Paul William Barnett (born 23 September 1935) is an Australian Anglican

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

ancient historian Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...

and

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 Chri ...

scholar. He was the Bishop of North Sydney from 1990 to 2001. He is a prominent historical writer on the rise of Christianity and the

historical Jesus The term "historical Jesus" refers to the reconstruction of the life and teachings of Jesus by critical historical methods, in contrast to religious interpretations. It also considers the historical and cultural contexts in which Jesus lived. ...

. He is currently a fellow in ancient history at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia and a teaching fellow at

Regent College Regent College is an interdenominational evangelical Christian College of Christian studies, and an affiliated college of the University of British Columbia, located next to the university's campus in the University Endowment Lands west of V ...

, Vancouver, Canada.

Background

Barnett holds a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

(MA Hons) from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

, a

Licentiate in Theology The Licentiate in Theology or (in Britain) Licence in Theology (LTh or, in Australia, ThL) is a non-degree qualification in theology awarded in Canada and previously awarded in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. A qualification simil ...

(ThL) from the

Australian College of Theology The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is an Australian higher education provider based in Sydney, New South Wales. The college delivers awards in ministry and theology and was one of the first Australian non-university providers to offer an ...

, a Bachelor of Divinity (BD Hons) and a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(PhD; London) on the interaction between the New Testament and Jewish history of the first century. His dissertation at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

was titled ''"The Jewish eschatalogical prophets A.D. 40-70 in their theological and political setting"''. "

e is E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plur ...

now a teaching fellow at Regent College, Vancouver, ndis a respected classicist and historian." Barnett was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in 1965 and ministered at St Barnabas' Broadway in Sydney and Holy Trinity Church in North Terrace, Adelaide before becoming the master of

Robert Menzies College Robert Menzies College (RMC) is an Anglican residential college of Macquarie University. Established in 1972, the college was named after former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies. Its Latin motto is ''Vera Cogitate'', and the college's stated ...

at Macquarie University from 1980. He was later the chairman of the ''New Documents Illustrating early Christianity'' project which is now in its 10th volume. The ninth volume was dedicated to Barnett and contains an introduction on his impact on New Testament ancient history by Edwin Judge. He is married to Anita Barnett.Anglican Communion Directory, March 2000
/ref> He has 4 children and 11 grandchildren. Barnett was made a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...

in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Bibliography

*''Is the New Testament History?''. Hodder & Stoughton, 1986. Revised Edition: Aquila, 2004. *''Bethlehem to Patmos''. Hodder & Stoughton, 1989. Revised Edition: Paternoster, 2013. *''Apocalypse Now and Then: Reading Revelation Today (Reading the Bible Today Commentaries)''. 1989. Reprinted, Aquila Press, 2001. *''The Servant King: Reading Mark Today''. 1991. *''The Truth about Jesus''. First Edition 1994. Second Edition: Aquila, 2004. *''The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians NIC''. 1997. *''Jesus and the Logic of History''. Leicester: IVP (UK). 1997. *''Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity''. IVP Academic, 1999. *''The Shepherd King: reading John today''. Aquila Press, 2005. *''Living Hope: Reading 1 Peter today''. Aquila Press, 2006. *''The Birth of Christianity''. Eerdmans, 2006. *''Paul, Missionary of Jesus''. Eerdmans, 2006. *''Finding the Historical Christ''. Eerdmans, 2009. *''Messiah''. Intervarsity Press, 2009. *''The Corinthian Question''. Apollos, 2011. *''1 Corinthians: Holiness and Hope of a Rescued People (Focus on the Bible)''. Christian Focus, 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnett, Paul 1935 births Living people Alumni of the Theological Department of King's College London Moore Theological College faculty Macquarie University faculty 20th-century Anglican bishops in Australia Assistant bishops in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney Australian biblical scholars University of Sydney alumni Anglican biblical scholars Evangelical Anglican bishops Members of the Order of Australia Bible commentators