Walters hopes to help his students become better citizens

By Isabela Placencia

Dr. James Walters, a trained historian specializing in Middle-Eastern Christianity, returned to Rochester Christian University in September 2024 to become dean of the School of Humanities and an associate professor of history.

Before taking on this role, Walters worked for the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, where he was the lead cataloger of Eastern Christian Collections. He was responsible for cataloging manuscripts (in digitized form) written in a variety of ancient languages, but especially Syriac manuscripts.

Walters first worked at RCU from 2015-2020 when he taught courses for the Department of Theology and Ministry.

School of Humanities

The School of Humanities includes the departments of English, interdisciplinary studies, communication and media, and theatre and music.

Walters said his primary goal for the School of Humanities is to “help everyone see the value of humanities-based education, not only for specific skills that humanities courses can develop (critical thinking, analysis, communication, etc.), but even more so as the foundation for a just, democratic society in which all people are allowed to flourish."

“I feel particularly called to the Christian liberal arts context, and I want to help all students—regardless of their major—become better citizens and more involved community leaders,” he said.

His teaching includes courses in history, geography and interdisciplinary studies.

Syriac Expert

Walters is a historian specializing in Christianity in the late ancient Eastern Mediterranean world, especially the history and literature of Syriac-speaking communities.

He earned his doctorate in the history of Christianity from Princeton Theological Seminary, his Master in Divinity and Master of Arts in New Testament from Abilene Christian University, and his bachelor’s degree in political science from Harding University.

The Syriac language is a Middle Eastern dialect of the Aramaic language. Syriac was “broadly spoken in the 3rd or 4th century and was the dominant language of Christians in the region prior to the rise of Islam when Arabic became the main language,” Walters said.

“The Christian tradition of speaking Syriac took root in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran; it continued as a liturgical language despite the change in dominant languages,” he said.

“Similar to Latin in the Catholic Church, people spoke Syriac in church services even if they did not speak it at home,” Walters said. For a frame of reference, he said the Chaldeans who go to the St. George Chaldean Catholic Church in Shelby Township are descendants of the groups who spoke Syriac.

Walters said he believes “language is crucial for culture and it's one reason why Syriac has survived this long. People felt this draw to continue to use this language because it connected them with something bigger even if they didn’t understand it.”

His studies have led him to many Middle Eastern countries, such as Egypt and Israel to see places mentioned in the Bible, as well as Greece and Italy in his undergrad program.

In Egypt, Walters bought a piece of genuine papyrus that now hangs on his office wall alongside a painting of a monastery map, an artistic depiction of Saint Catherine’s Monastery and his Princeton Theological Seminary diploma.

Antiquities

As a historian, Walters has strong views about the importance of keeping artifacts in their ancestral homes.

As an example, he pinpoints the “The Parthenon Marbles” of Greece that were stolen by Englishman Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, in the 18th century.

“They are now a major attraction in England’s British Museum but they belong in Greece,” he said. “Athens has an Archaeological Museum with a placeholder for the Parthenon Marbles.”

During a trip to Egypt when he was in college, Walters said his tour guide “loved to say that ‘there are more obelisks outside of Egypt than there are inside of Egypt.’ ”

When Walters worked in his previous role cataloging manuscripts, he said those organizations never stole them. Instead, camera crews were sent to film them for preservational purposes, which benefits the communities. “What’s important to me is that we weren’t stealing anything,” Walters said. “I’m very much against museum colonialist practices where artifacts are taken somewhere else and the same is true for manuscripts that have been stolen for centuries.”

Altogether Walters said the humanities is supposed to “help us make sense of our lives and help us see our shared sense of obligations to one another in community.”

Personal

Walters is married to Dr. Naomi Walters, dean of the School of Theology and Ministry, and the couple have two children, Simon and Ezra. They have two cats — Shadow and Stormcloud — named for their dark grey fur, and a snake named Professor Snake.

When he’s not teaching or researching, Walters said he enjoys biking on the many trails that Michigan has to offer and spending time with his family.