John Hobbins

John obtained a Licentiate in Theology in Old Testament from the Waldensian Theological Seminary in Rome in 1988 with a dissertation in Italian entitled “Imperialism as a Theological Problem in First Isaiah.” He served as the research assistant of Michael V. Fox in the preparation of the latter’s commentaries on Song of Songs and Qohelet. He recently retired from the pastorate after serving in the Chiesa Valdese in Friuli and Sicily and in the United Methodist Church, the ELCA, and the LCMC in Wisconsin. He taught Hebrew twice to South Sudanese Lutheran pastors and evangelists on the edge of a war zone in Gambela, Ethiopia. He has published articles on ancient Hebrew verse, 2 Baruch, Lamentations, and Qohelet, and on the emergence of belief in resurrection in Second Temple Judaism. He co-authored a translation and commentary on Genesis 1-11 with Samuel L. Bray (GlossaHouse, 2017). As a research fellow, John is pursuing several book projects and submitting articles to peer review. He hopes to make a contribution to the life of MDC in a variety of ways.