Gustaaf Adolf van den Bergh van Eysinga
Encyclopedia
Gustaaf Adolf van den Bergh van Eysinga (27 June 1874 – 26 May 1957) was a Dutch theologian. From 1936 to 1944 he was professor in New Testament exegesis
at the University of Amsterdam. He belonged to the Dutch school of Radical Criticism
.
, Van den Bergh van Eysinga started studying theology at Leiden University
in 1893. He obtained a doctorate in 1901 on a thesis about Indian influences on early Christian stories, for which W.C. van Manen
had been the thesis advisor. After working as a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church
, he was appointed a professor in New Testament exegesis
at the University of Amsterdam in 1936. After his retirement in 1944, he continued teaching at the University of Utrecht until the year of his death in 1957.
. Refuting the authenticity of the epistle of Clement
and of Ignatius of Antioch
, he concluded that there was no evidence for the existence of the Paulines before Marcion. He also listed internal evidence for these epistles being pseudepigraphs from Marcionite circles. In several places, the writing does not fit with a Jewish background of the author. On these matters he disagreed with Adolf von Harnack
. Unlike his teacher Van Manen who accepted the historicity of Jesus
, Van den Bergh found no evidence for an actual crucifixion
of a person claiming to be the Messiah
as the origin of Christianity.
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
at the University of Amsterdam. He belonged to the Dutch school of Radical Criticism
Radical Criticism
Radical Criticism is a movement around the late 19th century that, typically, denied authentic authorship of the Pauline epistles. This went beyond the higher criticism of the Tübingen school which held that a core of at least four epistles had been written by Paul of Tarsus in the 1st...
.
Life
After attending school in SneekSneek
Sneek is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland . As for 2011 it is part of the municipality Súdwest Fryslân...
, Van den Bergh van Eysinga started studying theology at Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
in 1893. He obtained a doctorate in 1901 on a thesis about Indian influences on early Christian stories, for which W.C. van Manen
Willem Christiaan van Manen
Willem Christiaan van Manen was a Dutch theologian. He was professor in early Christian literature and New Testament exegesis at Leiden University and belonged to the Dutch school of Radical Criticism.-Work:Van Manen's 1865 doctoral thesis in Utrecht about the authenticity of 1 Thessalonians...
had been the thesis advisor. After working as a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
, he was appointed a professor in New Testament exegesis
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
at the University of Amsterdam in 1936. After his retirement in 1944, he continued teaching at the University of Utrecht until the year of his death in 1957.
Work
Van den Bergh disputed the authorship of the Pauline epistlesAuthorship of the Pauline epistles
The Pauline epistles are the fourteen books in the New Testament traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle, although many dispute the anonymous Epistle to the Hebrews as being a Pauline epistle....
. Refuting the authenticity of the epistle of Clement
First Epistle of Clement
The First Epistle of Clement, is a letter addressed to the Christians in the city of Corinth. The letter dates from the late 1st or early 2nd century, and ranks with Didache as one of the earliest — if not the earliest — of extant Christian documents outside the canonical New Testament...
and of Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch was among the Apostolic Fathers, was the third Bishop of Antioch, and was a student of John the Apostle. En route to his martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius wrote a series of letters which have been preserved as an example of very early Christian theology...
, he concluded that there was no evidence for the existence of the Paulines before Marcion. He also listed internal evidence for these epistles being pseudepigraphs from Marcionite circles. In several places, the writing does not fit with a Jewish background of the author. On these matters he disagreed with Adolf von Harnack
Adolf von Harnack
Adolf von Harnack , was a German theologian and prominent church historian.He produced many religious publications from 1873-1912....
. Unlike his teacher Van Manen who accepted the historicity of Jesus
Historicity of Jesus
The historicity of Jesus concerns how much of what is written about Jesus of Nazareth is historically reliable, and whether the evidence supports the existence of such an historical figure...
, Van den Bergh found no evidence for an actual crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
of a person claiming to be the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
as the origin of Christianity.