Francis Martin (biblical Scholar)
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Francis Martin (October 20, 1930 – August 11, 2017) was a
Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and a professor of
Sacred Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...
. His teaching appointments included the
Dominican House of Studies The Dominican House of Studies is a Catholic institution in Washington, DC, housing both the Priory of the Immaculate Conception, a community of the Province of St. Joseph of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), and the Pontifical Faculty of the I ...
, the
John Paul II Institute The Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America is a satellite session of the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences. Prior to September 2017, i ...
, the
Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...
, and
Sacred Heart Major Seminary Sacred Heart Major Seminary is a private Roman Catholic seminary in Detroit, Michigan. It is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Detroit. In 2016–2017, 107 seminarians, representing eleven dioceses and two religious orders were enrolled in cla ...
. Martin was an advisor to Cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens during the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
.


Biography

Martin was from the
Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...
, and attended the
College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...
in
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
. He entered St. Joseph's Abbey in
Spencer, Massachusetts Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,992 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer (CDP), Massach ...
, where he was ordained in 1956 to the
Cistercian Order The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...
. As a Cistercian, he earned an
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from the
Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the Christian liturgy, liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal (liturgy), ordinal for the ordination and consecration of dea ...
in 1959 and his Doctorate in Sacred Scripture (SSD) from the
Pontifical Biblical Institute The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies. It is an institution of the Holy See entrusted to the Society of Jesus. His ...
in 1978. The advisors for his SSD thesis, entitled "Encounter Story: A Characteristic Gospel Narrative Form", were Donatien Mollat, S.J., Marie-Émile Boismard, O.P., and Francis McCool, S.J. Martin's approach to biblical
literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...
was especially influenced by . During the Second Vatican Council, Martin was an advisor to Leo Joseph Suenens, the Archbishop of Mechelen–Brussels. Martin encountered the
Catholic charismatic renewal The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a movement within the Catholic Church that is part of the wider charismatic movement across historic Christian churches. The Renewal has been described as a "current of grace". It began in 1967 when Catho ...
through the
Madonna House Apostolate The Madonna House Apostolate is a Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Christians, Christian community of Laity, lay men, women, and priests dedicated to loving and serving Jesus, Jesus Christ in all aspects of everyday life. It was founded in 1947 by C ...
in
Combermere, Ontario Combermere is a village along the Madawaska River in south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is part of Township of Madawaska Valley. It is named after Sir Stapleton Cotton, Viscount Combermere (1773-1865). Combermere is best known as home to the Ma ...
, and he became a leader of the movement. He joined the Mother of God Community in
Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg ( ), officially the City of Gaithersburg, is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, ...
, in 1978 and became the community's chaplain in 1997, the same year he was
incardinated Incardination is the formal term in the Catholic Church for a clergyman being under a bishop or other ecclesiastical superior. It is also sometimes used to refer to laity who may transfer to another part of the church. Examples include transfers ...
into the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. During the course of his career, Martin taught at the Dominican House of Studies, the John Paul II Institute, the
Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...
, the
École Biblique École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem, commonly known as École Biblique, is a French academic establishment in Jerusalem specializing in archaeology and Biblical exegesis. History Foundation The school was founded in 1890 ...
, the
Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...
, and Sacred Heart Major Seminary, and the
Franciscan University of Steubenville Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private Franciscan university in Steubenville, Ohio. The university had 3,040 students as of fall 2019, including 2,317 students on campus, in 40 undergraduate and 8 graduate degree programs. The studen ...
. He published over 60 journal articles, and wrote several books including a commentary on the
Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...
for ''The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture''. While teaching a course at Franciscan University, Martin helped inspire Mary Healy to pursue biblical studies. Later, Martin collaborated with Healy, Kenneth L. Schmitz, and Bob Schuchts to develop a symposium on
faith healing Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...
. He was a bi-ritual priest and had a close friendship with
Joseph Raya Joseph Raya ( ar, يوسف رايا) (15 August 1916 – 10 June 2005) was a Lebanese-born Melkite Catholic archbishop, theologian, civil rights advocate. He served as metropolitan of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and All Galilee from 1968 until 1974 an ...
, a
Melkite Catholic el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία , image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = , abbreviatio ...
archbishop. While visiting
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, in 2010, Martin suffered a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
from which he never recovered completely. He died in 2017 at the age of 86. 22 priests concelebrated his
funeral Mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
, which was presided over by Bishop Barry Knestout. Martin had once been Knestout's
spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the di ...
. He was buried at All Souls Cemetery in
Germantown, Maryland Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 91,249 as of 2020 U.S. Decennial Census, Germantown is the third most populous place in Maryland, after the city of Baltimore ...
.


Selected works

* ''Baptism in the Holy Spirit: A Scriptural Foundation'' (Franciscan University Press, 1986) * ''The Feminist Question: Feminist Theology in the Light of Christian Tradition'' (
Wm. B. Eerdmans William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company is a religious publishing house based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1911 by Dutch American William B. Eerdmans (November 4, 1882 – April 1966) and still independently owned with William's daughte ...
, 1995) * ''The Fire in the Cloud: Lenten Meditations: Daily Reflections on the Liturgical Texts'' (Charis Books, 2002) * ''Sacred Scripture: The Disclosure of the Word'' (Sapientia Press, 2005) * ''The Gospel of John'', The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (
Baker Academic Baker Publishing Group is a Christian book publisher that discusses historic Christian happenings for its evangelical readers. It is based in Ada, Michigan and has six subdivisions: namely Bethany House, Revell, Baker Books, Baker Academic, Chos ...
, 2015), with William M. Wright IV * ''Encountering the Living God in Scripture: Theological and Philosophical Principles for Interpretation'' (
Baker Academic Baker Publishing Group is a Christian book publisher that discusses historic Christian happenings for its evangelical readers. It is based in Ada, Michigan and has six subdivisions: namely Bethany House, Revell, Baker Books, Baker Academic, Chos ...
, 2019), with William M. Wright IV


References


External links


The Word Proclaimed Institute: About Fr. Francis Martin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Francis 1930 births 2017 deaths Writers from the Bronx Cistercians College of the Holy Cross alumni 20th-century American Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century American Roman Catholic theologians