Bruce Waltke
Encyclopedia
Bruce K. Waltke is a Reformed
evangelical
professor of Old Testament
and Hebrew
. He has held professorships in the Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary
, Regent College
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Westminster Theological Seminary
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, Reformed Theological Seminary
in Orlando, Florida
, and currently teaches at Knox Theological Seminary
in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Waltke was born in 1930 in New Jersey
to parents in the Mennonite Brethren tradition. He received an A.B.
from Houghton College
, a Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D.
from Harvard University
. He has served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society
, was on the translation committee of the New American Standard Bible
and New International Version
, and is an honorary member of the committee responsible for Today's New International Version
.
His books include Intermediate Hebrew Grammar, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, Finding the Will of God, Creation and Chaos, and commentaries on Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 2 vols.), Micah (Tyndale Commentary Series), and with C. J. Fredricks Genesis (Zondervan 2001, ISBN 978-0310224587), which was a winner of the 2002 Gold Medallion Book Award
. He was co-editor for the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, and he was the Old Testament editor for the Expositor's Bible Commentary series, the New Geneva Study Bible
, and the Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible. More recently, he wrote An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach, which garnered an ECPA Christian Book Award in 2008.
Waltke has travelled widely as a Bible expositor, as an Area Supervisor for excavations at Gezer
, Israel
, and as Director of field study trips to the Middle East
and the Classical
World. He is married and has three grown children.
The festschrift
The Way of Wisdom: Essays in Honor of Bruce K. Waltke (Zondervan, 2000; ISBN 0-310-22728-3) was edited by J. I. Packer
and Sven K. Soderlund.
In April 2010, news reports emerged alleging that Dr. Waltke was asked to resign his professorship at Reformed Theological Seminary because he advocated that evolution
and Christianity
were compatible in a video on the Biologos Foundation
's website. However, RTS Chancellor Ric Cannada later stated that this was not the case and that, in fact, Waltke had submitted his resignation without solicitation. While Dr. Waltke himself has yet to clarify, he has said, "I find no fault with the RTS administration; in fact, I think they did the right thing."
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
professor of Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
. He has held professorships in the Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary located in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system known as Dispensationalism...
, Regent College
Regent College
Regent College is an international graduate school of Christian Studies, located next to the campus of the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands west of Vancouver, British Columbia, and is an affiliated college of that university....
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Westminster Theological Seminary
Westminster Theological Seminary
Westminster Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian and Reformed Christian graduate educational institution located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, with a satellite location in London.-History:...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Reformed Theological Seminary
Reformed Theological Seminary
Reformed Theological Seminary is a non-denominational, evangelical Protestant seminary. RTS's first campus remains in Jackson, Mississippi, United States though the school has expanded to include several additional campuses.-Founding:...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, and currently teaches at Knox Theological Seminary
Knox Theological Seminary
Knox Theological Seminary is an Independent Evangelical Seminary in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, founded in 1989 by D. James Kennedy. Knox graduated its first class of Master of Divinity students in 1993.- History :...
in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Waltke was born in 1930 in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to parents in the Mennonite Brethren tradition. He received an A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Houghton College
Houghton College
Houghton College is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with the Wesleyan Church. The college is a member of both the Christian College Consortium and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities...
, a Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He has served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society
Evangelical Theological Society
The Evangelical Theological Society is a professional society of Biblical scholars, educators, pastors, and students with the stated purpose of serving Jesus and his church by advancing evangelical scholarship. It was established in 1949 in Cincinnati. The number of members in 2005 was over 4,200...
, was on the translation committee of the New American Standard Bible
New American Standard Bible
The New American Standard Bible , also informally called New American Standard Version , is an English translation of the Bible....
and New International Version
New International Version
The New International Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. Published by Zondervan in the United States and by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, it has become one of the most popular modern translations in history.-History:...
, and is an honorary member of the committee responsible for Today's New International Version
Today's New International Version
Today's New International Version is an English translation of the Bible developed by the Committee on Bible Translation. The CBT also developed the New International Version in the 1970s. The TNIV is based on the NIV. It is explicitly Protestant like its predecessor; the deuterocanonical books...
.
His books include Intermediate Hebrew Grammar, Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, Finding the Will of God, Creation and Chaos, and commentaries on Proverbs (New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 2 vols.), Micah (Tyndale Commentary Series), and with C. J. Fredricks Genesis (Zondervan 2001, ISBN 978-0310224587), which was a winner of the 2002 Gold Medallion Book Award
Gold Medallion Book Award
The Christian Book Award is an annual award given by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association to honor Christian content in several categories, including Bibles, Fiction, Children, Inspiration, Bible Reference, and Non-Fiction. Winners are announced each year at the industry's Executive...
. He was co-editor for the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, and he was the Old Testament editor for the Expositor's Bible Commentary series, the New Geneva Study Bible
Geneva Bible
The Geneva Bible is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into the English language, preceding the King James translation by 51 years. It was the primary Bible of the 16th century Protestant movement and was the Bible used by William Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, John...
, and the Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible. More recently, he wrote An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach, which garnered an ECPA Christian Book Award in 2008.
Waltke has travelled widely as a Bible expositor, as an Area Supervisor for excavations at Gezer
Gezer
Gezer was a Canaanite city-state and biblical town in ancient Israel. Tel Gezer , an archaeological site midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, is now an Israeli national park....
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and as Director of field study trips to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and the Classical
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
World. He is married and has three grown children.
The festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
The Way of Wisdom: Essays in Honor of Bruce K. Waltke (Zondervan, 2000; ISBN 0-310-22728-3) was edited by J. I. Packer
J. I. Packer
James Innell Packer is a British-born Canadian Christian theologian in the low church Anglican and Reformed traditions. He currently serves as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia...
and Sven K. Soderlund.
In April 2010, news reports emerged alleging that Dr. Waltke was asked to resign his professorship at Reformed Theological Seminary because he advocated that evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
were compatible in a video on the Biologos Foundation
BioLogos Foundation
The BioLogos Foundation is a Christian advocacy group established by Francis Collins in 2007. BioLogos aims to address the core themes of science and religion, and emphasize a compatibility between science and Christian faith....
's website. However, RTS Chancellor Ric Cannada later stated that this was not the case and that, in fact, Waltke had submitted his resignation without solicitation. While Dr. Waltke himself has yet to clarify, he has said, "I find no fault with the RTS administration; in fact, I think they did the right thing."
External links
- Faculty page at Knox Theological Seminary
- Lectures by Waltke from Regent Radio at Regent College
- Lectures by Waltke at ReformedSermons.org