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Scott Walker Hahn (born October 28, 1957) is an American Catholic theologian and
Christian apologist Christian apologetics ( grc, ἀπολογία, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics has taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in ...
. A former
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
who converted to
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, Hahn's popular works include ''Rome Sweet Home'' and ''The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth''. His lectures have been featured in multiple audio distributions through
Lighthouse Catholic Media Lighthouse Catholic Media is a not for profit company that distributes CDs and digital downloads of Catholic-themed content. Lighthouse has provided CD programs to over 7,500 Roman Catholic parishes throughout the United States and Canada and has ...
. Hahn is known for his research on
Early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish ...
during the
Apostolic Age Christianity in the 1st century covers the formative history of Christianity from the start of the ministry of Jesus (–29 AD) to the death of the last of the Twelve Apostles () and is thus also known as the Apostolic Age. Early Christianity ...
and various theoretical works concerning the early
Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...
. Hahn currently teaches at the
Franciscan University of Steubenville Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private Franciscan university in Steubenville, Ohio. The university had 3,040 students as of fall 2019, including 2,317 students on campus, in 40 undergraduate and 8 graduate degree programs. The studen ...
, a Catholic university in the
Steubenville, Ohio Steubenville is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Ohio River 33 miles west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The city's name is derived from Fort Steuben, a ...
. He has also lectured at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. Hahn is married to Kimberly Hahn, who co-runs their Catholic
apostolate An apostolate is a Christian organization "directed to serving and evangelizing the world", most often associated with the Anglican Communion or the Catholic Church. In more general usage, an apostolate is an association of persons dedicated to the ...
, the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.


Education

Hahn received his
B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree ''
magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
'' in 1979 from
Grove City College Grove City College (GCC) is a private, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876 as a normal school, the college emphasizes a humanities core curriculum and offers 60 majors and 6 pre-profession ...
in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
with a triple major of
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
,
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
and
economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
. He obtained his
M.Div. For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...
degree '' summa cum laude'' from
Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida. According to the As ...
in 1982. In May 1995, he was awarded a
Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
degree in
systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topic ...
from
Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...
(
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
). Hahn's dissertation is titled "Kinship by Covenant: A Biblical Theological Analysis of Covenant Types and Texts in the Old and New Testaments". A version was published by Yale University Press in 2009 as ''Kinship by Covenant: A Canonical Approach to the Fulfillment of God's Saving Promises''. Harvard professor Jon D. Levenson described it as "a learned and well-written volume interprets covenant as the red thread running through both testaments of the Christian Bible."


Conversion to Catholicism

After receiving his education at Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary, Hahn started out as a pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, Virginia. Since that time, he has held a variety of positions at institutes, seminaries, and universities. As a young man, Hahn was convinced that the Catholic Church was in error and boasted of having converted some Catholics into embracing a purer Christianity. His conversion began when he and his wife became convinced that
contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...
was contrary to God's law. He was bothered that the Catholic Church was the only Christian church tradition that upheld the ancient teaching of prohibiting contraception that Protestants abandoned in the early 20th century, such as at the 1930
Lambeth Conference The Lambeth Conference is a decennial assembly of bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first such conference took place at Lambeth in 1867. As the Anglican Communion is an international association ...
. Hahn continued to study various issues relating to salvation, faith, and good works, as well as the Protestant doctrine of ''
sola scriptura , meaning by scripture alone, is a Christian theological doctrine held by most Protestant Christian denominations, in particular the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, that posits the Bible as the sole infallible source of au ...
''. According to his book ''Rome Sweet Home'', a key factor behind his conversion is his research on what he saw as the key to the Bible: the
covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...
. This is a sacred kinship bond that brought people into a family relationship. God established a series of covenants and the new covenant established by Jesus Christ is an establishment of a worldwide family. He believes that Jesus and the apostles used family-based language to describe his work of salvation: God is Father, Christ is Son and the firstborn among brethren, heaven as a marriage feast, the Church is the spouse of God, Christians as children of God. This new family, according to Hahn, is headed by Christ and the
Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
is his "prime minister" to whom he has given the
keys of the kingdom The keys of the kingdom is a Christian concept of eternal church authority. Christians believe it was established in the 1st century AD, initially through Saint Peter, then through the rest of the 12 Apostles. The latter, continuing with the earl ...
, a process that he believes is also present in the Old Testament. Hahn writes that the Catholic Church, whose head is called "Holy Father", is the worldwide family described by the Bible and that the Protestant doctrines of ''
sola fide ''Justificatio sola fide'' (or simply ''sola fide''), meaning justification by faith alone, is a soteriological doctrine in Christian theology commonly held to distinguish the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, among others, fr ...
'' and ''sola scriptura'' are not biblical because they are not found in the Bible. In his view, the Bible stresses charity and works as necessary for saving
faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...
, ''i.e.'', justification, and, therefore,
salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
. He also points to the Church as "the pillar and bulwark of the truth", quoting 1 Timothy 3:15. Hahn converted to Catholicism at
Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
1986 in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
. He came to be called "Luther in reverse", from his wife's words. Hahn's wife, Kimberly, had a similar conversion at a slightly later date, entering the Catholic Church at Easter 1990 in
Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the cit ...
. ''Rome Sweet Home'' describes their process of conversion together. In ''Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace'', he narrated the influence of
Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work an ...
in his conversion and what made him feel that Opus Dei was his specific calling within the Catholic Church: (1) its members' devotion to the Bible; (2) its
ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
, since Opus Dei was the first Catholic institution to welcome non-Catholics as cooperators; (3) the upright lives of its members; (4) they were ordinary people, who lived theology; (5) holy ambition: "a devout
work ethic Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. It is a set of values centered on importance of work and manifested by determination o ...
"; (6) the practice of
hospitality Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, chevalier de J ...
in answering his questions; (7)
prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...
: "They made time for intimate prayer every day."


Current work

Hahn founded and is currently the president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Catholic non-profit research and educational institute committed to the promotion of biblical literacy among the Catholic laity and biblical fluency among Catholic clergy. Some of his projects include online and parish-based Bible studies, a book series, pilgrimages, and a scholarly journal, ''Letter and Spirit''. He is also the founder and director of the Institute of Applied Biblical Studies. A popular speaker, Hahn has given over 800 talks in the US and other countries on theological and biblical topics related to the Catholic faith and appears regularly on the
Eternal Word Television Network The Eternal Word Television Network, more commonly known by its initials EWTN, is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in ...
(EWTN). His talks have also been featured in multiple audio titles distributed by
Lighthouse Catholic Media Lighthouse Catholic Media is a not for profit company that distributes CDs and digital downloads of Catholic-themed content. Lighthouse has provided CD programs to over 7,500 Roman Catholic parishes throughout the United States and Canada and has ...
. He has also written numerous books (see list below) and is the co-editor of several volumes of the ''Ignatius Catholic Study Bible''. Since 1990, Hahn has taught at the
Franciscan University of Steubenville Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private Franciscan university in Steubenville, Ohio. The university had 3,040 students as of fall 2019, including 2,317 students on campus, in 40 undergraduate and 8 graduate degree programs. The studen ...
, where he is the Father Michael Scanlan, TOR, Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization. He was awarded Doctor of
Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
 – honoris causa, by the
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Puerto Rico) is a private Roman Catholic university with its main campus in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It provides courses leading to Bachelor's, Master's and Docto ...
in 2004. In 2014,
Francis Cardinal George Francis Eugene George (January 16, 1937 – April 17, 2015) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the eighth Archbishop of Chicago in Illinois (1997–2014) and previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Yakima and ...
appointed Hahn to the newly established McEssy Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Biblical Theology at
Mundelein Seminary The University of Saint Mary of the Lake (USML) is a private Roman Catholic seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. It is the principal seminary and school of theology for the formation of priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois. It was c ...
in Chicago.


Personal life

Hahn is married to Kimberley, and they have 6 children together.


Books

*''Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism'' (co-written with Kimberly Hahn), Ignatius Press, 1993. *''Catholic for a Reason'' (with Leon Suprenant, editor), Emmaus Road Publishing, 1998. *''A Father Who Keeps His Promises'', Servant Publications, 1998. *''The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth'', Doubleday, 1999. *''Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God'', Doubleday, 2001. *''First Comes Love: Finding Your Family in the Church and the Trinity'', Doubleday, 2002. *''Lord Have Mercy: The Healing Power of Confession'', Doubleday, 2003. *''Swear to God: The Promise and Power of the Sacraments'', Doubleday, 2004. *''Letter and Spirit: From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy'', Doubleday, 2005. *''Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace'', Doubleday, 2006. *''Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Explain, and Defend the Catholic Faith'', Doubleday, 2007. *''Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins' Case Against God'', (with Benjamin Wiker), Emmaus Road Publishing, 2008. *''Kinship by Covenant: A Canonical Approach to the Fulfillment of God's Saving Promises'', Yale University Press, 2009. *''Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots'', Image, 2009. *''Catholic Bible Dictionary'', Image, 2009. *''Covenant and Communion: The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI'', Baker Brazos Press, 2009. *''Hope for Hard Times'', Our Sunday Visitor, 2009. *''Many Are Called: Rediscovering the Glory of the Priesthood'', Image, 2010. *''Politicizing the Bible: The Roots of Historical Criticism and the Secularization of Scripture 1300-1700'' (co-written with Benjamin Wiker), The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2013. . *''Consuming the Word: The New Testament and The Eucharist in the Early Church'', Image, 2013. *''Evangelizing Catholics: A Mission Manual for the New Evangelization'', Our Sunday Visitor, 2014. *''Angels and Saints: A Biblical Friendship with God's Holy Ones'', Image, 2014. *''Joy to the World: How Christ's Coming Changed Everything and Still Does'', Image, 2014. *''God's Covenant with You: The Bible Tells a Story'', 2015. *''The Creed: Professing the Faith Through the Ages'', Emmaus Road Publishing, 2016. *''Romans (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)'', Baker Academic, 2017. *''The First Society: The Sacrament of Matrimony and the Restoration of the Social Order'', Emmaus Road Publishing, 2018. *''The Fourth Cup: Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross'', Image, 2018. *''Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body'', (with Emily Stimpson Chapman), Emmaus Road Publishing, 2020. *''It is Right and Just: Why the Future of Civilization Depends on True Religion'', (with Brandon McGinley, Emmaus Road Publishing, 2020. *''Holy Is His Name: The Transforming Power of God’s Holiness in Scripture'', Emmaus Road Publishing, 2022. Books in Spanish: *
La evangelización de los católicos. Manual para la misión de La Nueva Evangelización
', Palabra, 2015. *

', Palabra, 2016.


References


External links

*
Profile at the Franciscan University of Steubenville website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hahn, Scott 1957 births 20th-century American Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century American Roman Catholic theologians Christian apologists Converts to Roman Catholicism from Calvinism Franciscan University of Steubenville faculty Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary alumni Grove City College alumni Living people Marquette University alumni Opus Dei members Roman Catholic activists Knights of the Holy Sepulchre Critics of atheism 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers