Walter Brueggemann

Walter Brueggemann
Walter Brueggemann
Born	March 11, 1933 (age 90); Tilden, Nebraska, US
Education	Elmhurst College,; Eden Theological Seminary,; Union Theological Seminary,; Saint Louis University
Occupation	Professor of Theology
Ordained	United Church of Christ
Writings	Over one hundred books, dozens of scholarly articles, largely on rhetorical criticism
Offices held	Professor of Theology, Eden Theological Seminary (1961-1986); Professor of Theology, Columbia Theological Seminary (1986-2003); William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary (2003-present)
Website	www.walterbrueggemann.com

Last updated November 17, 2023

Walter Brueggemann (born March 11, 1933) is an American Protestant Old Testament scholar and theologian who is widely considered one of the most influential Old Testament scholars of the last several decades.^[1] His work often focuses on the Hebrew prophetic tradition and sociopolitical imagination of the Church. He argues that the Church must provide a counter-narrative to the dominant forces of consumerism, militarism, and nationalism.^[2]^[3]

Career

Brueggemann was born in Tilden, Nebraska in 1933. He received an A.B. from Elmhurst College (1955), a B.D. from Eden Theological Seminary (1958), a Th.D. from Union Theological Seminary, New York (1961), and Ph.D. from Saint Louis University (in 1974). The son of a minister of the German Evangelical Synod of North America, he was ordained in the United Church of Christ. He was professor of Old Testament (1961–1986) and Dean (1968–1982) at Eden Theological Seminary. Beginning in 1986, he served as William Marcellus McPheeters professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, from which he retired in the early 2000s. Brueggemann currently resides in Traverse City, Michigan (2020). He is the editor of Journal for Preachers.^[5]

Thought

Brueggemann is an advocate and practitioner of rhetorical criticism. He has written more than 58 books, hundreds of articles, and several commentaries on books of the Bible. He is also a contributor to a number of the Living the Questions DVD programs and is featured in the program "Countering Pharaoh's Production-Consumption Society Today."^[6] Brueggemann participated in Bill Moyers' 1990s PBS television series on Genesis (documented in Genesis: A Living Conversation. Main Street Books, 1997. ISBN 0-385-49043-7).^{[ page needed ]}

Originally a strong supporter of modern day Israel and its biblical claims, Brueggemann later repudiated Israel for its exploitation of "ancient promises" to create a "toxic ideology," and now affirms his belief that it is not anti-Semitic to stand up for justice for Palestinians.^[7]

Brueggemann is known throughout the world for his method of combining literary and sociological modes when reading the Bible. V. S. Parrish categorized Brueggemann as being an exegete and theologian.^[8] As an exegete he has composed several commentaries (Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, 1 and 2 Samuel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah). His most notable work was on the book of Psalms, and he has written many monographs and articles on specific portions of the Hebrew Bible. For example, he believes that lament is lacking in current religious faith and practice with detrimental results according to the subject.^[9] As a theologian he has been an editor for the Fortress Press series "Overtures to Biblical Theology". His development of Old Testament theological methods consists of literary mode, social function, and dialectical approach.^{[ clarification needed ]} Titles such as "David's Truth in Israel's Imagination and Memory" (1985), "Power, Providence and Personality" (1990), "1 Kings and 2 Kings" (1982c), "The Prophetic Imagination" (1978), and "Hopeful Imagination" (1986) reflect his interest in the prophetic corpus.^[10]

Honors

Among his honors are:

LL.D., DePauw University, 1984
D.D., Virginia Theological Seminary, 1988
D.H.Litt., Doane College, 1990
D.D., Jesuit School of Theology, 1993
D.Litt., Colgate University, 1997
D.H.Litt., Elmhurst College, 1997
D.D., Huron University College, 2014

There is also a festschrift in his honor: God in the Fray: A Tribute to Walter Brueggemann (eds. Tod Linafelt and Timothy Beal, Minneapolis: Fortress Press).

Publications

Abiding Astonishment: Psalms, Modernity, and the Making of History. Westminster John Knox Press. 1991. ISBN 978-0-664-25134-5.
Advent/Christmas; Proclamation 3: Aids for Interpreting the Lessons of the Church Year, Series B. Edited by Elizabeth Achtemeier. Fortress Press, 1984. ISBN 9780800641016
An Unsettling God: The Heart of the Hebrew Bible. Augsburg Fortress, Publishers. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4514-1953-5.
Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann. Fortress Press. 1 December 2002. ISBN 978-1-4514-1954-2.
Belonging and Growing in the Christian Community. Edited by Elizabeth McWhorter. General Assembly Mission Board, Presbyterian Church in the United States, 1979.
The Bible Makes Sense. St Mary's College Press, 1977.
- ---. 2d ed. Franciscan Media, 2003, ISBN 9780867165586
Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism: Living in a Three-Storied Universe. Abingdon Press. 1 July 2011. ISBN 978-1-4267-2214-1.
"The Book of Exodus". In The New Interpreter's Bible. Vol. 1. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994. ISBN.
The Book That Breathes New Life: Scriptural Authority and Biblical Theology. 2005. ISBN.
- The Book that Breathes New Life: Scriptural Authority and Biblical Theology. Fortress Press. 1 January 2011. pp. 171–. ISBN 978-1-4514-1955-9.
Cadences of Home: Preaching Among Exiles. Westminster John Knox Press. 1997. ISBN 978-0-664-25749-1.
The Collected Sermons of Walter Brueggemann. Westminster John Knox Press. 2011. ISBN 978-0-664-23445-4.
A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. January 1998. ISBN 978-0-8028-0280-4.
Confirming Our Faith, Chapters 4,5,7,8,9,18; edited by Larry E Kalp. United Church Press, 1980.
Confronting the Bible: A Resource and Discussion Book for Youth. United Church Press, 1968.
The Creative Word: Canon as a Model for Biblical Education . Fortress Press. 1 January 1982. ISBN 978-1-4514-1957-3.
David's Truth in Israel's Imagination and Memory. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-4514-1958-0.
- ---. 2d ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002. ISBN.
Deuteronomy: Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries. Abingdon Press, 2001. ISBN.
Divine Presence amid Violence: Contextualizing the Book of Joshua. Cascade Books, 2009. ISBN 978-1-60608-089-4.
Easter; Proclamation 4 (Series A). Fortress Press, 1989.
Ethos and Ecumenism: The History of Eden Theological Seminary, 1925-1970. Eden Publishing House, 1975.
The Evangelical Catechism Revisited, 1847-1972. Eden Publishing House, 1972.
Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews, and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land. Synergy Books, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9840760-7-9. Foreword to the book by Mark Braverman.
Finally Comes the Poet: Daring Speech for Proclamation . Fortress Press. 1 January 1989. ISBN 978-1-4514-1961-0.
First and Second Samuel. Westminster John Knox Press. 1990. ISBN 978-0-664-23741-7.
I Kings (Knox Preaching Guides). Edited by John H Hayes. John Knox Press, 1982. ISBN 9780804232128
II Kings (Knox Preaching Guides). Edited by John H Hayes. John Knox Press, 1982.
1 & 2 Kings: Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary. Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2000. ISBN 9781573120654
Genesis. Westminster John Knox Press. 1982. ISBN 978-0-664-23733-2.
Hope Within History . Westminster John Knox Press. 1987. ISBN 978-0-8042-0918-2.
Hopeful Imagination: Prophetic Voices in Exile. Fortress Press. 1 January 1986. ISBN 978-1-4514-1962-7.
In Man We Trust: The Neglected Side of Biblical Faith. John Knox Press, 1972. ISBN 0-8042-0199-4.
Interpretation and Obedience: From Faithful Reading to Faithful Living. Fortress Press. 1 January 1991. ISBN 978-0-8006-2478-1.
An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination. Westminster John Knox Press. 2003. ISBN 978-0-664-22412-7.
Isaiah: 1-39. Westminster John Knox Press. 1998. ISBN 978-0-664-25524-4.
Isaiah: 40-66. Westminster John Knox Press. 1998. ISBN 978-0-664-25791-0.
Israel's Praise: Doxology Against Idolatry and Ideology . Fortress Press. 1988. ISBN 978-1-4514-1965-8.
With George R Beasley-Murray, Jeremiah: Faithfulness in the Midst of Fickleness. The Newell Lectureships II edited by Timothy Dwyer. Warner Press, Inc, 1993.
Journey to the Common Good. Westminster John Knox Press. 1 January 2010. ISBN 978-1-61164-008-3.
The Land: Place as Gift, Promise, and Challenge in Biblical Faith. Fortress Press, 1977,
- ---. 2d ed. Overtures to Biblical Theology. Fortress Press, 2002. ISBN 978-0-8006-3462-9.
Living toward a Vision: Biblical Reflections on Shalom. United Church Press, 1976, 1982. ISBN 9780829806137
Mandate to Difference: An Invitation to the Contemporary Church. Westminster John Knox Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-664-23121-7
Many Voices, One God: Being Faithful in a Pluralistic World. Co-Edited with George Stroup Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998.
The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary . Augsburg Publishing House. 1984. ISBN 0-8066-2120-6.
Old Testament Theology: An Introduction. Abingdon Press. 1 September 2010. ISBN 978-1-4267-2340-7.
Patrick D Miller, ed. (1992). Old Testament Theology: Essays on Structure, Theme, and Text . Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-4514-1969-6.
Out of Babylon. Abingdon Press. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4267-1005-6.
Peace (ubt Series). Chalice Press. 2001. ISBN 978-0-8272-3024-8.
Power, Providence, and Personality: Biblical Insight Into Life and Ministry . Westminster John Knox Press. 1990. ISBN 978-0-664-25138-3.
Prayers for a Privileged People. Abingdon Press. 1 March 2010. ISBN 978-1-4267-1370-5.
Praying the Psalms. St Mary's College Press, 1982.
- Praying the Psalms, Second Edition: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit. Wipf and Stock Publishers. 1 May 2007. ISBN 978-1-55635-283-6.
The Prophetic Imagination. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1978. ISBN.
- The Prophetic Imagination. Fortress Press. 2001. ISBN 978-0-8006-3287-8.
Patrick D Miller. Fortress Press, ed. (1995). The Psalms and the Life of Faith. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-4514-1971-9.
Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks. Eerdmans, 2014.
The Renewing Word. Edited by Elmer JF Arndt. United Church Press, 1968.
Revelation and Violence: A Study in Contextualization; 1986 Pere Marquette Theology Lecture. Marquette University Press, 1986.
Reverberations of Faith: A Theological Handbook of Old Testament Themes. Westminster John Knox Press. 2002. ISBN 978-0-664-22231-4.
Sabbath as Resistance. Westminster John Knox Press. January 2014. ISBN 978-0-664-23928-2.
A Social Reading of the Old Testament: Prophetic Approaches to Israel's Communal Life. Edited by Patrick D Miller. Fortress Press, 1994. ISBN 9780800627348
Spirituality of the Psalms. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-4514-1973-3.
Testimony to Otherwise: the Witness of Elijah . Chalice Press. 2001. ISBN 978-0-8272-3670-7.
With Charles Cousar et al., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV-Year A. Westminster/John Knox, 1995.
With Charles Cousar et al., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV-Year B. Westminster/John Knox, 1993.
Texts Under Negotiation: The Bible and Postmodern Imagination . Fortress Press. 1993. ISBN 978-0-8006-2736-2.
The Theology of the Book of Jeremiah. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006. ISBN.
- The Theology of the Book of Jeremiah. Cambridge University Press. 2007. ISBN 978-0-521-60629-5.
Theology of the Old Testament. Fortress Press, 2005. ISBN.
- Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy. Fortress Press. 1 June 2012. ISBN 978-0-8006-9931-4.
Walter Brueggemann, Charles Campbell (1996). Charles L Campbell (ed.). Threat of Life . Fortress Press. pp. 166–. ISBN 978-1-4514-1979-5.
To Act Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly. (With Sharon Parks and Thomas H. Groome). Paulist Press, 1986.
- ---. WIPF & Stock, 1997. ISBN 9781579100643
To Build, to Plant: A Commentary on Jeremiah 26–52: International Theological Commentary on the Old Testament. Continuum International Publishing Group, 1991. ISBN 9780802806000
To Pluck Up, to Tear Down: A Commentary on the Book of Jeremiah 1–25: International Theological Commentary on the Old Testament. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988. ISBN 9780802803672
Tradition for Crisis: A Study in Hosea. John Knox Press, 1968.
Truth Speaks to Power: The Countercultural Nature of Scripture. Westminster John Knox Press. 2013. ISBN 978-0-664-23914-5.
Using God's Resources Wisely: Isaiah and Urban Possibility. Westminster John Knox Press. 1993. ISBN 978-0-664-25460-5.
The Vitality of Old Testament Traditions. John Knox Press, 1975.
- Hans Walter Wolff (1982). The Vitality of Old Testament Traditions. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-8042-0112-4.
What Are Christians For? An Enquiry into Obedience and Dissent. Pflaum-Standard, 1971.

Related Research Articles

The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, Bereshit. Genesis is an account of the creation of the world, the early history of humanity, and the origins of the Jewish people.

The oldest surviving Hebrew Bible manuscripts, the Dead Sea Scrolls, date to c. the 2nd century BCE. Some of these scrolls are presently stored at the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem. The oldest text of the entire Bible, including the New Testament, is the Codex Sinaiticus dating from the 4th century CE, with its Old Testament a copy of a Greek translation known as the Septuagint. The oldest extant manuscripts of the vocalized Masoretic Text date to the 9th century CE. With the exception of a few biblical sections in the Nevi'im, virtually no biblical text is contemporaneous with the events it describes.

The Deuteronomist, abbreviated as either Dtr or simply D, may refer either to the source document underlying the core chapters (12–26) of the Book of Deuteronomy, or to the broader "school" that produced all of Deuteronomy as well as the Deuteronomistic history of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, and also the Book of Jeremiah. The adjectives "Deuteronomic" and "Deuteronomistic" are sometimes used interchangeably; if they are distinguished, then the first refers to the core of Deuteronomy and the second to all of Deuteronomy and the history.

There is much disagreement within biblical scholarship today over the authorship of the Bible. The majority of scholars believe that most of the books of the Bible are the work of multiple authors and that all have been edited to produce the works known today. The following article outlines the conclusions of the majority of contemporary scholars, along with the traditional views, both Jewish and Christian.

Mark Stratton John Matthew Smith is an American biblical scholar, anthropologist, and professor.

David L. Petersen is the Franklin Nutting Parker Professor of Old Testament in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He is also an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Tremper Longman III is an Old Testament scholar, theologian, professor and author of several books, including 2009 ECPA Christian Book Award winner Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings.

Canonical criticism, sometimes called canon criticism or the canonical approach, is a way of interpreting the Bible that focuses on the text of the biblical canon itself as a finished product.

John Edgar Goldingay is a British Old Testament scholar and translator and Anglican cleric. He is the David Allan Hubbard Professor Emeritus of Old Testament in the School of Theology of Fuller Theological Seminary in California.

Louis Stulman is a Professor of Religious Studies and Chair of the Religious Studies and Philosophy Department at the University of Findlay, Findlay, Ohio. He earned an M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from Drew University and has done post-doctoral work at the University of Michigan. He has served as an instructor in Hebrew at Drew University, the Gale and Harriette Ritz Professor of Old Testament at Winebrenner Theological Seminary, as well as the positions noted above at The University of Findlay.

James L. Crenshaw is the Robert L. Flowers Professor of the Old Testament at Duke University Divinity School. He is one of the world’s leading scholars in Old Testament Wisdom literature. He proposes that much of Proverbs was brought together at a time well after Solomon. He has been described as "a highly respected scholar" and an "excellent teacher".

Patrick D. Miller, Jr. was an American Old Testament scholar who served as Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1984 to 2005. He was an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Peter Campbell Craigie was a British biblical scholar.

William P. Brown is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, author, biblical theologian, and the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary.

Charles B. Cousar was an American Presbyterian minister and Professor of the New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. He was a writer and a New Testament scholar. He is a recipient of the Alumni Distinguished Service Award from Columbia Theological Seminary.

Kathleen M. O'Connor is an American Old Testament scholar and the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emerita of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. She is widely known for her work in relating trauma and disaster, as well as present-day intercultural and ecumenical issues for biblical studies.

Christine Roy Yoder is J. McDowell Richards Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Columbia Theological Seminary, and an ordained minister of word and sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She is currently serving as interim dean of faculty and vice president for academic affairs.

Leslie C. Allen is an Old Testament scholar. He is Senior Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary's School of Theology, where he teaches in the Hebrew Prophets, OT 'Writings' and OT Exegesis in Lamentations and Psalms. He is the author of a number of scholarly books, most notably the commentary on the books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series. Also numbers of scholarly journals, biblical encyclopedias and academic religious periodicals have included articles by Allen.

James Luther Mays was an American Old Testament scholar. He was Cyrus McCormick Professor of Hebrew and the Old Testament Emeritus at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Virginia. He served as president of the Society of Biblical Literature in 1986.

Samuel Lucien Terrien was a French-American Protestant theologian and biblical scholar. A professor at Union Theological Seminary for thirty-six years, he is known for his biblical commentary, particularly for his scholarly contributions to the study of Job and the Psalms in the Old Testament and for his book, The Elusive Presence (1978), in which he presented a new theology of the presence and absence of God written largely in the context of cult, not covenant. It incorporated both Old and New Testaments in a broader ecumenical context and introduced a way for future theologians to ask how the presence of God is experienced by engaging the wisdom traditions to explore how ‘empirical observation can testify to a divine presence in human life just as visionary experiences can.'

References

↑ "33rd G. Arthur Keough Lectures". Washington Adventist University . Retrieved 13 October 2013.
↑ Theology, Paperback (April 15, 2014). "Walter Brueggemann's 19 Theses Revisited: A Clarification from Brueggemann Himself".
↑ "The Word That Redescribes the World: The Bible and Discipleship". The Christian Century.
↑ "Home".
↑ Journal
↑ "Countering Pharaoh's Production-Consumption Society Today - Digital Edition". Living the Questions. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
↑ Walter Brueggemann, Foreword to "Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land", Mark Braverman, Synergy Books, 2010
↑ Historical handbook of major biblical interpreters. Internet Archive. Downers Grove, Ill. : InterVarsity Press. 1998. p. 571. ISBN 978-0-8308-1452-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
↑ Boda, Mark J. (2003). "The Priceless Gain of Penitence: From Communal Lament To Penitential Prayer in the "Exilic" Liturgy of Israel". Horizons in Biblical Theology. 25 (1), 51-75. doi : 10.1163/187122003X00033 ISSN 0195-9085 Brill Online
↑ Mckim, Donald (2007). Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters. City: IVP Academic. pp. 242–247. ISBN 978-0-8308-2927-9.

External links

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[1] "33rd G. Arthur Keough Lectures". Washington Adventist University . Retrieved 13 October 2013.

[2] Theology, Paperback (April 15, 2014). "Walter Brueggemann's 19 Theses Revisited: A Clarification from Brueggemann Himself".

[3] "The Word That Redescribes the World: The Bible and Discipleship". The Christian Century.

[4] "Home".

[5] Journal

[6] "Countering Pharaoh's Production-Consumption Society Today - Digital Edition". Living the Questions. Retrieved 2023-11-16.

[7] Walter Brueggemann, Foreword to "Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land", Mark Braverman, Synergy Books, 2010

[8] Historical handbook of major biblical interpreters. Internet Archive. Downers Grove, Ill. : InterVarsity Press. 1998. p. 571. ISBN 978-0-8308-1452-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[9] Boda, Mark J. (2003). "The Priceless Gain of Penitence: From Communal Lament To Penitential Prayer in the "Exilic" Liturgy of Israel". Horizons in Biblical Theology. 25 (1), 51-75. doi : 10.1163/187122003X00033 ISSN 0195-9085 Brill Online

[10] Mckim, Donald (2007). Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters. City: IVP Academic. pp. 242–247. ISBN 978-0-8308-2927-9.

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Walter Brueggemann
Born	(1933-03-11) March 11, 1933 (age 90) Tilden, Nebraska, US
Education	Elmhurst College, Eden Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, Saint Louis University
Occupation	Professor of Theology

Ordained	United Church of Christ
Writings	Over one hundred books, dozens of scholarly articles, largely on rhetorical criticism
Offices held	Professor of Theology, Eden Theological Seminary (1961-1986); Professor of Theology, Columbia Theological Seminary (1986-2003); William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary (2003-present)

Website	www.walterbrueggemann.com