Skip to main content

Faculty Directory

Faculty profile photo
esias@bst.edu
510-841-1905 ext. 232

Biography

When he is not busy working with his beehives or lavender plants, Eric is in active conversation with the letters of Paul and ancient biblical purity laws. As the son of a Mexican immigrant and an American copper miner of Mexican descent, he has come to use his life-long experience of cultural liminality to find a deeper understanding of the boundaries of the sacred and profane in the book of Leviticus, and how early Christians interpreted these spheres of existence when considering the death of Jesus. His academic goal is to provide the tools of biblical scholarship to future leaders of the Latina/o church to help bridge the gap between the ancient laws and norms of the biblical world and modern society.

Degrees and Certifications

PhD, Graduate Theological Union 2022
MA, Yale Divinity School 2010
BA, University of Texas at Austin 2005

Research and Training Interests

  • Leviticus
  • Paul
  • Purity and Sacrifice
  • Bible and Culture|
  • Biblical Languages

Selected Publications

  • Accessing Biblical Languages, GlossaHouse Publishing (forthcoming)
  • Accessing Biblical Languages: A Theological Companion, GlossaHouse Publishing (forthcoming)
  • “Martyr, Martyrdom: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament;” “Milgrom, Jacob;” and “Mixed Multitude,” in Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception, De Gruyter Publishing

Courses Taught

  • Bible Survey courses (English and Spanish)
  • Biblical Hebrew
  • Using Biblical Languages