Hoklotubbe featured in article about Choctaw Bibles, Indigenous languages

Assistant Professor of Classics Chris Hoklotubbe was featured in an article, “Choctaw Bibles Connect Christians with Native American Heritage,” in Christianity Today–an international media organization founded in 1956.

In the article Hoklotubbe, a New Testament scholar and enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation (Oklahoma), shares the importance of preserving Indigenous languages in the context of bible translations.

“The heart of a culture is in its language. The hope is that Indigenous people will read … the Bible in their own language, which will revitalize the language,” Hoklotubbe said in the article. 

This September, Hoklotubbe will travel to Mississippi to offer his expertise in biblical Greek and history to a team of Choctaw elders and leaders who are translating the New Testament into modern Choctaw.

Hoklotubbe is also researching and writing a book about Native American interpretations of the Bible and has traveled around the U.S. to interview tribal leaders. The book is due to be published by InterVarsity Press in Fall 2025. He was also featured recently in a podcast by InterVarsity Press celebrating the publication of “The Dictionary of Paul and his Letters.” In the episode, the host, New Testament scholar Scot McKnight, welcomes Hoklotubbe to discuss his essay on “savior” which he contributed to the volume and the impact of personal experiences upon how we fill in the gaps of biblical stories.

Hoklotubbe has taught at Cornell College since 2017 and in 2024-25 will teach courses on Classical Mythology, Religion in American Politics, and the off-campus course in Spain–Pilgrimage: Camino de Santiago.