Harold Walter Hoehner (January 12, 1935 – February 12, 2009) was an American biblical scholar and was professor of
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
studies at
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theology, theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as cont ...
.
Family and education
Hoehner was born in
Sangerfield, New York
Sangerfield is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 2,561 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Jedediah Sanger, an early settler.
The Town of Sangerfield is on the county's southern border.
Geography
Accord ...
to Walter and Mary (née Siegel) Hoehner, farmers of Swiss and German descent, respectively.
He earned his B.A. (1958) from
Barrington College
Barrington College was a four-year Christian liberal arts college located in Barrington, Rhode Island. It is no longer in operation.
History
Barrington College was founded by E. W. Kenyon, pastor of the New Covenant Baptist Church, in 1900 ...
, his Th.M. (1962) and Th.D. (1965) from Dallas Theological Seminary, and his Ph.D. (1968) from
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
; he also did postdoctoral study at
University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...
and Cambridge. Hoehner married Virginia (Gini) Bryan on June 7, 1958, with whom he had four children (Stephen, Susan, David, and Deborah).
Career
Hoehner joined the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary in 1968 as an instructor, becoming an assistant professor there the same year. In 1973 he became associate professor of New Testament, and professor of New Testament and chairman of New Testament and Bible Exposition in 1977. He became distinguished professor of New Testament studies in 1999. He served as director of Ph.D. studies from 1975 until 2002.
During his tenure, he had a significant influence on the seminary's approach to teaching
biblical exegesis
Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical criticism,'' it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the concern to ...
, and became well known for his work on
biblical chronology
The chronology of the Bible is an elaborate system of lifespans, 'generations', and other means by which the Masoretic Hebrew Bible (the text of the Bible most commonly in use today) measures the passage of events from the creation to around 164 ...
.
Hoehner also committed a major portion of his later years as a Bible translator, serving on the translation or review teams for the revision of the
New Century Version
The New Century Version (NCV) is a revision of the International Children's Bible (ICB).
The ICB is a translation of the Bible that was aimed at young readers and those with low reading skills/limited vocabulary in English. It is written at a 3rd ...
(1991),
the update of the
New American Standard Bible
The New American Standard Bible (NASB) is an English translation of the Bible. Published by the Lockman Foundation, the complete NASB was released in 1971. The NASB relies on recently published critical editions of the original Hebrew and Gre ...
(1995),
the
English Standard Version
The English Standard Version (ESV) is an English translation of the Bible. Published in 2001 by Crossway, the ESV was "created by a team of more than 100 leading evangelical scholars and pastors." The ESV relies on recently published critic ...
(2001), the second edition of the
New Living Translation
The New Living Translation (NLT) is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Bible. The origin of the NLT came from a project aiming to revise ''The Living Bible'' (TLB). This effort eventually led to the creation of the ...
(2004), and the first edition of the
NET Bible
The New English Translation (NET Bible) is a free, "completely new" online English translation of the Bible, "with 60,932 translators' notes" sponsored by the Biblical Studies Foundation and published by Biblical Studies Press.
History and text ...
(2005). He was a member of the
Society of Biblical Literature
The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, the
Evangelical Theological Society
The Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) is a professional society of Biblical scholars, educators, pastors, and students "devoted to the inerrancy and inspiration of the Scriptures and the gospel of Jesus Christ" and "dedicated to the oral excha ...
,
Institute for Biblical Research
The Institute for Biblical Research established in 1973 is "an organization of evangelical Christian scholars with specialties in Old and New Testament and in ancillary disciplines". It describes its vision as "to foster excellence in the pursuit ...
, the Society for New Testament Studies, and the board of directors for
Jews for Jesus
Jews for Jesus is an international Messianic Judaism, Messianic Jewish non-profit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California. The group is known for its proselytism to Jews and promotes the belief that Jesus is the Messiah in Christ ...
.
Publications
Hoehner wrote for several scholarly journals, including more than thirty articles for ''
Bibliotheca Sacra''.
His doctoral dissertation on
Herod Antipas
Herod Antipas ( el, Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας, ''Hērǭdēs Antipas''; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "H ...
was published by
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
(1972, ), and continues to be a standard work on the subject.
His publication ''Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ'' (1978, ) is often cited in attempts to affix a date to the
crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and consid ...
, as well as understanding the
seventy weeks of Daniel. His "magnum opus", ''
Ephesians
The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to Paul the Apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as Deutero-Pauline, that is, pseudepigrapha written in Pau ...
: An Exegetical Commentary'' (2002, ), called by
Craig Blomberg
Craig L. Blomberg (born August 3, 1955) is an American New Testament scholar. He is currently a Distinguished Professor of the New Testament at Denver Seminary in Colorado where he has been since 1986. His area of academic expertise is the New ...
"one of the most prodigious efforts by an individual New Testament scholar in recent times", is noted for its lengthy defense of the epistle's
Pauline authorship.
Death and legacy
Hoehner died at the age of 74 in his home in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
after a morning run on February 12, 2009.
Among the colleagues and former students contributing to his
Festschrift
In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
, ''Interpreting the New Testament Text: Introduction to the Art and Science of Exegesis'' (2006, ), were
Darrell Bock
Darrell L. Bock (born December 12, 1953) is an American evangelical Christian New Testament scholar. He is Executive Director of Cultural Engagement aThe Hendricks Centerand Senior Research Professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological S ...
,
Daniel B. Wallace
Daniel Baird Wallace (born June 5, 1952) is an American professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also the founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, the purpose of whi ...
,
E. Earle Ellis,
I. Howard Marshall, and
Edwin M. Yamauchi.
Works
Books
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Articles and chapters
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoehner, Harold
1935 births
2009 deaths
American evangelicals
American biblical scholars
Barrington College alumni
Dallas Theological Seminary alumni
Dallas Theological Seminary faculty
New Testament scholars
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
People from Oneida County, New York
Translators of the Bible into English
20th-century translators