) from Illinois State University, followed by a Master of Theological Studies (summa cum laude) and a Master of Sacred Theology (summa cum laude) from Boston University School of Theology, where he focused on the Hebrew Bible and ancient Near Eastern languages.
Ancient Languages: Sumerian, Akkadian.
"Nah, I'd win."- Gojo Satoru.
Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) (summa cum laude), Boston University School of Theology, 2023-2024.
Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) (summa cum laude), Boston University School of Theology, 2021-2023.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), English (General Studies) and Philosophy (cum laude), Illinois State University, 2017-2021.
- Death
- Demons
- Suicide
- Funerary rituals
- Literary texts
- Mortuary texts
MELC 0300: Introduction to the Bible: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Dr. Tim Hogue (Teaching Fellow, Spring 2025)
- Lectures taught:
- "A Survey of Mesopotamian Texts and their Parallels to the Hebrew Bible: The Primeval History (Genesis 1-11)".