Associate Professor of Theology
B.A., Palm Beach Atlantic University (Honors Program); M.Div., RTS Charlotte; M.A., Wheaton Graduate School; Ph.D., Australian Catholic University
Profile
Dr. Jonatan C. Simons joined the faculty in 2026 and teaches classes in Systematic Theology. He comes to Erskine after teaching for seven years at a seminary in Colombia, South America. He is an ordained minister of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church since 2012, and comes with experience serving in local church, missions, and seminary contexts. He has travelled widely to present at various academic and pastoral conferences all over the world and has taught and published in both English and Spanish. He also teaches at conferences for laity and youth conferences, and he has appeared on multiple podcasts.
Research and Projects
Dr. Simons has a particular focus on the Early Church, and has written for various types of audience. While he does enjoy the quiet of historical archival work, and meticulous requirements of ancient manuscripts, he has also been privileged to explore pressing questions of modern society, by highlighting an intersection between modern cultural issues and the theology of the Early Church. He has written in English and Spanish, and seeks to contribute to both pastor-theologians and laity. He is currently working on a book on the reception of Irenaeus in the 3rd-4th century, and is finishing several articles and book chapters on various topics within the theology of the Early Church.
Personal Interests
When he is not teaching, Dr. Simons loves to be outdoors, gardening at home or hiking in the mountains. We are thrilled to be back in the land of good peaches in the summer, and within driving distance of good apples (specifically Jonagolds) in the late months of the year.
Professional Accomplishments
Awards and Honors
· Visiting Fellow in Early Christianity at RTSO 2024
· NAPS Small Research Grant on Displacement and Antiquity 2022
· Graduate Student Paper Prize for the North American Patristics Society 2020
· Kantzer Award for Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College 2016
Selections of Academic Publications
Book
· Divine Simplicity in the Theology of Irenaeus. Leiden: Brill, 2023. ISBN: 978-9004677623
Articles
· “Theological Preaching for Repentance in Augustine’s Christmas Sermon 187” Reformed Faith and Practice 10.1 (2026): 31-44.
· “Giving Theological Meaning to Displacement: Rereading Athanasius’s apologia ad Constantium and apologia de fuga sua” Journal of Early Christian Studies 34.4 (Winter, 2026).
· “Did Irenaeus influence Novatian’s view of divine simplicity?” Unio Cum Christo 11.2 (2025): 84-104. https://doi.org/10.13109/uncc.2025.11.2.84
· “Análisis teológico del credo del Concilio de Nicea en su contexto histórico: Estructura y términos como una fe recibida” Biblia y Teología Hoy (CLIE) V.3 (2025): 81-101.
· “Catholicity that Involves some History and a Globe” Reformed Faith and Practice 9.2 (2025): 35-36.
· “Daemons, Cups of Forgetfulness and Eternity of the Soul in Irenaeus’ Adversus haereses 2.33-34: The Influence of Strato of Lampsacus in his View of Participation.” Patristica et Mediævalia 45.1 (2024): 79-90.
· “God and eiusdem substantiae in Against Heresies 2.17-18.” Studia Patristica CIX, Volume 6: Readings in Irenaeus of Lyons (Leuven: Peters, 2021): 55-68.
· “Una teología de generosidad en la vida de Margaret Baxter,” Ventana Teológica 11 (2017): 23-31.
Book Chapters
· Chapter 3 “La Trinidad en la Iglesia prenicena” and Chapter 5 “Agustín y la Trinidad” in Nicea y la Trinidad: Ensayos en celebración del 1700 aniversario del Concilio de Nicea (Salem, OR: Kerigma, 2025): 109-142; 169-180.
