Published on February 24, 2020 by Sean Flynt  
Will Kynes and Paul R. House
Will Kynes and Paul R. House

The Center for Biblical Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary honored two Samford professors as part of its annual Biblical Foundations Book Awards Feb. 24.

Beeson Divinity School professor Paul R. House was the winner in the category of Old Testament Commentary for his book, Isaiah: A Mentor Commentary, Volumes I–II (Christian Focus). Awards juror T. D. Alexander of Union Theological College praised House’s work as “an important alternative perspective to that adopted in much scholarly discussion of the book of Isaiah.”

Howard College of Arts and Sciences professor Will Kynes was a co-winner in the Old Testament category for his book, An Obituary for “Wisdom Literature”: The Birth, Death, and Intertextual Reintegration of a Biblical Corpus (Oxford University Press). “In his monograph, Will Kynes has not only overturned what has been assumed for the past century regarding the texts we associate with wisdom but has provided a way forward for greater attention to the voice of these texts within the broader canonical witness,” said juror Mark Boda of McMaster Divinity College.

House joined Samford’s faculty in 2004 and specializes in Old Testament theology and Hebrew. In addition to his teaching, research and preaching, he is a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society. Kynes joined the Department of Biblical and Religious studies in 2019 to support an emphasis on foundations and increase the department’s already strong scholarly focus on the Bible.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.