Rev. Jean-Pierre Ruiz

Associate ProfessorSenior Research Fellow
S.T.D. Pontifical Gregorian University (Biblical Studies)S.T.L. Pontifical Gregorian University (Biblical Studies)S.T.B. Pontifical Gregorian University (Theology)B.A. Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception (Philosophy)

Research Interests: Biblical Studies, Hispanic / Latino Theology, Interreligious Dialogue

Jean-Pierre Ruiz, a Past-President of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS), maintains an active program of research in biblical studies. His particular interests are in the prophetic and apocalyptic literature, and with a special focus on the relevance of the Bible to contemporary concerns regarding immigrants and refugees. This was the focus of his recent book, Readings from the Edges: The Bible and People on the Move (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2011), the winner of a Catholic Press Association Award. A contributor to the New Oxford Annotated Bible and to the Anselm Academic Study Bible, he is widely recognized as an authority on the Apocalypse of John. Ruiz has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Hispanic / Latino Theology and as an associate editor of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly. He currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, the Journal of Biblical Literature, and Horizons, the journal of the College Theology Society. Ruiz is also a consultant on teaching and learning with the Lilly Endowment funded Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion.

Active in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, Ruiz was a member of the Roman Catholic—Southern Baptist Conversation, which was jointly sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Southern Baptist Convention. He is an elected member of the Christian Scholars Group on Christian-Jewish Relations. Ruiz also serves on the Religion and Foreign Policy Working Group of the U.S. Department of State. Appearing often in English and Spanish language print and electronic media, Ruiz has hosted and co-hosted a number of radio and television programs, and was a participant in the nationally broadcast Bill Moyers series, Genesis: A Living Conversation.

Courses Taught at St. John’s University:

Undergraduate:

THE 1000C: Core: Perspectives on Christianity

THE 2200: The Mystery of God

THE 3320: God and Religion in the City

THE 4995: Seminar in Social Justice: Theory & Practice in the Vincentian Tradition

Graduate:

THE 120: Methods in Biblical Interpretation

THE 280: Current Issues in Biblical Interpretation

THE 160: Introduction to the Old Testament

THE 241: Prophetism in Israel

THE 242: The Wisdom Literature

THE 243: Apocalyptic Writings of the Second Temple Period

THE 274: New Testament Apocalyptic Literature

THE 660: Dialogue among Christians