FACULTY
Kenneth Mathews Retires After 33 Years as Professor of Old Testament by Kristen Padilla
Originally from Dallas, Texas, Kenneth Mathews was hired in 1989 to teach Old Testament at what was then a brand-new divinity school on the campus of Samford University. Thirty-three years later, Mathews retired from Beeson Divinity School at the end of the spring 2022 semester. His book, The Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll (co-authored with David Noel Freedman), was the first full study of the Leviticus Dead Sea Scroll. He is the author of Genesis 1–11:26 and Genesis 11:27–50:26 in the New American Commentary series (as well as associate general editor of that series), Leviticus: Holy God, Holy People in the Preaching the Word series, Joshua in the Teach the Text Commentary series, and The Post-Racial Church (co-authored with Beeson faculty member M. Sydney Park). He translated the book of Leviticus for The New Living Translation and is associate editor of the Old Testament for the new Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary series published by Lexham Press. Mathews is married to Dea, and they have two children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
18 • Beeson Magazine • 2022
KP Why Beeson? Why did you take a chance on a brand-new divinity school? KM At a time when universities did not start divinity schools, the founding of a new divinity school on a historically Baptist university campus was an exciting venture. Also, the feature of an interdenominational school committed to historic evangelicalism took on the guise of an “experiment” in theological education for training ministers in pastoral service. I did not have the zeal for teaching in a large seminary and supervising Ph.D. students. I wanted to share my life and teaching with those who were called to pastoral ministry in the diverse settings of church ministries. When I read the curriculum with its commitment to biblical studies and preaching, I thought I could contribute to both areas: mentoring and teaching students in interpreting Holy Scripture with the goal of preaching. Also, as someone from outside Alabama, I soon realized that Beeson had a special opportunity to minister to students across racial and gender lines. KP Why did you stay all these years at Beeson? KM There was no better place to develop personally and professionally. At Dr. George’s wise leadership, we experienced a community of scholarship and worship. He
