John Szott: A Veteran’s Path to Becoming a Pastor-Theologian
Oct 2, 2024
Dean of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Professor of New Testament
Prior to joining the faculty at Trinity, Dr. Pao taught at Harvard University as a Teaching Fellow in the area of the Greco-Roman World and Early Christianity. He has also served as a visiting professor at several institutions in Hong Kong, China, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Dr. Pao is also involved in several Bible translation projects, and he is currently serving as the New Testament editor of the Tien Dao Bible Commentary series and consulting editor of the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary series.
His publications include Acts and the Isaianic New Exodus (Mohr Siebeck/Baker, 2002), Thanksgiving: An Investigation of a Pauline Theme (InterVarsity, 2002), Early Christian Voices: In Texts, Traditions, and Symbols (coeditor, Brill, 2003), After Imperialism: Christian Identity in China and the Global Evangelical Movement (coeditor, Pickwick, 2011), Commentary on Colossians and Philemon (Zondervan, 2012), Ascent into Heaven in Luke-Acts: New Explorations of Luke’s Narrative Hinge (coeditor, Fortress, 2016), and 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus (Brill, 2023). He is currently working on a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew for the Tyndale New Testament Commentary series. He has also published several works in Chinese, including a two-volume commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Tien Dao, 2008, 2009) and ten volumes in the Guides to Biblical Studies series (Tien Dao, 2015–).
He has contributed to a number of essay collections and reference works, including Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of Scripture (Baker, 2005), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (vol. 10; Zondervan, 2007), New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Abingdon, 2008), Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament(Baker, 2007), The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary (Baker, 2012), The NIV Zondervan Study Bible (Zondervan, 2015), Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (de Gruyter, 2016), and Christian Higher Education: Teaching and Learning in the Evangelical Tradition (Crossway, 2018).
BA, Wheaton College
MA, Wheaton College Graduate School
MTS, MA, PhD, Harvard University
Harvard University Teaching Fellowship
Harvard University Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship
Evangelical Theological Society
Institute of Biblical Research
Society of Biblical Literature
42 CREDITS | 2 YEARS
The MA/BL provides specialized study in the biblical languages (Hebrew and Greek, with an option to study Aramaic) for general educational purposes. The MA/BL is academic rather than professional in focus, preparing participants in knowledge and practice for teaching or researching in Christian secondary schools, or higher education where a doctorate may not be needed; or as an intermediate step toward further study in a related area
36 CREDITS | 1.5 YEARS
With a commitment to biblical literacy and practical application, the Master’s in New Testament is a specialized degree focusing on the text of the early church. This program is excellent preparation for further academic work at the graduate or doctoral level. It also can prepare you for ministry careers in teaching at some Christian secondary schools or Christian colleges.
22 CREDITS | 1 YEAR
TEDS’ ThM offers discipline concentrations in each of our eight departments: Church History, Counseling, Educational Studies, Mission and Evangelism, New Testament, Old Testament, Pastoral Theology, and Systematic Theology, or specialized inter-departmental concentrations developed in consultation with the departmental faculty. The program can be completed in one year of study.
60 CREDITS | 5 YEARS
The PhD (Theological Studies) at TEDS offers an exciting, academically robust program that prepares graduates for a wide range of career opportunities. Alumni from the PhD (Theological Studies) have gone on to a diverse set of vocations that include academic teaching and writing and various forms of church, parachurch, and denominational leadership.