Associate Professor of Biblical Studies
On faculty since 2005

706.419.1630
Scott.Jones@covenant.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Education

Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary, 2007

M.Div., Reformed Theological Seminary, 2001

B.A., University of Mississippi, 1999

Professional Interests

I am interested in Hebrew poetry, ancient Near Eastern thought, and the impact of biblical texts on ancient and modern cultures. For the last several years, my research has focused on the poetry of the book of Job and how Joban poems build up meaning. That research resulted in a book on Job 28 as poetry and an essay on how biblical writers thought about and described animals, specifically lions and serpents. I am now writing a commentary on the book of Habakkuk, which will be followed by one on the first book of the Psalter (Psalms 1-41). In addition to the poetry and exegesis of the Hebrew text of these books, I am keenly interested in the roles they have played in the church, the synagogue, and in popular culture through the centuries.

I am the Old Testament editor for the Illuminations commentary series, published by Wm. B. Eerdmans.

Personal Interests

I enjoy family vacations, playing with my kids, rock climbing, disc golf, hiking, and watching football (American).

Professional Membership

• Society of Biblical Literature
• Catholic Biblical Association
• National Association of Professors of Hebrew

Covenant Activities

I regularly teach the following courses at Covenant College:

• BIB 111: Old Testament Introduction
• BIB 201: Current Issues in Biblical Studies
• BIB 327: Psalms
• BIB 397: The Old Testament World
• HEB 191-192: Biblical Hebrew I-II

Selected Publications and Presentations

• "Lions, Serpents, and Lion-Serpents in Job 28:8 and Beyond," Journal of Biblical Literature, forthcoming.
• Rumors of Wisdom: Job 28 as Poetry. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 398. Edited by John Barton et al. Berlin and New York: de Gruyter, 2009.
• "Moabite Stone," in The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible. Volume 4:126-128. Ed. Katharine Doob Sakenfeld. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 2009.
• "Qohelet's Courtly Wisdom: Ecclesiastes 8:1-9," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 68 (2006): 211-28.
• "Wisdom's Pedagogy: A Comparison of Proverbs vii and 4Q184," Vetus Testamentum 53 (2003): 65-80.