Photo of Loren L. Johns, PhD

Loren L. Johns, PhD

Retired Professor of New Testament

About Loren

Loren Johns, PhD, is passionate about studying and teaching the Bible. His primary areas of research include the role of the Bible in the church, New Testament Greek, the letters of Paul, the Johannine literature, the development of the biblical canon, and eschatology. Prior to coming to AMBS in 2000, he was a pastor, theology book editor and college Bible professor.

Why I am at AMBS

I am happy about being part of a community that seeks to understand and participate in what God is doing in the world through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Doing so requires the full array of intellectual, spiritual, and relational gifts that God has given us. The seminary is a good place to pursue faithful living, faithful ministry, and faithful inquiry.

What can students expect in your classroom?

I emphasize open conversation about critical issues related to the Bible. I also tend to use PowerPoint as a way of organizing my comments in class.

Publications
  • Dead Sea Scrolls: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Texts with English Translations. Volume 7: The Temple Scroll and Related Documents (Mohr Siebeck, 2011), assistant editor
  • “Do Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:53–8:11 Belong in Our Bibles? A Case Study in Scholarship Serving the Church,” lecture, AMBS, November 2010
  • “Faith and Historical Pursuits in Teaching,” issue on “Teaching the Bible.” Conrad Grebel Review (Spring 2010)
  • “Was ‘Canon’ Ever God’s Will?: Applying Set Theory to Canonization in the Early Church” in Jewish and Christian Scriptures: The Function of “Canonical” and “Non-Canonical” Religious Text (T & T Clark, 2010)
  • “Unity and Diversity in the Canon: Implications for the Church” in Vision: A Journal for Church and Theology (Spring 2010)
  • 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, by Paul M. Zehr (Herald, 2010), New Testament editor
  • “Atonement and Sacrifice in the Book of Revelation,” in The Work of Jesus Christ in Anabaptist Perspective (Cascadia, 2008)
  • “Identity and Resistance: The Varieties of Competing Models in Early Judaism,” in Qumran Studies: New Approaches, New Questions (Eerdmans, 2007)
  • Even the Demons Submit: Continuing Jesus’ Ministry of Deliverance (Herald, 2006), co-editor
  • The Lamb Christology of the Apocalypse of John: An Investigation into Its Origins and Rhetorical Force (Mohr Siebeck, 2003)
Degrees
  • Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary, 1998
  • M.Div., Goshen Biblical Seminary, 1984
  • B.A., Goshen College, 1977
Curriculum vitae
Memberships and associations