Jacobus Kok

Jacobus (Kobus) Kok is Professor and Chair of New Testament Studies at Evangelische Theologische Faculteit (ETF) Leuven, with additional appointments as Professor Extraordinarius at the University of Pretoria. His multifaceted research integrates exegetical analysis with social identity theory, focusing on early Christian community formation.

Education

• Ph.D. Theology: Religious Studies and Missiology, University of Pretoria (2017)
• Ph.D. Theology: New Testament Studies, University of Pretoria (2008)
• M.Th. New Testament Studies, University of Pretoria (2004)
• M.Div., University of Pretoria (2003)
• B.Th., University of Pretoria (2001)

Kok's scholarship explores boundary dynamics in early Christianity, examining how texts like 1 Peter and Johannine literature navigated inclusion/exclusion tensions. Recent works employ social identity complexity theory to analyze community formation amid persecution. He maintains active collaborations across European universities and contributes to international theological dialogues.

His extensive publications in venues like Mohr Siebeck and Brill analyze power dynamics, missional ethics, and decolonial interpretations of scripture, particularly focusing on Pauline and Johannine corpora.

Kok serves on editorial boards for several theological series and participates in academic societies including SNTS, EABS, and NOSTER, promoting interdisciplinary engagement between biblical studies and social sciences.