Wray, T.J.

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Wray, T.J.

(Tina J. Wray)

PERSONAL: Children: three. Education: University of Maryland, B.S.; Providence College, M.A.; Andover-Newton Theological School, D.Min.

ADDRESSES: Home—RI. Office—Salve Regina University, Department of Religious Studies, 100 Ochre Point Ave., Newport, RI 02840-4192. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Salve Regina University, Newport, RI, assistant professor of religious studies. Creator of Web sites www.adultsiblinggrief.com and www.griefdreams.com.

WRITINGS:

Surviving the Death of a Sibling: Living through Grief When an Adult Brother or Sister Dies, foreword by Earl Thompson, Three Rivers Press (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Ann Back Price) Grief Dreams: How They Help Heal Us after the Death of a Loved One, Jossey-Bass (San Francisco, CA), 2005.

(With Gregory Mobley) The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots, Palgrave Macmillan (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: As a professor of religious studies, T.J. Wray has a professional interest in biblical studies and the history and religion of pre-exilic Israel, and has published a book on how the figure of the devil has developed in literature. Wray has also published two books on grieving, a subject that became important to her after the death of her only brother. She wrote Surviving the Death of a Sibling: Living through Grief When an Adult Brother or Sister Dies after discovering that there was virtually no literature addressing sibling grief. Her book shows the difficulty brothers and sisters often find in coping with the loss of a sibling, and explains how their pain is often overshadowed by that of parents, spouses, and children.

In Grief Dreams: How They Help Heal Us after the Death of a Loved One, a book written with Jungian analyst Ann Back Price, Wray examines the types of dreams that often come after the death of a loved one. The authors divide these dreams into four categories: visitation dreams, reassurance dreams, message dreams, and trauma dreams. The book also gives the reader ideas on how to understand these dreams and the experience of grieving. In a review for Library Journal, Mary Ann Hughes commented that the book "does a good job of presenting the material in a straightforward fashion without succumbing to a simplistic one-two-three view."

The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots is based on Wray's professional interests and is geared toward a general audience rather than an academic one. Writing with Gregory Mobley, Wray investigates the roots of the belief in Satan. The authors show that early Hebrews believed God comprised both good and evil. The Old Testament is shown to have surprisingly few references to the devil, and contemporary ideas are linked to literature including Dante's Divine Comedy and John Milton's Paradise Lost. The book was recommended by Booklist reviewer June Sawyers as a "thoughtful, informative examination" of the subject. A Publishers Weekly critic added: "Written at a popular level, this book offers an interesting and challenging alternative to traditional beliefs."