Dr. Tony Mariot, Answering Biblical Questions

Dr. Tony Mariot is an Executive Consultant. He provides research for Oxford University in England. His research is provided to the department of Biblical Antiquities. He practices principally in the area of the apocalypse, otherwise known as end of the world schemata. His writings are part of Oxfords graduate archives and used by graduate students as source material for their dissertations.

Dr. Mariot has worked with National Geographic and Nova as a technical expert for field productions such as The Search for King David and the television series Ancient Secrets of the Bible. He is featured on several blogs related to his expertise in biblical antiquities. He can be found on Blogspot, Medium, Quora, Sivana East, LinkedIn and other WordPress blogs. Dr. Mariot earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business from National University in California. He obtained his Master’s degree in Theology from St. Peters at Oxford University and his Doctor of Philosophy in Theology from Oxford University at Christ Church. Dr. Tony Mariot is an author. He has written Behind the Faith Revelation, released in 2015, Be-hind the Faith Advanced Citizenship, released in 2017 and his newest release, according to the Word released in 2019. His latest release was inspired by the many people who trusted him to find the answers to some of the most compelling biblical questions.

Tell us a bit about what you do.

My primary job is to write for the graduate archives and answer any biblical questions that are posed by Oxford University. I also write for National Geographic when they produce things like Ancient Secrets of the Bible or the search for King David. I am a technical expert for them to ex-plain the biblical account in context, so when they write scripts the back story has more sub-stance. I also write for various blogs in biblical antiquity such as Blogspot, Quora, Medium and other blogs. There are times when I argue the merits of the research with the Board of Regents in order to raise funds for an archeological dig. The maIn goal of this work is not to simply write material, but to make the argument that helps prove biblical accounts thru archeological support. When we get an assignment I help to set-up expeditions to go out and dig these sites.

What gave you the idea as a research writer? How did it start?

I was offered a job as an Executive Consultant for the Research Department on Biblical Antiqui-ties for the University. I saw it as an opportunity to learn and contribute in the field.

What’s your favorite thing about your chosen profession?

My favorite thing about what I do is that you always get to learn so much. Man only knows about four percent of the universe. In many ways we only know roughly that much about the planet we live on. When you think about biblical antiquities, the more you think you know, the less you really know. As a collective, our knowledge might fill half of a thimble. So, what I like most about my work is that there is always more to know. There is always a different twist. It is always expansive. The further you go the further you can go. You come out of a pond and you go into a lake. You come out of a lake you go into an ocean. You come out of the ocean and find out there are seven more. The further you go the more it keeps you humble and gives you perspective.

What keys to being productive can you share with us?

I make a to-do list and I check things off as I go every day. It helps to stay organized. Tell us one long-term goal in your career My main goal, as well as my long-term goal, is to try to change the religious argument to a true conversation with context through fact finding.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned through the course of your career?

My most valuable lesson that I learned is NOT to take it personally. When you write, you have to take your personal feelings out of it. When people comment about what you wrote, don’t take personally what they say. When you write a piece you can’t say everything. People are giving you three to four minutes of their time while they’re reading an article. If you take 15 minutes to say everything, nobody is going to read that much. Consequently, when you write these small snip-pets you can’t include the voluminous information that you would like. You have to accept the criticism as well as the praise. Here is one way to think about all that. Twenty-five percent of the people are going to love you no matter what you do. Twenty-five percent of the people who love you can be convinced to not like you. Twenty-five percent of the people that don’t like you can be convinced to like you and twenty-five percent of the people will never like you no matter what you do. So, half the people will like you the other half with not, so don’t worry about being liked and stay true to the work.

What advice would you give to others aspiring to succeed in your field?

If you want to be a researcher, you really have to decide that you REALLY want to do this work. No one will ever put your name it lights. The reward is in the work. It is not the most lucrative work in the world. You have to decide that this is really what you want to do. The challenging thing about being a researcher is that people take short cuts because they have deadlines or they get frustrated. Sometimes it takes a long time to get an answer and if you rush it just to get an answer out there, right or wrong, it cheats the discipline of the research. You have to be the kind of per-son that can be patient enough to follow through whatever the process is to get where you want to go. If you can’t identify with what you’re doing then you shouldn’t do it. The Vatican does not release any written material about a person in their library until that person has been dead for at least a hundred years. That way the writer can’t defend themselves and the work must withstand the scrutiny of criticism and time. So in most cases you’re doing the work for generations after you die. There is no short term benefit to this work. It is almost like an artist. The work is worth more when you are dead than when you are alive. So you have to really decide that you are getting into this for the love of the craft and the education. Rather than any benefit now. The pleasure is in the journey not the destination.

What are your favorite things to do outside of work?

I like to work on saltwater aquariums and I enjoy playing video games.

Name a few influential books you’ve read and/or websites you keep up with that you’d rec-ommend to readers.

I would recommend reading The Complete Works of Josephus and then read about Anne’s Scroll, the first complete book of the dead and the issues surrounding these books.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to try to be sure to know what you believe. There is nothing wrong with asking yourself why you believe what you believe. If you can answer that question in every-thing that you do, then your life will make a lot more sense and have a lot more meaning. Also, make sure you keep your word in all things big and small, always.

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