Maria Verhoeff

Dr. Maria Verhoeff is an Assistant Professor of Historical Theology and Vice Dean of Education at the Evangelical Theological Faculty, Leuven. She holds a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies (2016) and has held roles including Academic Vice Dean for Research (2018-2022) and Policy Advisor (2014-2018). Her academic work focuses on the intersection of Early Christianity, Patristics, and the Philosophy of Friendship.

• Education
• PhD in Theology and Religious Studies (2016), ETF Leuven
• NOSTER Certificate (2013), ETF Leuven PhD Program
• Master of Specialized Studies in Theology (2009), KU Leuven
• Degree in Theology (2006), ETF Leuven
• Preparatory Scientific Education (2000), Jacobus Fruytier School, Netherlands

Maria Verhoeff's research explores the theological and ethical dimensions of friendship in John Chrysostom's writings, emphasizing communal salvation and the social nature of Christian identity. Her work reinterprets Chrysostom's use of economic metaphors in almsgiving and the pedagogical role of celestial imagery in soteriology. She connects Graeco-Roman euergetism with Judeo-Christian gift-giving traditions to frame divine relationships.

Her publications highlight a trajectory from Chrysostom's moral formation through friendship to the ecclesiastical leadership models in early Christianity. She analyzes how celestial imagery and debt metaphors serve as tools for Christian mystagogy and social soteriology, prioritizing community over individual virtue cultivation.