Frederick Fyvie Bruce

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Frederick Fyvie Bruce , known as FF Bruce (born October 12, 1910 in Elgin , Scotland , † September 11, 1990 in Buxton , Derbyshire , England ), was a Scottish evangelical theologian , considered by some authors to be one of the most influential New Testament scholars in the British Theology of the 20th century.

Life

Bruce was the son of a preacher of the Brethren movement and an active member of the open Plymouth Brethren throughout his life, even if he did not approve of the dispensationalism belonging to the doctrine of the Brethren movement .

He studied Greek and Latin in 1928–32 in Aberdeen and 1932–34 in Cambridge , then Indo-European philology in Vienna until 1935 ; as a student he received numerous awards. Bruce spoke many languages, including his native Scottish Gaelic , and was editor of Yorkshire Celtic Studies for thirteen years (1945-58) .

He began his academic career as an assistant for Greek at the Universities of Edinburgh (1935–38) and Leeds (1938–47). In 1947 he received the call to set up a new department for biblical history and literature at the University of Sheffield , which he headed as professor from 1955, although - according to legend also because - he had never formally studied theology. In 1959 he became John Rylands Professor of Biblical Studies and Exegesis at Manchester University . In this position he supervised more theses on biblical studies than any other professor of his generation. He is said to have a very great knowledge of the Bible; For example, students report that he quoted both the Hebrew and Greek original texts as well as several English translations of the Bible by heart in lectures. In 1978 he retired.

Bruce was among the few theologians who were recognized by their peers as both Old Testament and New Testament scholars. He is one of two theologians who chaired both the Society for Old Testament Studies (1965) and the Society for New Testament Studies (1975).

From the late 1950s Bruce traveled - apart from Europe - to lectures in North America, Australia and East Africa. In 1973 he was elected a member ( Fellow ) of the British Academy .

theology

Bruce saw no fundamental contradiction between the creeds of historical Christianity and modern biblical studies. He worked with liberal and conservative Christians, Jews and atheists. He attached great importance to his independence, which is why he preferred to work at a secular university over a denominational university.

In his personal demeanor he was known as an evangelical. He was an avid supporter of the InterVarsity student evangelical movement and was co-editor of Christianity Today for over 20 years (1956–78) .

In contrast to the majority of the evangelicals of his generation, he was a determined fighter for equal rights for women in church service because of his interpretation of the Pauline letters.

Works

"Are the New Testament Documents Reliable?" (German: "Are the New Testament documents reliable?" ), Bruce's first book, appeared in 1943 and was widely distributed. Since then it has been reprinted eight times, revised several times and translated into many languages. It is listed as one of the top fifty evangelical books by the leading evangelical magazine Christianity Today .

Bruce's first major work was a technical-scientific commentary on the Greek text of the Acts of the Apostles in 1951, which emphasized the historical and linguistic aspects more than the theological ones. A second comment from 1954 was devoted more to theology and interpretation and less for scholars than for pastors and preachers. These two commentaries formed the pattern for various series of evangelical Bible commentaries that appeared over the next fifty years, including many by his former students.

Books (selection)

  • Are the New Testament Documents Reliable? Inter-Varsity Fellowship, London 1943, 2 1946, 3 1950, 4 1954, 5 1960 (from now on under the title The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? ), 6 1981, 7 2000, 8 2003. ISBN 0-8028- 2219-3
  • The Hittites and the Old Testament . (PDF; 110 kB) Tyndale Old Testament Lecture, 1947. Tyndale Press, London 1948.
  • The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Press, London 1951, 2 1952, 3 1990.
  • The Spreading Flame: The Rise and Progress of Christianity from Its First Beginnings to the Conversion of the English. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids (MI) 1953, 2 1958, 3 1981. ISBN 0-8028-1805-6
  • Commentary on the Book of the Acts: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition, and Notes (New International Commentary on the New Testament). Eerdmans, Grand Rapids (MI) 1954, 2 1972, 3 1988. ISBN 0-8028-2182-0
  • Second Thoughts on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Paternoster Press, London 1956, 2 1961, 3 1966. ISBN 0-85364-017-3
  • (with EK Simpson :) Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colossians: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes (New International Commentary on the New Testament). Eerdmans, Grand Rapids (MI) 1957.
  • The Teacher of Righteousness in the Qumran Texts . (PDF; 137 kB) Tyndale Press, London 1957.
  • Biblical Exegesis in the Qumran Texts . (PDF; 392 kB) Tyndale Press, London 1960.
  • The English Bible: A History of Translations. Lutterworth Press, London 1961, 2 1970, 3 1978 (under the title History of the Bible in English, from the Earliest Versions ). ISBN 0-19-520088-8
  • The Epistle to the Romans (Tyndale New Testament Commentary). Tyndale Press, London 1963. ISBN 0-8028-1405-0
  • The Epistle to the Hebrews (New International Commentary on the New Testament). Eerdmans, Grand Rapids (MI) 1964, 2 1990. ISBN 0-8028-2514-1
  • An Expanded Paraphrase of the Epistles of Paul. Paternoster Press, Exeter 1965. ISBN 0-88021-016-8
  • This Is That: The New Testament Development of Some Old Testament Themes. Paternoster Press, Exeter 1968. ISBN 0-8028-1729-7
  • The Epistles of John: Introduction, Exposition and Notes. Pickering & Inglis, London 1970. ISBN 0-8028-1783-1
  • 1 and 2 Corinthians (New Century Bible Commentary). Oliphants, London 1971. ISBN 0-8028-1839-0
  • The Message of the New Testament . Paternoster Press, Exeter 1972. ISBN 0-8028-1525-1
  • The 'Secret' Gospel of Mark. The Ethel M. Wood Lecture Delivered before the University of London on February 11, 1974 . (PDF; 176 kB) Athlone Press, London 1974. ISBN 0-485-14318-6
  • Jesus and Christian Origins outside the New Testament. Hodder & Stoughton, London 1974. ISBN 0-8028-1575-8
  • Paul: Apostle of the Free Spirit. Paternoster Press, Exeter 1977. ISBN 1-84227-027-3
  • Men and Movements in the Primitive Church: Studies in Early Non-Pauline Christianity. Paternoster Press, Exeter 1979. ISBN 0-85364-705-4
  • Places They Knew: Jesus and Paul. Ark, London 1981. ISBN 0-8407-5281-4
  • The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary). Paternoster Press, Exeter 1982. ISBN 0-8028-2387-4
  • 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Word Biblical Commentary). Word, Waco / London 1982. ISBN 0-8499-0244-4
  • The Hard Sayings of Jesus. Hodder & Stoughton, London 1983. ISBN 0-87784-927-7
  • The Gospel of John. Pickering, Basingstoke 1983. ISBN 0-8028-0883-2
  • The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon and to the Ephesians (New International Commentary on the New Testament). Eerdmans, Grand Rapids (MI) 1984. ISBN 0-8028-2510-9
  • The Canon of Scripture. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove (IL) 1988. ISBN 0-8308-1258-X
  • Philippians (New International Biblical Commentary). Paternoster Press, Carlisle 1989. ISBN 0-943575-15-X

Article (selection)

literature

  • FF Bruce: In Retrospect: Remembrance of Things Past. Pickering & Inglis, London 1980 (autobiography).
  • WW Gasque: Bruce, F (rederick) F (yvie) . In: Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters . Edited by Donald K. McKim. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove (IL) 1998. pp. 444-449.
  • Tim Grass: FF Bruce. A life. Paternoster, Milton Keynes 2011. ISBN 978-1-84227-737-9

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bruce M. Metzger : Review of In Retrospect: Remembrance of Things Past
  2. ^ I. Howard Marshall: FF Bruce as a Biblical Scholar (PDF; 107 kB)
  3. ↑ David Ewert: Review of In Retrospect: Remembrance of Things Past
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j W. W. Gasque: Bruce, F (rederick) F (yvie) , in: Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters , 1998
  5. ^ Deceased Fellows. British Academy, accessed May 10, 2020 .
  6. ↑ The German edition also appeared under the title "The Credibility of the Writings of the New Testament" [TELOS-Verlag, 1976]
  7. ^ The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals , Christianity Today , October 2006
personal data
SURNAME Bruce, Frederick Fyvie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bruce, FF; Bruce, Frederick F.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Evangelical theologian, New Testament scholar
DATE OF BIRTH October 12, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Elgin , Scotland
DATE OF DEATH September 11, 1990
Place of death Buxton (Derbyshire)