Vincent Pizzuto

The Rev. Vincent Pizzuto, PhD, is an Episcopal priest and Professor of New Testament and Christian Mysticism in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Francisco. He received his PhD (STD) in New Testament Exegesis from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (2003).

Seeking to link ancient Christian tradition with contemporary faith, his core courses explore the relationship between historical-critical methods of exegesis and theological interpretations of Scripture—both ancient and modern. Likewise, he offers courses in the Christian mystical tradition, emphasizing engaged contemplative practice in conversation with patristic and medieval literature on the Christian spiritual life.

Fr. Pizzuto has published and presented internationally. His books and journal articles emphasize the relationship between New Testament exegesis and Christian theology as they impact some of the most pressing and controversial issues in our Church and society today: climate change, terrorism, marriage equality, inter-spiritual dialogue, and the intersection between scripture and the Christian contemplative life.

Complementing his teaching and writing agendas at USF, Fr. Pizzuto serves as Vicar of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church & Retreat House in the beautiful environs of Inverness, California, where he works for the advancement of contemplative Christianity. Drawing from his rich pastoral and theological background, he seeks to bring the richness of the Christian intellectual tradition to bear on his mission and ministry.

• Historical-Critical Exegesis
• New Testament Spirituality
• Christian Mysticism and Contemplative Practice
• Cosmic Christology
• Sustainable Theology

• Coordinator, Ignatian Faculty Forum

• PhD (STD), 2003, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

• University of San Francisco, Ignatian Service Award, 2014

• Contemplar a Cristo. Los Evangelios y la Vida Interior. Desclée De Brouwer, 2022.
• Contemplating Christ: The Gospels and the Interior Life. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2018.
• A Cosmic Leap of Faith: An Authorial, Structural, and Theological Investigation of the Cosmic Christology in Col 1:15-20, Contributions to Biblical Exegesis and Theology 41. Leuven: Peeters, 2006.
• "The Deus Absconditus of Scripture: An Apophatic Hermeneutic for Christian Contemplatives" Biblical Theology Bulletin 44:2 (Spring 2014), 100–108.
• "The Structural Elegance of Matthew 1-2: A Chiastic Proposal" Catholic Biblical Quarterly (October 2012), 712–737. 
• "Colossae," in Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception, Walter de Gruyter Publishing House, 2012.
• "Epistle to the Colossians," in Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception, Walter de Gruyter Publishing House, 2012. 
• "Ecological Hermeneutic of Col 1:15-20: A Panentheistic Proposal," in Confronting the Climate Crisis: Catholic Theological Perspectives, Jame Shaefer, ed., Maquette: University Press, 2011.
• "Christianity and Homosexuality" in Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, SAGE Publications, 2009.
• "God Has Made it Plain To Them: An Indictment of Rome's Hermeneutic of Homophobia," Biblical Theology Bulletin 38:4 (Winter 2008), 163–83.
• "Religious Terror and the Prophetic Voice of Reason: Unmasking our Myths of Righteousness, Biblical Theology Bulletin 37:2 (Summer 2007), 47–53.