Christopher Seitz

Christopher R. Seitz (born 1954) is an American Old Testament scholar and theologian known for his work in biblical interpretation and theological hermeneutics.^[1] He is the senior research professor of biblical interpretation at Toronto School of Theology, Wycliffe College.^[1] He is also an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church, and serves as canon theologian in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas.^[2]

Education and career

Seitz received an AB from the University of North Carolina, in 1976, an MTS from Virginia Theological Seminary, in 1979. He studied at the University of Munich, 1979–80, and received several degrees from Yale University: STM 1981; MA 1982; MPhil 1983; PhD 1986.

He began his teaching career as assistant professor of Old Testament at The Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (1984–87), before becoming associate professor of Old Testament at Yale.^[1] He was professor of Old Testament at Yale from 1987-97^[1] and then took a chair at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) in 1998 where he was professor of Old Testament and theological studies at St Mary’s College until 2007.^[3] He is presently senior research professor of Biblical interpretation at Wycliffe College in the University of Toronto.^[2] He is a co-founder of the Wycliffe Center for Scripture and Theology.^[3]

Academic and ecclesial work

Seitz is the author and editor of more than sixteen books; he is best known for his volume on Isaiah 1—39 in Interpretation Commentary Series, held in 727 libraries according to WorldCat,^[4] and translated into Korean, Japanese and Italian. Other major works include Word Without End, Figured Out, Isaiah 40—66 (New Interpreter’s Bible), Prophecy and Hermeneutics, The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets, and The Character of Christian Scripture.^[5] Recently, he has written his first New Testament commentary on Colossians for the Brazos Theological Commentary series (2014). A commentary on Joel is also expected shortly. Additionally, he has contributed more than sixty articles to journals and publications, including Vetus Testamentum, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Interpretation, Theology Today, Biblische Zeitschrift, Anglican Theological Review, Zeitschrift fur die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, The Christian Century, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, First Things, and Pro Ecclesia. He is the Editor of Studies in Theological Interpretation, and has served on the editorial boards of Interpretation, Hermeneia, Journal for Theological Interpretation, Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, and Pro Ecclesia.^[1]

He is a two-time Alexander von Humboldt research scholar (1991-2 at the University of Munich and 2013 at the University of Göttingen), a Henry Luce III Foundation grant recipient, and a Fellow of the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, New Jersey.

Seitz is an ordained Episcopal priest and has served parishes in Texas, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Germany, France and Scotland.^[1] He currently serves as the president of The Anglican Communion Institute^[6] and is canon theologian in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. He is also founder and executive director of The Cranmer Institute, which seeks to rejuvenate Anglicanism.^[2]

Contribution

Seitz has been influenced by his teacher Brevard Childs, a key figure advocating for the significance of canon in biblical interpretation, and for the appropriate use of the Old Testament in Christian theology.^[7][8][9]

Major works

• Theology in Conflict: Reactions to the Exile in the Book of Jeremiah, Walter de Gruyter, 1989 
• Zion’s Final Destiny: The Development of the Book of Isaiah, Fortress Press, 1991 
• Isaiah 1—39: Interpretation Commentary Series, Westminster John Knox Press, 1993 
• Word Without End: The Old Testament as Abiding Theological Witness, Eerdmans Publishers, 1998 
• Figured Out: Typology and Providence in Christian Scripture, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001 
• Isaiah 40—66: The New Interpreter’s Bible, Abingdon Press, 2001 
• Prophecy and Hermeneutics: Toward a New Introduction to the Prophets, Studies in Theological Interpretation, Baker Academic, 2007 
• The Goodly Fellowship of the Prophets: The Achievement of Association in Canon Formation, Studies in Theological Interpretation, Baker Academic, 2009 
• The Character of Christian Scripture: The Significance of a Two Testament Bible, Studies in Theological Interpretation, Baker Academic, 2011 
• Colossians: Brazos Theological Commentary Series, Brazos Press, 2014 

Books edited

• Theological Exegesis: Essays in Honor of Brevard S. Childs, Eerdmans Publishers, 1998 
• Nicene Christianity: The Future for a New Ecumenism, Brazos Press, 2002 
• I Am The LORD Your God: Christian Reflections on the Ten Commandments, Eerdmans Publishers, 2005 
• Canon and Biblical Interpretation, Paternoster/Zondervan, 2006 
• The Bible as Christian Scripture: The Work of Brevard S. Childs, SBL, 2013 

References