YOSHIDA, Shin Professor

Interpreting the New Testament,
Tracing the development of Christianity

In Japan, where Christianity is a minority religion, the Bible may seem to have little relevance to our daily lives. However, it is an indispensable document for understanding the foundations of the Western world. Furthermore, I believe that knowledge of the Bible is important for considering the rapidly changing global situation today.

In this department, students will not only acquire fundamental knowledge of the Bible through biblical studies and learn methodologies for academically reading the Bible, but will also deeply consider what meaning its message holds in the modern world.

• Main research areas: New Testament studies, early Christian history, history of Japanese Bible translation.
• Courses taught: Introduction to the New Testament I & II, New Testament Theology I & II, etc.

Research topic

New Testament studies, early Christian history, history of Japanese Bible translation.

Research Topics

I am continuing my research on the First Letter of Peter, a relatively late document in the New Testament. This letter is thought to have been written in the latter half of the 1st century AD and is an indispensable document for understanding the earliest stages of Christianity. I am considering how Christianity developed in the ancient world and why it later evolved into a world religion. I am also researching how the Bible was translated into Japanese. In particular, I am examining Christian missionary work and translation strategies in Japan, taking into account the changes in Bible translation since the Meiji era.

Examples of graduation thesis titles from the Yoshida Seminar

• "The Church as Seen Through the Book of Acts - An Exegesis of Acts 2:41-47"
• "Violence and Peace in Christianity: From the Perspective of Tolerance and Violence"
• "A Reflection on Luke 15:11-32, 'The Parable of the Prodigal Son' - On Awareness of Weakness and Love"
• "A Consideration of the Relationship Between 'Immanuel' and Humanity in Takizawa Theology"
• "Osamu Dazai's View of the Bible"
• "On Pneuma in the Gospel of John: An Examination of John 3:1-8"

Recent works

Single author

• "John the Baptist" (Kyobunkan, 2012)
• "Trauerarbeit im Urchristentum (The Work of Mourning in Early Christianity)" (V & R Unipress, 2013)
• "Commentary on the First Letter of Peter" (Ichibaku Publishing, 2025)
• "Bible Translation and Mission: A Study of Materials Related to the Japanese Translation of the Bible" (Shinkyo Publishing, 2026)

Editing

• "What is the Gospel? From the Gospel of the Bible to Evangelicalism" (Kyobunkan, 2018)
• "Suffering and Salvation: Light After Darkness" (Kyobunkan, 2020)

contact address

shinyoshida(at)g.tohoku-gakuin.ac.jp

*Please replace (at) with @.

For more details, please see researchmap and related materials on Japanese Bible translation.