Michael Douglas Goulder (31 May 1927 – 6 January 2010)
was a British biblical scholar who spent most of his academic life at the
University of Birmingham
, mottoeng = Through efforts to heights
, established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...
where he retired as Professor of Biblical Studies in 1994. He was perhaps best known for his contributions to the
Synoptic Problem
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording. They stand in contrast to John, whose con ...
, and specifically the
Farrer hypothesis
The Farrer hypothesis (also called the L/M hypothesis, the Farrer–Goulder hypothesis and the Farrer–Goulder–Goodacre hypothesis) is a possible solution to the synoptic problem. The theory is that the Gospel of Mark was written first, followe ...
, which postulates
Markan priority
Marcan priority is the hypothesis that the Gospel of Mark was the first of the three synoptic gospels to be written, and was used as a source by the other two (Matthew and Luke). It is a central element in discussion of the synoptic problem; the q ...
but dispenses with the
Q document
The Q source (also called Q document(s), Q Gospel, or Q; from german: Quelle, meaning "source") is a hypothetical written collection of primarily Jesus' sayings (λόγια : ). Q is part of the common material found in the Gospels of Matthew ...
, suggesting instead that
Luke
People
*Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...
knew the contents of
Matthew
Matthew may refer to:
* Matthew (given name)
* Matthew (surname)
* ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497
* ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith
* Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...
. Goulder was also associated with the theory that the evangelists were highly creative authors, and that Matthew and Luke had only minimal source material. In recent years, he wrote widely on a theory of Christian origins that sees a fundamental opposition between
Paul the Apostle
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
on one side and the
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
Christians
Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
and
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
, Jesus' brother, on the other. This has been seen as reviving a hypothesis proposed by 19th century
Hegelian philosopher and
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
Ferdinand Christian Baur
Ferdinand Christian Baur (21 June 1792 – 2 December 1860) was a German Protestant theologian and founder and leader of the (new) Tübingen School of theology (named for the University of Tübingen where Baur studied and taught). Following Hegel ...
of the
Tübingen school.
Goulder was an unusual biblical scholar in that he had expertise in both testaments. He published extensively over a twenty-year period on a variety of
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
topics, but especially the
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
. His works in this area aimed among other things to discover the historical contexts in which individual psalms were used in worship, employing comparisons with the traditions behind other parts of the Hebrew Bible such as the
Pentateuch
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...
.
Despite some scholarly criticisms of his conclusions, Goulder has been described as "a renowned leader in the study of the Hebrew Psalter".
[
Educated at ]Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England.
Eton may also refer to:
Places
*Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England
* Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States
* Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...
followed by Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
, where he took a degree in classics, he was ordained in Hong Kong by Bishop Ronald Hall
Ronald Owen Hall (; Cantonese: ''Ho Ming Wah''; 22 July 1895 in Newcastle upon Tyne – 22 April 1975 in Lewknor, Oxfordshire) was an Anglican missionary bishop in Hong Kong and China in the mid 20th century. As an emergency measure during th ...
, having gone out there originally in pursuance of secular employment. Having not received any formal theological training, he returned to England and studied under Austin Farrer
Austin Marsden Farrer (1 October 1904 – 29 December 1968) was an English Anglican philosopher, theologian, and biblical scholar. His activity in philosophy, theology, and spirituality led many to consider him one of the greatest figures of 20 ...
at Trinity College, Oxford
(That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody)
, named_for = The Holy Trinity
, established =
, sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge
, president = Dame Hilary Boulding
, location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH
, coordinates ...
, while serving a curacy at the university church. After a number of years of parochial ministry in Withington
Withington is a suburb of Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it lies from Manchester city centre, about south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Withington has a population of just ...
, Manchester he returned to Hong Kong as principal of the Union Theological College there before taking up a post at Birmingham University
, mottoeng = Through efforts to heights
, established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...
's Extra Mural Department. Some years later he returned to Trinity to give the Speaker's lectures at Trinity College, Oxford in 1969–71 on St. Matthew's method of writing the gospel and, in the process, dispensing with Q, for which he was awarded a Doctorate by the University. In Birmingham he ran lecture courses for clergy but it was following an invitation to give lectures back in Hong Kong that he decided to resign his orders as a priest which he did in 1981, though he never became an aggressive atheist. Goulder was a Fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER) which is a division of the Council for Secular Humanism
The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a US nonprofit organization that works to mitigate belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal, as well as to fight the influence of religion in government.
History
The Center for Inquiry was established in 199 ...
and became President of Birmingham Humanists The Birmingham Humanist Group was formed on 23 May 1962 at the Arden Hotel, New Street, Birmingham, England, at a meeting convened by Dr Anthony Brierley. It changed its name to Birmingham Humanists (Brum Hums) in 2000 and voted to become a Partner ...
in 1993 shortly before retiring from academic life.“News & Views 16 p8”
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Publications
Books
*''Type and History in Acts'', London: SPCK, 1964.
*''Midrash and Lection in Matthew'', London: SPCK, 1974.
*''The Evangelists' Calendar: A Lectionary Explanation of the Development of Scripture'', London: SPCK, 1978.
*''The Psalms of the Sons of Korah''. JSOT Supplement 20. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1982.
*''Why Believe in God?'', with John Hick. London: SCM Press, 1983.
*''The Song of Fourteen Songs''. JSOT Supplement 36. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1986.
*''Luke: A New Paradigm''. Journal for the study of the New Testament Supplement, 20. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1989 wo volumes*''The Prayers of David (Psalms 51-72). Studies in the Psalter, II'', JSOT Supplement 102. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1990.
*''A Tale of Two Missions'', London: SCM Press 1994 S publication: ''St. Paul versus St. Peter: A Tale of Two Missions'', Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1995*''St. Paul versus St. Peter: A Tale of Two Missions'', London: SCM Press 1994
*''The Psalms of Asaph and the Pentateuch. Studies in the Psalter, III''. JSOT Supplement 233. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996.
*''The Psalms of the Return (Book V, Psalms 107-150). Studies in the Psalter, IV''. JSOT Supplement 258, Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998.
*''Paul and the Competing Mission in Corinth'', Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2001.
*''Isaiah as Liturgy'', Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004.
*''Five Stones and a Sling: Memoirs of a Biblical Scholar'', Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2009.
For articles and chapters consult the comprehensive bibliography compiled by Mark Goodacre, linked below.
References
External links
Comprehensive bibliography of Michael Goulder's works
compiled by Mark Goodacre
Mark S. Goodacre (born 1967 in Leicestershire, England) is a New Testament scholar and Professor at Duke University's Department of Religion. He has written extensively on the Synoptic Problem; that is, the origins of the gospels of Matthew, ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goulder, Michael
1927 births
2010 deaths
Academics of the University of Birmingham
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
British biblical scholars
People educated at Eton College
Synoptic problem
Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford
British humanists
Presidents of the Society for Old Testament Study