John Haitham Issak
Dr. John Haitham Issak graduated with his Ph.D. from McMaster Divinity College. His ongoing research projects are focused on Syriac and the Syriac church fathers, Ephrem, Aphrahaat and Jacob of Serugh. Most recently, he has translated several letters of Timothy I of Baghdad from Syriac into English. Dr. Issak has taught Patristics, the Syriac language, and Greek in the Syriac Orthodox Church seminaries in Nineveh (Mosul), Iraq, and Damascus. He has also served as a director in the Syriac Orthodox seminary in Mosul. He has presented papers at numerous conferences related to Syriac studies, especially on Ephrem. He regularly participates in the Pappas Patristic Institute Program at the Holy Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Dr. Issak has published several articles, and his first book on Athanasius’ pneumatology is titled The Spirit of Truth: Johannine Pneumatology in the Letters of Athanasius to Serapion
Accreditations
PhD
McMaster Divinity College
Hamilton, ON
MTS
University of Toronto, St. Michael College
Toronto, ON
BA
University of Athens
Athens, Greece
Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Patristics, Director of Centre for Patristics and Early Christianity
Room 203
Download Curriculum VitaeCurrent Course List
Th 3P1230/Th 5P1190
The Holy Spirit in the Early Church
John Haitham Issak
Fall
2026
CW
PS
In-Person/Livestream (Synchronous)
TH 3P1240/TH 5P1200
Early Christian Spirituality
John Haitham Issak
Winter
2027
CW
PS
In-Person/Livestream (Synchronous)
TH 6R1100
Athanasius of Alexandria
John Haitham Issak
Winter
2027
In-Person Class



