Rev. Yieh

The Rev. John Yueh Han Yieh, Ph.D.

The Molly Laird Downs Professor of New Testament

The Rev. John Yueh Han Yieh, Ph.D., is the Molly Laird Downs Professor in New Testament. He joined the faculty at VTS in 1995. His research focuses on the Gospel of Matthew and the Johannine Literature from the vantage of sociological and history-of-effects approaches. He is also interested in the history and hermeneutics of Chinese biblical interpretation.

Before coming to VTS, John taught at Bangor Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Theological School.

Dr. Yieh earned his Ph.D. in Religious Studies specializing in New Testament from Yale University. In 1989, he received the George A. Barton Fellowship to investigate the Dead Sea Scrolls at the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem and participate in the excavation of Sepphoris in Galilee. In 2007, he won a Lily Theological Scholars Grant to begin a project on “Lives of the Bible in Modern China.” In 2009, he was awarded the Suzanne Thomas Faculty Research Award. He has conducted research as Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University (2004) and Princeton Theological Seminary (2012) and served as Visiting Professor at Chung Chi College Divinity School of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2008, 2012, 2016) and Exchange Professor at the Institute of Sino-Christian Studies in Hong Kong (2012).

An active member of American Academy of Religion, Society of Biblical Literature, Ethnic Chinese Biblical Colloquium, Anglican Association of Biblical Studies, and Society of Asian Biblical Studies, Dr. Yieh was elected as President of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Society of Biblical Literature (2002-03) and President of the Ethnic Chinese Biblical Colloquium (2010-14). Since 2013, he has served as New Testament Editor of the Chinese Union Study Bible series for the Bible Society in Taiwan.

Dr. Yieh enjoys his teaching ministry at VTS. He has lectured at universities and seminaries in the US and Asia and frequently preaches at worship services and speaks at adult forums, Bible retreats, clergy trainings, and church conferences.

Linked Publications

2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. Reproduced by permission of Oxford Publishing Limited.

Read Bibliography

(In Chinese). Hong Kong: Centre for Advanced Biblical Studies and Application, 2015.

Co-author Henry Brinton. Nashville: Abingdon, 2011.

Cambridge. UK: Grove, 2007.

“The New Testament is a fascinating collection of testimonies to Jesus Christ. For me, it is a sacred text that reveals who God is by what God has done in Jesus Christ. It is also a historical text that shows how early believers were converted and transformed by God’s power in Holy Spirit. We see God in action, and we see ourselves enlightened and challenged. Christian characteristics of faith, hope, and love are contextualized to inform spiritual formation. The early church’s struggles over the issues of identity, unity, and missions provide excellent case studies for a better practice of ministry today.”
The Rev. John Yueh Han Yieh, Ph.D.