Jan is currently the Director of the Tarragindi Archaeological Dig, Berrien Springs, Michigan, and is an adjunct professor at Andrews University, USA. In Summer 2025, he will lead the Berrien County History Center Archaeological Dig in Berrien Springs, Michigan. He exceeds the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Qualifications Standards for Archaeology as stipulated in the Code of Federal Regulations, 36 CFR Part 61.
He formerly taught at the Theologische Hochschule Friedensau, Germany where he was also the PhD Programs Coordinator and Associate Director of their Institute for Biblical Studies and Archaeology. He has formerly dug with the Balu’a Regional Archaeological Project, a major Iron Age Moabite site in Jordan.
Jan is a former research consultant for the Center for Collaborative Study of Trauma, Health Equity, and Neurobiology, and was a licensed foster parent in the State of Michigan. He believes that the study of archaeology and local history can be a useful tool in promoting good mental health and well-being in children and teens, especially those who have experienced trauma and adverse childhood experiences.
Jan is best known for his two major works, published by Bloomsbury T&T Clark in their Jewish Christian Text Series, where he identified all of the resurrection and afterlife beliefs (18) in the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha. In these landmark studies, he discussed and diagramed the complete beliefs, and provided evidence for how the question of theodicy played a major role in the formation of these beliefs. He also identified that these beliefs had used support texts from books that later became the TaNaKh (Hebrew Bible/Protestant Old Testament) and had developed in isolation rather than being systematically built on one another.
He has participated in 15 research projects including the Beyond Beliefs Research Project, a major study investigating Millennial young adults' responses to over 100 sociocultural, demographic and religious topics.
Jan undertook a research fellowship for two years at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and undertook his PhD at Andrews University, USA - an accredited university specializing in Archaeology and is Michigan's leading Christian university.
He has taught graduate and undergraduate classes in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Second Temple Period, Biblical Studies, and Archaeology. He has supervised masters and PhD theses/dissertations and developed new programs and cross-institutional programs.
He is also known as the author of ExegesisPaper.com, a website that teaches students how to undertake exegesis, the primary research methodology of scholarly biblical research. Nearly half a million students from 190 countries have used this free online resource since its creation in 2012.
Princeton Theological Seminary
Sigvartsen wisely sees the influence of Zoroastrianism in the development of Jewish creative thinking on resurrection and that is to be distinguished from the Hellenistic belief in the immortality of the soul. {His] book brings forward the major texts in translation with judicious use of Hebrew and Greek.
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sigvartsen's timely volume addresses this pressing need in a thorough exploration of the Pseudepigrapha, which preserve some of the most significant writings for understanding early expressions of resurrection. His study leads the reader on an enlightening journey into the rich interpretive culture that stood behind early references to resurrection.
Houston Baptist University
Through the focus on the role of the TaNaKh in shaping later views, Sigvartsen's study highlights a neglected feature in the study of ancient Jewish views of the afterlife and resurrection particularly. Scholars will find his discussions of individual texts worth consideration.
Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz
DeepL Translation: Finally, Sigvartsen presents two tables with the references of early Jewish literature to passages in the TaNaKh (once arranged according to the passages in the Hebrew Bible, once according to the 18 different "life-after-death" ideas in the literature discussed). These tables are a treasure trove for the reception history of biblical texts in earliest times.
Director, Institute of Jewish-Christian Studies, Emeritus Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament Exegesis - Andrews University
Dr Sigvartsen has an enquiring mind and is able to easily build professional rapport with people which makes him an excellent candidate for interdisciplinary collaboration. He is a thorough researcher and is able to produce very high quality written work as attested by his numerous publications.
Jan is in touch with the thinking of young adults and has developed an interactive approach to teaching. Assessment surveys have shown his approach to be considerably more effective. He is straightforward and honest, with a sterling character, a person in whom is no guile. It has been delightful to work with him.
We very much appreciate his teaching ability, personal interest in students' growth, and readiness to support individuals whose academic interest went beyond the standard curriculum.
Jan possesses a strong knowledge of online class development and delivery, and has been proactive in pursuing additional external training and professional development to achieve these goals in areas such as converting existing classes to an online format, effective methods for feedback and interaction, creating audio and video clips for distance learning, and copyright.
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