J. Michael Thigpen PhD
Professor of Old Testament
Dr. J. Michael Thigpen earned a BA in Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MDiv from Columbia Biblical Seminary, and an MPhil and PhD in Judaic, Hebraic, and Cognate Studies from Hebrew Union College. Michael’s special areas of interest include Old Testament Theology, Babylonian and Persian period biblical books and history (Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezra–Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi), Book of the Twelve (Minor Prophets), prophetic literature (biblical and ANE), Genesis, Kings, God’s motives, repentance and forgiveness, the OT and classical theism, and the theology of work and economics. His passion is to help the church connect more deeply to the Old Testament by understanding its literary nature and historical background. He is currently Professor of Old Testament at Phoenix Seminary, having previously served as Provost and Executive Vice President at the seminary. In addition to his work at Phoenix, he serves as lecturer in Old Testament at Munster Bible College in Cork, Ireland. Prior to joining Phoenix Seminary, Thigpen served as the Executive Director of the Evangelical Theological Society for more than a decade. He has extensive pastoral experience, having served churches in South Carolina, Ohio, and Kentucky. Michael is the author of Divine Motive in the Old Testament: A Comprehensive Survey and Analysis in addition to a number of book chapters and journal articles. He and his wife Bonnie have two grown daughters, Abigail and Hannah.
Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, BA
Columbia Biblical Seminary, M.Div.
Hebrew Union College, M.Phil. and Ph.D
Books
Divine Motive in the Hebrew Bible. Gorgias Pr Llc, 2015 (hardback);
Publications
“Attending to Prophetic Rhetoric: Genre and Inerrancy in the Prophets.” Presbyterion, forthcoming.
“‘Subdue the Earth’: Human Flourishing in the Presence of Sin.” In Human Flourishing: Economic Wisdom for a Fruitful Christian Vision of the Good Life. Edited by Anthony R. Cross and Greg Forster. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, forthcoming.
“‘In Our Image’: Our Creational Identity and Economic Conflict.” In The Bible and Money. Edited by Hallvard Hagelia. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, forthcoming.
“Worship in the Book of Joshua: Trust and Obedience as Worship to Yahweh.” In A Biblical Theology of Worship: Exegesis for Everyday Worshippers. Edited by Benjamin K. Forrest, Walter C. Kaiser, and John R. Markley. Grand Rapids: Kregel, forthcoming.
“The Storm of YHWH: Jeremiah’s Theology of God’s Heart and Motives.” Bibliotheca Sacra 176 (2019): 418–28. “Our Representational Reign: Royal Leadership in the United Monarchy.” Pages 125-140 in Biblical Leadership:
Theology for the Everyday Leader. Edited by Benjamin K. Forrest and Chet Roden. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2017.
Divine Motive in the Hebrew Bible: A Comprehensive Survey and Analysis. Gorgias Biblical Studies, 64. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias, 2015.
iVocab Syriac: Advanced Vocabulary by Frequency. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2011. With Dr. George A. Kiraz.
iVocab Biblical Greek: Advanced Vocabulary by Frequency. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009. With Dr. David Hoffeditz.
iVocab Biblical Hebrew: Advanced Vocabulary by Frequency. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2009.
iVocab Biblical Greek 2.0: Vocabulary for Six Beginning Grammars. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2008. With Dr. David Hoffeditz.
iVocab Biblical Hebrew 2.0: Vocabulary for Eight Beginning Grammars. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2008. With Dr. David Hoffeditz.
iVocab Biblical Greek: See and Hear Flashcards on Your MP3 Player, Cell Phone, and Computer. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2007. With Dr. David Hoffeditz.
iVocab Biblical Hebrew: See and Hear Flashcards on Your MP3 Player, Cell Phone, and Computer. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2007. With Dr. David Hoffeditz.
“Lord of All the Earth: Yahweh and Baal in Joshua 3.” Trinity Journal ns 27.2 (2006): 245-254.
Book Reviews
The Marks of Scripture: Rethinking the Nature of the Bible, by Daniel Castelo and Robert W. Walls. Review of Biblical Literature, forthcoming.
Obadiah: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible, by Daniel I. Block. Review of Biblical Literature, forthcoming.
Interpreting Quoted Speech in Prophetic Literature: A Study of Jeremiah 2.1-3.5, by Samuel Hildebrandt. Review of Biblical Literature [http://www.bookreviews.org] (2019).
The Love of God: Divine Gift, Human Gratitude, and Mutual Faithfulness in Judaism, by Jon D. Levenson. Review of Biblical Literature [http://www.bookreviews.org] (2018).
For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship, by Daniel I. Block. Review of Biblical Literature, [http:// www.bookreviews.org] (2018).
The Temple and the Tabernacle: A Study of God’s Dwelling Places from Genesis to Revelation, by J. Daniel Hays. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 60.1 (2017): 174-176.
The Holy One of Israel: Studies in the Book of Isaiah, by John N. Oswalt. Review of Biblical Literature 18 (2016): 146-149.
Concerning the Nations: Essays on the Oracles against the Nations in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, by Andrew Mein, Else K. Holt, and Hyun Chul Paul Kim, Review of Biblical Literature [http://www.bookreviews.org] (2016).
An Introduction to the Study of Ezekiel, by Michael A. Lyons Review of Biblical Literature [http://www.bookreviews.org] (2016).
The God Ezekiel Creates, by Paul M. Joyce and Dalit Rom-Shiloni, editors. Review of Biblical Literature [http:// www.bookreviews.org] (2016).
Newness in Old Testament Prophecy: An Intertextual Study, by Henk Leene. Review of Biblical Literature 18 (2016): 135-138.
Lamentations, by Dianne Bergant. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 47 (2004): 503.
