Jonathan Loopstra

Dr. Jonathan Loopstra is a Professor of History at Redeemer University, specializing in Church History, Biblical Languages, and Middle Eastern History. He has previously held positions at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, Capital University, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Reformed Theological Seminary, and The American University of Iraq-Sulaimania. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Early Christian Studies from The Catholic University of America, an MSt in Syriac Studies from Oxford University, and an MA in Christian Thought from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

His research focuses on the Bible’s reception across centuries, particularly in multicultural and multilingual contexts of the late Antique and Medieval Middle East. He explores Syriac Christian literature, the history of preaching, cross-cultural relations, and pedagogical practices in antiquity.

• Research fellowship, Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton
• Research fellowship, Hill Monastic Manuscript Library

Dr. Loopstra’s publications analyze Syriac manuscripts, biblical translation traditions, and theological handbooks. His work bridges biblical lexicography, patristics, and manuscript preservation, with a forthcoming commentary on Gregory of Nazianzus and studies on Syriac teaching manuals.

He teaches courses spanning Classical History, Church History, Islamic Encounters, Medieval Europe, and Christian Political Thought, emphasizing historical theory and cross-cultural understanding from ancient Sumer to the Gulf War.