Andrews University Professor Wins Scholar of the Year Award in Europe

Bohdan Kuryliak, project and event manager at the Center for Adventist Research at Andrews University and associate professor in the Department of Theology, has received the Scholar of the Year award from the Ukrainian Institute of Arts and Sciences. The award took place after he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, “Preterism, Idealism, Historicism, or Futurism? Interpretative Issues of the Apocalypse and Its Reception in Antiquity and Late Antiquity,” at the University of Zurich.

Having studied the book of Revelation, apocalyptic literature, the New Testament, and early Christianity, Kuryliak has comprehensive experience in theological and philosophical research and has more than 10 published articles in peer-reviewed journals. His dissertation focuses on biblical hermeneutics—the study and methodology of interpreting biblical texts—concerning the book of Revelation as an apocalyptic text.

The four major hermeneutical approaches mentioned in the dissertation title have been utilized throughout history to varying degrees and combinations. The approach of preterism views the apocalyptic events of Revelation as having happened at the time of its writing during the first century. In contrast, an idealist approach emphasizes the struggle between good and evil, portraying the Apocalypse as a symbolic event from which individuals can take practical implications. Historicism views the events of Revelation as a prophetic account of the happenings in church history between its writing and the second coming of Jesus Christ. Last, a futurist approach views Revelation as a prophecy of events at the end of earth’s history.

Kuryliak explores the critical involvement of each approach in shaping the early church’s interpretations of Revelation from the second to seventh centuries. “To some extent, all early Christians combined preterist, idealist, historicist, and futurist perspectives. Although commentators used different combinations of hermeneutical approaches, none denied the prophetic nature of the Apocalypse and its connection to history. The findings of the study highlight not only the enduring relevance of Revelation’s symbols in various contexts but also the role of exegetical diversity in reflecting the book’s profound theological dimensions,” he explains.

Kuryliak’s recent completion of doctoral studies in theology at the University of Zurich follows an extensive educational background, including a Bachelor of Theology and Bachelor of Philosophy in religious studies from the Ukrainian Adventist Center of Higher Education, a Master of Religious Studies from the National University of Ostroh Academy, and a Master of Arts in religion from Andrews University. While pursuing his Ph.D., he also spent time at Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark, and the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, as a visiting scholar. 

The original version of this story was posted on the Andrews University news site.