COMING LATE 2026 — NEW TITLE IN CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Teaching for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty: Medieval Voices for the Future of Classical Christian Education (Cascade, forthcoming 2026)
RECENT RELEASE IN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY
Scripting the Son: Scriptural Exegesis and the Making of Early Christology (Studies in Early Christology; Cascade, 2024)
“Scripting the Son expands our understanding of the forces that shaped early Christology…After gleaning lines from the major sources of early Christianity, he reconstructs a comprehensive ‘script’ of the inter-trinitarian theodrama, a tool which will be of help to scholars, clergy, and interested laity.”
—David E. Wilhite, Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University
“In his new book, Kyle Hughes pulls back the ancient exegetical curtain so we can watch the performance of Scripture and Christology in the early church…Anyone interested in patristic exegesis, biblical interpretation, or Christology should pick up a copy and follow along with the script.”
—Stephen Presley, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Kyle Hughes continues his groundbreaking work on prosopological exegesis and the early church in this newest venture, Scripting the Son…The result is a valuable resource about early Christology in the New Testament and pre-Nicene Christianity–areas in continual need of deep study.”
—Brandon D. Smith, Oklahoma Baptist University
“[An] excellent exploration of second- and third-century exegetes…Highly recommended!”
—Joel Scandrett, Trinity Anglican Seminary
“In Scripting the Son, Kyle Hughes offers a rich and comprehensive theological exploration.”
—Matthew W. Bates, Northern Seminary
In Scripting the Son, Kyle R. Hughes analyzes how dialogical texts in the Old Testament presented early Christian exegetes with riddles that were best solved through a person-centered reading strategy known as prosopological exegesis. From the method’s roots in the pages of the New Testament through its increasingly careful application in the hands of church fathers such as Justin, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen, this book traces how prosopological exegesis contributed to the development of Christology in the pre-Nicene period. By examining the origins and evolution of this approach to biblical interpretation, Hughes demonstrates how the very words of Scripture exerted a pressure for a trinitarian understanding of God that was rooted in the Old Testament and aligned with the emerging rule of faith, exemplifying the dynamic interplay between biblical interpretation and doctrinal formulation in the early centuries of Christianity.
Scripting the Son was published by Cascade in its Studies in Early Christology series in November 2024 and features a foreword by notable patristics scholar Shawn J. Wilhite of California Baptist University. Check out Cascade’s page here or order from Amazon here.
RECENT RELEASE IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Teaching for Spiritual Formation: A Patristic Approach to Christian Education in a Convulsed Age (Cascade, 2022)
“A brilliant take on the ways in which our educational imaginations can be expanded by wisdom and practices of these early Christian leaders…both thought-provoking and incredibly practical.”
—David Setran, Price-LeBar Chair of Christian Formation & Ministry, Wheaton College, Christian Education Journal
“[Hughes] moves back and forth easily and convincingly between patristic theology and our current education environment, displaying a sound grasp both of the ancient writers drawn upon and also of the challenges and possibilities inherent in modern classrooms.”
—John Sullivan, Emeritus Professor of Theology, Liverpool Hope University, Irish Theological Quarterly
“If we are to sustain wisdom in teaching, we need more conversations like this, thoughtful conversations with the best of those who have taught before.”
—David I. Smith, Director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning and Professor of Education, Calvin University, from the foreword
Teaching for Spiritual Formation: A Patristic Approach to Christian Education in a Convulsed Age advances a fresh vision of Christian teaching and learning by drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, synthesizing the wisdom of the church fathers with contemporary efforts to cultivate a distinctively Christian approach to education. Of interest to a wide range of Christian educators, veteran classroom educator and scholar of early Christianity Kyle R. Hughes examines the writings of five significant church fathers whose writings have the potential to stimulate our ability to reimagine five different aspects of Christian education and to consider what kinds of habits and practices can help bring this new vision to life.
Topics explored include the vocation of teachers as spiritual directors, the characteristics of students as embodied learners, the role of curriculum in training in virtue, the relationship between pedagogy and formative practices, and strategies for lasting catechesis. Featured ancient texts include those written by Gregory the Great, John Chrysostom, Basil of Caesarea, Benedict of Nursia, and Cyril of Jerusalem. Teaching for Spiritual Formation was published by Cascade in January 2022 and features a foreword by one of the leading authorities on Christian education today, David I. Smith of Calvin University and the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning. For more information, see Cascade’s book page here, or order a copy from Amazon here.
ALSO AVAILABLE
How the Spirit Became God: The Mosaic of Early Christian Pneumatology (Cascade, 2020)
“No study is as up to date with early patristic readings of the Spirit in the Bible than Kyle R. Hughes’ new book, How the Spirit Became God. Quite the book!”
—Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary, Jesus Creed
“The book is a pleasure to read. […] Hughes has made a valuable contribution to the ongoing exploration of this inexhaustible topic.”
—Janet Sidaway, Visiting Research Fellow, King’s College London, Journal of Theological Studies
“The strengths of this book are legion—from its succinctness to its clarity to its theological precision—but its greatest contribution is its avoidance of generalizing early pneumatological development. […] This book is recommended for anyone seeking to understand how and why Christians confess the Holy Spirit’s full divinity.”
—Brandon D. Smith, Assistant Professor of Theology and New Testament, Cedarville University, Southwestern Journal of Theology
How the Spirit Became God: The Mosaic of Early Christian Pneumatology tells the often-neglected story of how and why the early church came to recognize that the Holy Spirit was a distinct divine person. While the subject of Christ’s divinity is a popular topic in church and academy alike, the notion of the Spirit’s divinity remains a mysterious yet intriguing question for many Christians today. Focusing on major pneumatological innovations from Pentecost through the Council of Constantinople in 381, Hughes examines how biblical interpretation and the lived experience of the Spirit contributed to the development of this important, and yet often overlooked, aspect of trinitarian theology. This book not only explains, from a historical yet accessible perspective, the development of early Christian pneumatology but also challenges readers to apply these insights from the church fathers to engaging with the person of the Holy Spirit today.
Major writers and texts analyzed in the book include the Johannine literature, the Pauline corpus, the Epistle of Barnabas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons, Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius, Didymus the Blind, and Basil of Caesarea. How the Spirit Became God was published by Cascade in April 2020 and features a foreword by renowned New Testament scholar Matthew W. Bates. For more information, see Cascade’s book page here, or order a copy from Amazon here.
ALSO AVAILABLE
The Trinitarian Testimony of the Spirit: Prosopological Exegesis and the Development of Pre-Nicene Pneumatology (VCSup 147; Brill, 2018)
“Extraordinary…one of those rare breakthrough books that will reshape both historical and systematic theology. Read it.”
—Matthew W. Bates, Associate Professor of Theology, Quincy University, OnScript
In The Trinitarian Testimony of the Spirit, Kyle R. Hughes offers a new approach to the development of early Christian pneumatology by focusing on how Justin, Irenaeus, and Tertullian linked the Holy Spirit with testimony to the deity and lordship of the Father and the Son. Drawing extensively on recent studies of prosopological exegesis and divine testimony in the ancient world, Hughes demonstrates how these three pre-Nicene Christian writers utilized Scripture and the conventions of ancient rhetoric and exegesis to formulate a highly innovative approach to the Holy Spirit that would contribute to the identification of the Spirit as the third person of the Trinity.
See further Brill’s page on the book here.
ABOUT KYLE HUGHES
The Rev. Dr. Kyle R. Hughes (PhD, Radboud University Nijmegen) is a scholar-pastor-teacher specializing in the study of early Christianity and working to mine the riches of patristic theology for the modern church and for Christian schools. Kyle’s primary theological interests include the development of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, spiritual formation in the Anglican tradition, and Christian teaching and learning. He is the author of the books Scripting the Son (Cascade, 2024), Teaching for Spiritual Formation (Cascade, 2022), How the Spirit Became God (Cascade, 2020), and The Trinitarian Testimony of the Spirit (Brill, 2018). His current book project, Teaching for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty: Medieval Voices for the Future of Classical Christian Education, is expected out in late 2026 from Cascade.
His academic articles on topics related to the New Testament, patristics, and Christian education have appeared in Novum Testamentum, Vigiliae Christianae, Journal of Early Christian History, and International Journal of Christianity and Education. His popular writing has appeared in Anglican Compass, Classis, Credo Magazine, Modern Reformation, The North American Anglican, Word & Sacrament, and a wide range of blogs related to theology and Christian education. Kyle is a frequent speaker at both academic conferences and professional development workshops, where he enjoys helping audiences connect their work and study with insights from their Christian heritage.
Kyle is actively involved in a number of Anglican theological initiatives, and has taught or served in various capacities at Trinity Anglican Seminary, Reformed Episcopal Seminary, and Cranmer House Theological Seminary. Additionally, he serves on the ACNA Catechesis Task Force and is a member of the Society of Anglican Theologians. An ordained deacon in the Reformed Episcopal Church (ACNA), Kyle works as Dean of Academics at The Stonehaven School in Marietta, Georgia.
Kyle, his wife Karisa, and their three children live in Powder Springs, Georgia. Follow him on Twitter @KyleRHughes10.
ABOUT THIS SITE
All updates to this site are published on the “Blog” tab above; be sure to click the “Follow” button on any page to get updates delivered directly to your inbox. The tabs on Anglicanism, Christian teaching, and early Christianity will take you to pages where previous posts have been collected and where helpful links and information on these subjects have been made available. You can also peruse my published work on the publications tab above.
As for why this site is sub-titled “Early Christian Archives,” the name is taken from a famous passage in Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Philadelphians, where he recounts the following exchange with some opponents: “For I heard some people saying, ‘If I do not find it in the archives [τοῖς ἀρχειοῖς] I do not believe it in the gospel.’ And when I said to them, ‘It is written,’ they answered me, ‘That is the point at issue.’ But to me the archives [τὰ ἀρχεῖα] are Jesus Christ, the inviolable archives [τὰ ἀρχεῖα] are his cross and death and his resurrection and the faith that is through him” (Ign. Phil. 8.2). Most scholars understand the first reference to “the archives” to refer to the Hebrew (or Old Testament) Scriptures. As such, this passage provides a glimpse into early Christian attempts to make sense of the sacred texts of Judaism in light of the Christ event, and reflects this site’s interest in early Christian hermeneutics, and how the first Christians read, wrote, and interpreted Scriptural texts.
Kyle R. Hughes 