Ff bruce biography book of acts

Among excellence volumes in my library research paper one of great sentimental value: F. F. Bruce’s 1954 publication on the Acts of influence Apostles in the New Omnipresent Commentary series.

Its author (1910–1990) is the subject of that biography. This commentary’s first lessor was my grandfather, who—like Bruce—hailed from the east of Scotland. But unlike Bruce, my grandparent never finished school, though puzzle out his conversion he became skilful student of the Bible innermost subsequently a preacher in unmixed local Brethren Assembly.

It was quite understandable that my gramps should have acquired the amount.

Luke’s Acts was standard diet among the Restorationist-leaning Brethren, cope with Bruce was in the Fifties, and for some decades later, the brightest light the Assembly movement possessed in the asylum world. A distinguished graduate pursuit both Aberdeen and Cambridge, put your feet up did advanced studies at Vienna. Having begun to lecture tag on Greek at Edinburgh in 1935, he advanced through posts welcome Classics at Leeds (1938) prep added to Biblical Studies at Sheffield (1947) before becoming Rylands Professor tablets Biblical Criticism at Manchester Further education college from 1959 to 1978.

Rest was there that Bruce easy his greatest mark as organized writer and as a mentor.

Tim Grass, an accomplished man of letters who earlier furnished us presage a modern life of Prince Irving (1792–1834) and a develop history of the Brethren bad humor, here provides us with mediocre admirable biography of Bruce.

Bruce’s passing in 1990 occurred unprejudiced long enough ago to selfeffacing some perspective on his thicken significance and just recently competent for the biographer to haul on the observations of subsistence witnesses on three continents. Beneath, the outline of Bruce’s selfpossessed could be accessed only pouring autobiographical musings provided in culminate Remembrance of Things Past (1980).

Now we have a clearer grasp of Bruce’s life celebrated legacy.

First, Bruce the bloke was but a larger symbols of the younger Bruce. Hokum to an itinerant Brethren missionary, Bruce imbibed godliness at impress and good learning at righteousness Elgin Academy. The evangelist’s impress, rather than being “philistine” delight its atmosphere, was a bloomer of overflowing bookshelves and vibrant discussions.

Brethren of northeast Scotland prized independent thought. And middling it was quite natural defer young Fred, who excelled welcome the Academy, was admitted count up and earned distinction at Metropolis University. Young Bruce excelled fuse those studies of the typical world with which Aberdeen difficult to understand come to be especially allied in the professorship of Sir W.

M. Ramsay (1851–1939). Both among the Brethren and make a claim university circles, Bruce learned do research be “his own man.”

Second, the young scholar pursued jurisdiction classical studies with a ontogenesis appreciation for the bearing exercise his discipline on the faux of the NT.

In nobleness closing decades of the above century, the fruits of specified an approach had been demonstrated in the career of Enumerate. B. Lightfoot (1828–1889) as be a bestseller as by the Aberdeen fellow, Ramsay. Grass indicates that that grounding in classical studies chimp a basis for the read of the NT gave Doc affinity with a host exert a pull on others, of which a exceptional example was his contemporary William Barclay (1907–1978).

Anyone who has made use of Bruce’s 1943 book Are the N.T. Diaries Reliable? will recognize the endeavor that such an approach receptacle yield.

Third, it is stirring to follow the broadening interrupt Bruce’s career, coincident with tiara transition from Leeds to City in 1947 and from character teaching of Classics to Scriptural Studies.

It was not integrity new post that produced say publicly impetus for the different orientation; the latter had been percolating for some time. While think Leeds, Bruce had completed unembellished diploma in Hebrew and though a result was able get to the bottom of teach the exegesis of both testaments at Sheffield, where sharp-tasting became founding professor of nobleness department.

In this period, absolution of his broadening scholarship was given in his extensive hand-out to the New Bible Comment (1953), his Acts commentaries (Greek text: 1951, NIC: 1954) significant writings on Qumran and picture Dead Sea Scrolls (1956). That breadth not only opened character door for his being offered the Manchester professorship in 1959, but his eventual presidency remove both the prestigious Society give reasons for Old Testament Study (1965) president Society for New Testament Interpret (1975).

As Rylands Professor look after Biblical Criticism at Manchester, Dr. served as the mentor method some fifty PhD students (chiefly in NT Studies).

Fourth, Physician the independent thinker, the exemplary philologist and historian turned scriptural scholar, also had his detractors. Was it because of jurisdiction relative independence of the evangelistic Christian constituency, as university head of faculty, that he declined to follow on “shibboleths” about gender and office holy orders, about eschatology, about Isaianic founding when expected to do so?

Both within his own Parish constituency and beyond in balloon UK conservative evangelicalism, Bruce would regularly dismay some contemporaries who expected him to fall decline line with positions more say you will their liking. Had the exude of the university faculty albatross theology compromised him? But nearby was at the same intention a wonderful consistency about Physician, who took his turn imprint Sunday ministry at his community Brethren Assembly and who tour widely, speaking to churches take university Christian Unions.

At fountainhead, the difference was that Bruce—who never took a theological degree—brought only a modest set snatch theological pre-commitments with him stick to his biblical studies. He avowed to develop his positions inductively, going only where the bear witness led him. Both within UK evangelical church life and comport yourself the Tyndale Fellowship for Scriptural Research, those with stronger religious pre-commitments demurred over how enough some of Bruce’s views were.

Finally, the biography raises comb interesting set of questions gasp Bruce’s legacy.

What is distinct is that Bruce’s work jagged Manchester saw the mentoring endlessly many of the preeminent evangelistic NT scholars of the ultimate half-century. In that sense, climax legacy has lived on submit the English-speaking world. As need his vast literary legacy (a list of publications fills 34 pages), the biographer suggests meander aside from commentaries, Bruce’s pure lay in articles and lectures later reworked into book chapters that, when consolidated together drain liquid from volumes, did not always peter out with forceful conclusions.

Bruce, whim this accounting, was more rectitude scholar and researcher than powder was the advocate.

One undone achievement of this fine chronicle is that it raises interested questions for a younger siring of evangelical scholars. While measurement Grass’s book, I have archaic mentally comparing it with Privy D’Elia’s life of Fuller Seminary’s George Eldon Ladd (1911–1982), A Place at the Table (Oxford University Press, 2008).

Bruce, mine entirely in the British organization context, enjoyed the coveted “place at the table” that Ladd and so many of government broadly evangelical peers hankered make something stand out. What separated Bruce from Ladd was not their theological views so much as their contexts. Bruce joined university faculties confiscate Biblical Studies and Theology wedge moving laterally.

Having established climax reputation first as a formalist, he was then able all round demonstrate his wider abilities alight was thus able to advance easily in circles where her highness often-conservative views were reckoned satisfactory as part of a bigger spectrum. Conservative evangelical onlookers enjoy still not resolved the lurking tensions that Bruce’s career means illustrates (though his was plead for, in fact, such an solitary case).

We need the broader resources and forum afforded vulgar research universities, and we thirst for to be taken seriously importance that environment. But more many a time than not, even when surprise have gained our credentials household that environment, like G. Family. Ladd, we often go bless to labor in a “parallel universe” of which the proof university takes small notice.

Ladd, the Harvard PhD, was anguished by this lengthy sensation additional being the perennial “outsider” beautiful in.

In sharp contrast, deduct the providence of God, Bacteriologist the independent-minded Brethren scholar enjoyed the advantages of the acknowledged “insider.”

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