Village on a Hill: Introductions: Jeremy Hultin

Village on a Hill: Introductions: Jeremy Hultin
Good morning all. Yesterday I had the chance to play soccer for the first time since Hebrew took over my life the first half of the summer. It reminded me of an interview I did with one of the professors who plays soccer and basketball with us, Dr. Jeremy Hultin. He's been referenced a few times on this blog, so I thought it would be a good idea to share his thoughts, not just those of others. So below, an excerpt from my interview with Assistant Professor of New Testament, Dr. Jeremy Hultin.

Q: First and foremost on everyone's mind (I'm sure): would you say that you attended Ohio State University, or THE Ohio State University?
A: I think it’s THE Ohio State University, but that has only changed recently, and to be honest I’m not into that.

Q: Well, I’m not sure if that’s good to hear or not. Now, the first place that people usually turn to find out about professors is the website. Your profile says that your interests include a “current project” about the early Christian views of obscene speech. How did you find yourself studying that?
A: Well, I really need to get that updated. I think that profile is about seven years old at this point. As for the project on obscene speech: it’s already been turned into a book. The long story is that it’s hard to find a dissertation topic in NT because nearly everything has been covered. My interest was piqued when a friend at seminary asked why I dropped the f-bomb so much. I wondered why it bothered him so much: what did the Bible say? What would obscenity mean in the ancient world? Yet when I looked in the scholarship…nothing.

Q: So you turned it into your dissertation, and what did you find?
A: This topic was a hole in the scholarship, so it was a perfect topic. It was even more perfect for me because there are a lot of interesting stories about foul language in the Ancient World. Some groups were certainly opposed to obscenity, which was defined differently in different groups. But it also went the other way: some Christian groups insisted on using foul language because they saw it as something that was more natural.

Q: So why are you find yourself here at YDS?
A: I like the challenge of teaching at a Div school. I like to think about it how to use the resources from early Christianity in an intellectually responsible way that addresses the needs of the church today. I’m proud of the project the Div school has in terms of how to prep people to engage the world, to come up with resources in scripture for the various challenges the world faces. It’s stretched me, and I hope I can help stretch students. It would be easy simply to say ‘Paul said this, this is what he meant, and let’s leave it at that whether it’s a good idea or not.’ It is more challenging to say ‘Paul said this and how on earth can we use it constructively in 21st century America?’ Those issues, those ways of approaching work is what makes being here great.

Q: You have been on Sabbatical all year. What are your feelings going into the new academic year?
A: I’m excited about teaching again. The other day some student engaged me on the Quad for about half an hour. And I was reminded of the joy of teaching bright students about these topics. I am teaching a class in the fall on Jude and 2nd Peter--which is what I’ve been working on this Sabbatical. I am really hopeful for that class. I hope to turn the classroom into a collaborative environment. It’s going to be great: bright students working with me. We’ll jam, take the work, divide and conquer. I’m looking forward to that.

Q: And can anyone take this class?
A: Anyone can do it, so long as they are strong readers of Greek. Those who took the Summer Intensive and did well can do well in this, or those who have a lot of preparation before coming here.

Q: What else turns your crank at Div school?
A: First, I’m very impressed with the range of experiences students have when they come. People working in really profound jobs all over the world come here and interact in the same classroom. And when a class is at its best this makes discussion so exciting. Someone who just came from three years working in Ghana, sitting next to a retired nun, sitting next to a guy who was a NYC attorney, all looking at 2nd Corinthians. The range of ideas and applications can be really invigorating.

I also really appreciate the times in chapel where people come together, where it really gels as a community.

I think that I’ve been most proud of students/felt luckiest when I’m teaching a class, and feel that I would be blessed to have these people as my pastor: smart, intellectual, insightful, godly. How blessed these people will be for others. If I can help people sort out some part of the Bible on the way to that vocation, it feels like a pretty neat thing to be a part of.


Q: I was surprised when I got here at the number of young professors here. I don’t know what I expected, but it seems like many of the great professors here are all really just beginning to engage their careers. As one of those professors, what do you think about it? Am I wrong about that impression?
A: You’re not wrong. I’ve been here seven years, and since then there have been a number of great hires of young professors: Chloe, Willis, Scott, David, Joel, and more. Personally, I like it, because I feel like it’s really cool when the people you work with are also the people you ride bikes with and do picnics with and live life with. It contributes to the concept of community, and makes it easier to be with the people about your age who you really enjoy being with.

(At right, a picture of Dr. Hultin with Dean of Yale Divinity School, Dr. Attridge.)

Q: Is there something about YDS that students don’t always take advantage of?
A: When I went to seminary I was excited, but my seminary had an unreasonable workload, so sometimes I wish I had had an academic mentor. Someone to give tips on what to read, to tell me when I’m running down a rabbit hole.

I think people don’t always take advantage of their advisors. While it’s opaque to me sometimes as to how advisors are chosen for students, in my limited experience students can underutilize their advisor. They should feel free to get advice beyond just ‘what class should I take’. It should be an opportunity for a relationship. The advisor-advisee relationship can be a place where one can get advice or find an open ear, some institutional memory of where to turn. Take the opportunity to find the resources needed you need. I ache when I hear someone say at the end of a year, or God forbid two or three years, that they felt alienated by something someone said or did. But rather than seeking that person out, or looking for understanding, they simply withdrew and let their feelings simmer.

Q: Any final advice do you have for students?
A: I think I would challenge students to really try to get to know and understand students and faculty whose outlook might seem different from their own. We’re dealing with issues that matter a lot to people, that can be hard to be subject to criticism. It can be a tendency for some to look at a potentially difficult situation, and move away from it, go find people who agree with them, and just ignore those they don’t agree with. It’s easy to do that, to not engage the issues. There is a missed opportunity for learning—which is the main purpose of this institution—when this happens. I would advise people to try and find out why people see things different. No matter a student’s future vocation, they will be working in the world in some form. They are bound to meet people who are of different sensibilities, and if someone has not become comfortable working through this before coming here, it’s an important skill set to learn at YDS.