Longtime RTS Old Testament scholar to join residential faculty in Dallas
DALLAS — Reformed Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. John D. Currid as Professor of Old Testament at RTS Dallas, effective June 1, 2023.
Dr. Currid has served on the RTS faculty for 30 years, having held positions as Chair of the Biblical Studies Division in Jackson, Professor of Old Testament in Charlotte, and most recently as Chancellor’s Professor of Old Testament. Prior to coming to RTS, he served as Associate Professor of Religion at Grove City College.
“We are incredibly grateful to have John Currid as a professor in Dallas,” said Dr. Mark McDowell, Executive Director and Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology. “Not only will our students be trained by a man who has excelled as an expert in the field of Old Testament studies and archaeology, but they will be blessed by one whose academic excellence is combined with the distinction of being a superb teacher, preacher, churchman, and faithful follower of Christ. Adding John to our faculty indicates the depth of our continued growth and the scope of our mission in Dallas.”
Chancellor Ligon Duncan congratulated Dr. Currid on the new role: “I have had the privilege of serving at RTS with my friend John Currid since 1993—just 30 short years! John has taught for Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Charlotte, and as a Chancellor’s Professor. He is a world-class scholar, archaeologist, teacher, and preacher. I have watched him faithfully serve the church and academy with integrity and excellence over the whole course of his ministry.
“When Greg Beale joined our faculty at RTS Dallas, one of the things I hoped that might lead to was his teaming up with his old friend and colleague John Currid. Needless to say, I am thrilled and thankful that this dynamic duo will be working closely together again as John enters this new phase of service at RTS Dallas. May his life and ministry continue to bless yet another generation of students.”
Dr. Currid earned a B.A. from Barrington College, an MA from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He also completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a trained archaeologist, having served on the staffs of the excavations of Carthage, Bethsaida, Tell el-Hesi, and the Lahav Grain Storage Project.
“Having first respected John Currid as an Old Testament scholar from afar, and then having that respect grow after being his colleague in Charlotte and seeing his effectiveness in students’ lives both inside and outside the classroom, I know John will be a tremendous blessing for RTS Dallas,” said Dr. Blair Smith, RTS Dallas Academic Dean.
Dr. G.K. Beale, Professor of New Testament, expressed his excitement to welcome Dr. Currid to the Dallas campus.
“I am very pleased to welcome Dr. John Currid as a colleague in biblical studies at RTS Dallas,” said Dr. Beale. “John and I began our teaching career together in the early 1980s at Grove City College, and it is a joy to be reunited together again. This is a great inclusio to both our careers, which together represents over 80 years of teaching experience. Dr. Currid has come to be one of the well-recognized excellent teachers at RTS, and his publications reflect that excellence.”
An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, Dr. Currid lectures and preaches worldwide. In addition to a forthcoming commentary on the book of Joshua, his publications include the award-winning ESV Archaeology Study Bible (Crossway, 2018), for which he served as senior editor, Ecclesiastes: A Quest for Meaning? (Evangelical Press, 2015) and Against the Gods (Crossway, 2013).