Dr. Mickey L. Mattox
Mickey L. Mattox, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Mickey L. Mattox (Ph.D., Duke University 1997) is a historical theologian with primary interests in Martin Luther, Reformation theology, and the history of exegesis. His publications focus on interpreting Luther’s theology in its late medieval, Catholic context. This work continues Marquette's long tradition of Luther Studies in a Catholic Context, a reflection of the Theology department's own ecumenical identity.

Mattox’s first book, “Defender of the Most Holy Matriarchs:” Martin Luther's Interpretation of the Women of Genesis in the Enarrationes in Genesin, 1535-1545 (Brill, 2003), attempted to demonstrate the deep continuities between Luther’s exegesis and that of his premodern predecessors, particularly the church fathers. In numerous articles and book chapters, he has taken up similar themes, exploring Luther’s reading of the Apostle Paul, his hermeneutical approach to Holy Scripture, and his understanding of the relationship between the church, the rule of faith, and the practice of biblical exegesis.

The practice of exegesis is also the focus of Mattox's most recent work. His translation and historical introduction to Johannes Oecolampadius’s In Genesin Enarratio (Basel, 1536) will appear in spring 2013 in the Reformation Texts with Translation series from Marquette University Press. Oecolampadius was a crucial contributor to early Reformation exegesis, a man whose work has for too long been ignored. This book sheds light on the heady brew of evangelical theology, patristic exegesis, and humanist learning Oecolampadius served up in the classroom, where he helped shape the first generation of Basel's Protestant ministers.

Mattox’s publications also reflect his long involvement in Christian ecumenism. Changing Churches? An Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran Theological Conversation (Eerdmans, 2012), for example, co-authored with A. Gregg Roeber, gives a theological account of his passage from the Lutheran faith tradition to the Roman Catholic. This work stems in part from his service as Research Professor in the Institute for Ecumenical Research (Strasbourg, France) from 2000-2003, where he worked as a consultant for the international dialogues sponsored by the Lutheran World Federation (Geneva), including the International Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission, the Anglican-Lutheran dialogue, and others.

Mattox has been a frequent contributor to leading theological journals (Reformation and Renaissance Review, Pro Ecclesia, Lutheran Quarterly, Positions luthériennes) and important handbooks, including: The Blackwell Companion to Paul (ed. Stephen Westerholm), A Companion to Paul in the Reformation (ed. R. Ward Holder), and Christian Theologies of Scripture (ed. Justin Holcomb). He is currently at work on a theological study of the elder Martin Luther, and serves as volume editor and translator for Genesis 12-50, volume 2 in the Reformation Commentary on Scripture series from InterVarsity Press.

At the undergraduate level, Mattox teaches a wide range of courses, including a new core course, "Theology in the Writings of C.S. Lewis" (THEO 2230). For graduate students, Mattox offers a variety of specialized courses in theology and exegesis during the Renaissance and Reformation.

 

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Theology Department Mission Statement

Theology Department Mission Statement


Marquette University defines itself as Christian, Catholic, Jesuit, urban, and independent. The Department of Theology functions within the university to investigate and understand the Catholic tradition, its relation to other Christian communions, and to other religions of the world. Read more of our mission statement.