Rachel Corcho
Primary Area: Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity
- rcorcho@nd.edu
Biography
Rachel Corcho is a Ph.D. candidate in Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity, focusing on the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and ancient Judaism with a minor in New Testament and early Christian studies. Her dissertation examines the concept of 'kittu,' broadly understood to mean “truth,” and more recently, “divine law” and “nature,” in Mesopotamian literature, and its cognate root <kwn, in the Hebrew Bible. Through an in-depth philological study, she hopes to unpack the significance of this lexeme for Mesopotamian and Biblical thought and thus to contribute to our understanding of Mesopotamia and the Bible’s unique places in our philosophical and theological patrimony. Other projects and research interests include developing constructions of the Mosaic law in Second Temple Judaism and Paul, and the significance of early Christian theologies of history for conceptualizing the inspiration of texts. Coming from a background in systematic theology, Rachel is interested in a wide variety of both classic and more recently pressing theological questions and the responsible interpretation of Biblical texts for their elucidation.
Research Interests
Bible in its ANE context, Myth and History in Mesopotamia and the Bible, Theological Interpretation, Wisdom literature, Pentateuch as Mosaic Law, Second Temple and Hellenistic Judaism, early Christian views of biblical and non-biblical inspiration
Representative Publications
“What and Where is the ‘Plain of the Wall’ in Dan 3:1?” Journal of Biblical Literature (forthcoming, 2026) (with Matthew Klem and Daniel Machiela)
“The Law of Christ (Gal 6:2), the Whole Law (Gal 5:14), and Law and Ethics in Paul.” Journal of Theological Studies (forthcoming)
“Child (Self-)Sacrifice and Near Killings: A Reconsideration of the Parallels between Jephthah and Saul in 1 Samuel 14.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly Index (as conference proceedings to the Catholic Biblical Association: Innovation: Emerging Scholarship Conference; peer-reviewed) (forthcoming)
Dissertation
"Kittu: Truth, Divine Law, and Nature in Mesopotamia and the Bible"
Director: Abraham Winitzer
Education
- M.T.S., University of Notre Dame (Biblical Studies)
- M.A., Ave Maria University (Systematics, Bible Minor)
- B.A., Ave Maria University (Theology, Latin Minor)