J. Todd Hibbard, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies

In the 21^st century, religious studies are timelier than ever. Just ask Assistant Professor of Religious Studies J. Todd Hibbard, who joined University of Detroit Mercy’s faculty this fall. “Making religious studies relevant is really quite easy in the world in which we live,” he said. “All one needs to do is turn on the television news or look at a newspaper or peruse the Internet to see how pervasive religion is in the modern world.”  A native Detroiter, Hibbard earned his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. He also received a B.A. from Lee University and an M.A from Reformed Theological Seminary. Prior to his UDM appointment, Hibbard taught at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Though he left Michigan in 1988, Hibbard found his return to be an easy adjustment. “I came to UDM because I was intrigued by its urban setting, Jesuit and Mercy heritages, and commitment to student-centered teaching,” he said. “Additionally, my sense, which has been confirmed since my arrival, was that the UDM community valued diversity and devotion to the pursuit of social justice. These are great themes from the Old Testament prophets, and commitments that I share.”

Hibbard is also a published author and researcher whose emphasis is on the development of the Hebrew Bible’s prophetic literature, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Pentateuch’s narrative literature. According to Hibbard, these interests interface with his work at UDM. “My new position allows me to teach the biblical literature of the Old and New Testaments along with non-biblical Jewish and Christian literature from the same periods,” he said. Currently, Hibbard teaches “From Adam to David” and “Prophets, Wisdom, and Apocalyptic,” which are biblical studies courses. In addition, he teaches “Introduction to the Study of Religions,” an examination of methods used to study various topics in religious studies.

From an early age, the study of faiths intrigued Hibbard. ”Like many persons who ultimately wind up in religious studies, and in particular biblical studies, I grew up in an extremely devout home where religion played an important role,” he said. “I was drawn to biblical studies because it allowed me to pursue two related interests: languages and history.”

Although Hibbard’s professional interests have been primarily scholarly, he also contemplated parish ministry. “While that is a noble profession, I ultimately decided that my gifts and talents lay elsewhere,” he said. Subsequently, university life provided an ideal resolution for his goals. “I like to think that I bring a pastoral sensibility to my work with students,” he said.  “I'm interested in their academic success, but I'm also interested in helping them through this stage of life generally. Some of the more valuable conversations I've had with students have had little to do with the classroom and more to do with life in non-academic respects.”

Despite a busy academic schedule, Hibbard continues to write avidly. His first book, Intertextuality in Isaiah 24-27, examines the way those four chapters, a self-contained unit in the book of Isaiah, use earlier biblical material as part of their compositional strategy. “I argue that these chapters comprise a late addition to Isaiah, which offers a glimpse into the emergence of a kind of ‘scribal prophecy,’ or, written prophecy that incorporates earlier texts and traditions,” Hibbard said.

Additionally, Hibbard has two books in the works. “The first is a volume of essays on the current state of scholarship on the book of Isaiah that I am co-editing. I am excited about this volume because we have recruited many of the strongest scholars researching and writing on Isaiah from both the U.S. and Europe,” he said. “The second book is a monograph that explores the composition and growth of the book of Isaiah.”

For Hibbard, religious studies are multi-faceted.  “In my short time here, I have found a willingness among many in my classes to engage religious topics and discuss matters in an open way,” he said. “My hope is that they desire to be critically informed about matters of religion, even if that means some students may experience some intellectual and religious discomfort.” Tolerance is another of Hibbard’s classroom goals. “Increasing one's understanding of other people's religious practices, beliefs, and traditions is of paramount importance,” he said.  “In other words, appreciating the diversity of the world in which we live demands understanding religion.”