Matt Thomas, PhD

Adjunct Professor, Department of Biblical and Religious Studies

Photo of Matt Thomas, PhD

Biography

Matt Thomas, PhD, has taught in the Department of Biblical Studies since 2007. He grew up in Ohio, and moved to California to pursue a doctorate in Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). While working on his PhD, he and his wife, Jenny, served as missionaries for four years in Prague, Czech Republic, where she taught English at a Czech public high school and he taught biblical studies at a seminary. Thomas has pastored (in various roles) in three churches in two denominations for a total of about 12 years and is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and has served for over 15 years in pastoral ministry. He is the author of These are the Generations: Identity, Covenant, and the ‘Toledot’ Formula (LHBOTS 551; T&T Clark International, 2011). He and his wife have four children: two boys and two girls, two adopted and two homegrown.

Education

  • PhD, Hebrew Bible, Claremont Graduate University
  • MA, Hebrew Bible, Claremont Graduate University
  • MDiv, United Theological Seminary
  • BA, Religious Studies, Sociology, Hiram College

Credentials/Certifications

  • Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning, California State University, East Bay

Academic Area

  • School of Theology
    • Department of Biblical and Religious Studies

Expertise

  • Hebrew Language Pedagogy
  • Nature and Purpose of Biblical Covenants
  • Pentateuch/Torah

Courses Taught

  • UBBL 100 – Introduction to Biblical Literature: Exodus/Deuteronomy
  • UBBL 310 - Rising of the King: I and II Samuel