Daniel J. Kimmel

Background

About Daniel J. Kimmel

Daniel J. Kimmel is a PhD in Religious Studies at Syracuse University. Specializations: • Late Ancient Christianity • Religion in the Roman Empire • Magic in Antiquity • Neoplatonism & Theurgy • Reception history of Antiquity • Method & Theory in the Study of Religion Dissertation Title: Genealogies of Religion & Humanity in the /Divine Institutes/ of Lactantius—awarded distinction (Dec 2024). My research and teaching encompasses the study of religion, philosophy, and magic in the ancient Mediterranean, with a particular focus on the history of Christianity in the Roman Empire. My doctoral research focused on the early-fourth century /Divine Institutes/ of Lactantius and its role, among other things, in transforming classical republican philosophy and Roman jurisprudence in advocating for human rights and religious liberty under the novel “law of humanity and kinship”. Presently, I am interested in tracking the reception history of Lactantius and tracing how these ancient debates about justice, liberty, and the human shaped both European political thought and the American constitutional tradition. I have taught courses as an instructor of record at Syracuse University, Lehigh University, and Le Moyne College, including: • Greco-Roman Religion; • Ancient Magic; • Christianity in Dialogue with World Religions; and • Rhetoric & Composition. For my record as an effective university instructor, I received the Graduate School of Syracuse University’s /Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award/ in 2024 at the nomination of department faculty. I combine my research and teaching with an enduring commitment to practicing responsible leadership and fostering intellectual community through institutional governance. I have served in numerous positions at Syracuse University, including: • President of the Graduate Student Body & Chief Executive Officer of the Graduate Student Organization (2023-2025); • Vice President & Chair of the Senate of the Graduate Student Organization (2021-2023);(and) • Co-President of the Religion Graduate Organization (2019-2022). Among other things, I am honored to have been a drafting member of the 2024 /Syracuse Statement on Free Expression & Free Inquiry/. I am an active member of the North American Patristics Society (NAPS) and the American Academy of Religion (AAR), and I presently serve as a member of the AAR Platonism & Neoplatonism Unit Steering Committee. Dissertation Advisor: Virginia Burrus. Dissertation Committee: Elizabeth DePalma Digeser; Jennifer Glancy; Patricia Cox Miller; & William Robert.