Bruce Manning Metzger (1914-2007)
Ian
Torrance
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
George A. Kiraz
James E. Walters
TEI XML encoding by
html2TEI.xsl
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
2007
Vol. 10, No. 2
For this publication, a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
license has been granted by the author(s), who retain full
copyright.
https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/article/hv10n2obmetzger
Ian Torrance
Bruce Manning Metzger (1914-2007)
https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/pdf/vol10/HV10N2OBMetzger.pdf
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute,
vol 10
issue 2
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies is an electronic journal dedicated to the study
of the Syriac tradition, published semi-annually (in January and July) by Beth
Mardutho: The Syriac Institute. Published since 1998, Hugoye seeks to offer the
best scholarship available in the field of Syriac studies.
Syriac Studies
Bruce Manning Metzger
Princeton
New Testament Translator
File created by XSLT transformation of original HTML encoded article.
[1] Dr.
Bruce Manning Metzger, New Testament professor emeritus at
Princeton Theological Seminary and, I believe, the greatest
American New Testament critic and biblical translator of the
twentieth century, died February 13, 2007, at his home in
Princeton at the age of 93.
[2] Bruce
Metzger was born in Middletown, Pennsylvania on the
9th of February 1914. After gaining a BA from
Lebanon Valley College in 1935, he entered Princeton
Theological Seminary, graduating with a ThB in 1938. So began a
life-long association with Princeton Theological Seminary
during which Bruce Metzger became not only a legend himself but
also one of the school’s greatest intellectual ornaments.
He was ordained in the United Presbyterian Church (now the
PC[USA]) in 1939. In 1944 he married Isobel Elizabeth, the
elder daughter of John Alexander Mackay, the great Third
President of the Seminary, who rebuilt and revitalized the
school after the divisions of the 1920s. Bruce Metzger’s
sheer brilliance, clarity and Christian devotion set a standard
all of his own. He taught while he continued to study
(Princeton University, MA[1940], Ph.D. [1942], Classics),
serving as Teaching Fellow in New Testament Greek 1938-40 and
as Instructor in New Testament 1940-44. He was appointed
Assistant Professor 1944-48; Associate Professor 1948-54 and
Professor 1954-84. He was named the George L. Collord Professor
of New Testament Language and Literature in 1964. He retired in
1984 and was named professor emeritus.
[3] An
absolutely preeminent New Testament scholar, Metzger was known
internationally for his work in biblical translation and the
history of the Bible’s versions and canonization. He was
one of the world leaders in textual study of the New Testament,
the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha. He served as Chair of the
Committee on Translation of the American Bible Society 1964-70,
and as Chair of the Committee of Translators for the New
Revised Standard Version of the Bible 1977-90. The impact
of this work is incalculable and Bruce Metzger saw it through
the press almost single-handedly. The NRSV, published in 1990,
made changes to the RSV in paragraph structure and
construction, eliminated archaisms while retaining the
Tyndale-King James tradition, polished renderings in the
interest of accuracy, clarity, and felicity of English
expression, and eliminated masculine language referring to
people, insofar as this did not distort historical accuracy. In
1993 Bruce Metzger presented a copy of the NRSV, Catholic
Edition, to Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. Bruce Metzger
understood and was passionate about the significance of
biblical translation for ecumenical dialogue. In 1957 he served
on the committee that translated the Apocrypha (the committee
comprised the original RSV Committee plus Metzger, Floyd
Filson, Robert Pfeiffer, and Allen Wikgren). In 1972 he chaired
the sub-committee that translated 3 and 4 Maccabees and Psalm
151 for an expanded version of the Apocrypha. He personally
presented this expanded version to His All Holiness Demetrios I
in 1976. It was important to him that Roman Catholic, Greek
Orthodox, and Protestant Christians be able to have recourse to
a common biblical text as an instrument of unity.
[4] Bruce
Metzger cared about and provided for his students. Generations
have been grateful for his Lists of Words Occurring
Frequently in the Coptic New Testament, and his Lexical
Aids for Students of New Testament Greek (first published
in 1946) became a standard study tool. He edited The Oxford
Annotated Bible in 1962, and in 1966, along with Kurt
Aland, Matthew Black and Allen Wikgren, edited the United Bible
Societies’ edition of the Greek New Testament. This text,
especially adapted to meet the needs of Bible translators, with
its beautiful original font and indication of the relative
degree of certainty for each variant adopted in the text,
proved to be an enduring landmark. The editors were later
joined by Carlo Martini (the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan from
1980 to 2002). A warm friendship grew between Metzger and
Matthew Black, the doyen of Scottish text-critical scholars.
The honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from St Andrews
University was bestowed on Bruce Metzger in 1964, and all Scots
are moved by seeing that he is wearing his St Andrews tie in
his portrait in the Speer Library.
[5] There
were other honors. In 1994, Bruce Metzger was awarded the
Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies by The British Academy in
London (of which he had been a Corresponding Fellow since
1978). This is only awarded in recognition of a lifetime of
distinguished Biblical study. Bruce Metzger was elected
president of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (1971),
the International Society of Biblical Literature (1971), and
was the first president of the North American Patristic Society
(1972). He was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in
Princeton (1969 and 1974) and visiting fellow at Clare Hall,
Cambridge (1974) and Wolfson College, Oxford (1979).
[6] There
were many other books, among which the classic studies The
Text of the New Testament, its Transmission, Corruption and
Restoration (1964, and translated into German, Japanese,
Korean, Chinese, Italian and Russian) and The Early Versions
of the New Testament, their Origin, Transmission, and
Limitations (1977) have been particularly influential.
Bruce Metzger’s last publication before his death was
Apostolic Letters of Faith, Hope, and Love: Galatians, 1
Peter, and I John (2006).
[7] Bruce
Metzger cared passionately about the Bible, and in 1982 became
the general editor of the Reader’s Digest Condensed
Bible. He lectured throughout the nation and the world, in
North and South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Korea,
Japan, and South Africa, often at churches and universities
where his former students ministered and taught. He was awarded
honorary doctorates by Lebanon Valley College, Findlay College,
St. Andrews University, the University of Münster, and
Potchefstroom University in South Africa.
[8] A Bible
autographed by Bruce Metzger is sealed in the time capsule
embedded in the corner of Scheide Hall.
[9] Despite
all his distinctions, Bruce Metzger never lost his modesty, or
his courteous welcome, genuine interest in and encouragement
for much younger scholars. He was a warm and supportive
colleague within the Seminary and beloved by many scholars and
lay people here in Princeton and throughout the world.
[10]
Bruce Metzger is survived by his wife Isobel and his sons John
Mackay Metzger and James Bruce Metzger. A memorial service to
give thanks for Bruce Metzger’s life was held on Tuesday,
20th February at 2.00pm in Nassau Presbyterian
Church.