Thomas P. Scheck

Thomas P. Scheck received his PhD from the University of Iowa in 2004 in Interdisciplinary Studies: Religion, Classics and Philosophy. His dissertation was entitled: "The Reception of Origen's Exegesis of Romans in the Latin West," which built upon the research undertaken in his first English translation of Origen's Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, 2 volumes (Fathers of the Church 103, 104, The Catholic University of America Press, 2001, 2002). The dissertation was published as a book under the title: Origen and the History of Justification (University of Notre Dame Press, 2008). From 2004-2006 Dr. Scheck was a Post-Doctoral Research Associate and Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Notre Dame, where he also taught in the Theology and Classics Departments, and where he undertook several new translations of St. Jerome's and Origen's writings.

For 16 years (2006-2022) Dr. Scheck taught Latin, Scripture and Theology at Ave Maria University in Florida. In 2013 he was promoted to Associate Professor of Classics and Theology. Dr. Scheck has long been a Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology of Steubenville, Ohio. In July 2022, Dr. Scheck became an Upper School Latin Teacher at Naples Classical Academy in Naples, Florida. His research interests have continued to focus on translating and expounding the Latin Church Fathers, in particular Origen of Alexandria (d. 254) (as translated into Latin by Jerome and Rufinus of Aquileia), St. Jerome of Stridon (d. 419), St. Chromatius of Aquileia, Pelagius, Julian of Eclanum. He has also translated and researched important works of 16th century Catholic scholars such as Erasmus of Rotterdam (d. 1536) -- see: Erasmus's Life of Origen, and St. John Fisher (d. 1535) -- see: A Defense of Free Will against Luther by St. John Fisher.

Dr. Scheck has recently completed a new English translation of the Latin Tractates of the Spanish bishop, St. Gregory of Elvira (d. ca. 400) which is scheduled to be published in 2026 with Newman/Paulist Press in the Ancient Christian Writers series. He is currently working on a new translation of Rufinus of Aquileia's work, De benedictionibus patriarcharum, On the Blessings of the Patriarchs (a commentary on Genesis 49), a work composed by Rufinus at the request of St. Paulinus of Nola.

Dr. Scheck grew up in Bettendorf, Iowa.