John Hall Elliott

John Hall Elliott (October 23, 1935 – December 13, 2020) was an American biblical scholar and professor emeritus of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Francisco. A founding member of the Context Group, his scholarship and teaching examine the Bible through interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and ecumenical lenses.

Education After attending Concordia Preparatory School, Elliott enrolled in Concordia College in 1953. In 1955, he began attending Concordia Seminary, where he later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (1957), as well as Bachelors and Masters of Divinity degrees (1960). Elliott then pursued doctoral work at the University of Münster, graduating magna cum laude in 1963 with a Doctor of Theology degree. He was ordained a minister of the Lutheran Church in 1964.

Elliot was a strong union supporter, and he played a significant role in the struggle to unionize faculty at the University of San Francisco, a process that led to the creation of the University of San Francisco Faculty Association in 1975.

Scholarship Elliott is the author of numerous books, articles and reviews. He is regarded as a pioneer of the social-scientific method in biblical studies and an expert in 1 Peter. His major works include:

The Elect and the Holy: An Exegetical Examination of 1 Peter 2:4-10 and the Phrase basileion hierateuma: Supplements to Novum Testamentum 12. Leiden: Brill, 1966; reprinted, Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2006. Doxology: God's People Called to Celebrate His Glory. St. Louis, 1966. The Christ-Life: Jesus Christ the Sacrament and Sacramental Living. Chicago, 1968. Proclamation: Aids for Interpreting the Lessons of the Church Year. Series A. Pentecost 3. Co-authored with Bruce Vawter. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1975. 1 Peter: Estrangement and Community. Herald Biblical Booklets. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1979. A Home for the Homeless: A Sociological Exegesis of 1 Peter, Its Situation and Strategy. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981 (translated into Portuguese and Spanish). 2nd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990; reprint, Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2005. I-II Peter/Jude in: Ralph A. Martin and John H. Elliott, James, I-II Peter/Jude. Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1982. Social-Scientific Criticism of the New Testament and Its Social World. (editor) Semeia 35. Decatur, GA: Scholars Press, 1986.* What Is Social-Scientific Criticism? Guides to Biblical Scholarship. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993; published in Great Britain as Social-Scientific Criticism of the New Testament. An Introduction. London: SPCK, 1995. 1 Peter: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Anchor Bible 37B. New York: Doubleday/Random House, 2000. Conflict, Community, and Honor: 1 Peter in Social-Scientific Perspective. Cascade Companions. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2007. Beware the Evil Eye: The Evil Eye in the Bible and the Ancient World. 4 vols. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2015–2017.