Ralph Earle Jr. (January 17, 1908 – May 23, 1995) was an American

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

scholar.

Early life and education

He was born in

Dighton, Massachusetts Dighton is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,101 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the western shore of the Taunton River in the southeastern part ...

. Earle completed his

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

work and earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from Eastern Nazarene College before earning his

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

. He completed B.D. and

Th.D. Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

programs at

Gordon Divinity School Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

before pursuing postdoctoral studies at Edinburgh University in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, Episcopal Theological School, and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He also held an honorary

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

from Eastern Nazarene.

Career

He authored and edited many scholarly articles and books, including several Bible commentaries. He served as a pastor in

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsock ...

and Everett, Massachusetts while on faculty at alma mater Eastern Nazarene College in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

, from 1933 to 1945. He was an ordained minister in the

Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa within Johnson County, Kansas. With its members co ...

. Earle was founding Professor of New Testament at

Nazarene Theological Seminary Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) is a Nazarene seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. The seminary was established by the Eleventh General Assembly in June 1944 and started its first school year in 1945 with 61 students. It moved to its current ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

from 1945 to 1977 and served on the Committee on Bible Translation for the

New International Version The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...

of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. Earle joined the Evangelical Theological Society as a charter member in 1950, served on the executive committee from 1958 to 1966, and was president in 1962.

Death

Earle died on May 23, 1995, eleven days after suffering a stroke.Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society: Memorials
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Works

* ''How We Got Our Bible'' * ''Word Meanings in the New Testament'' * ''Beacon Bible Commentary'' (New Testament editor) * ''Wesleyan Bible Commentary'' (New Testament editor) * ''Adam Clarke's Commentary'', One-Volume Edition (editor/abridger) * ''Expositor's Bible Commentary'' (contributor)

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Earle, Ralph H. 1908 births 1995 deaths 20th-century translators American biblical scholars American Nazarene ministers Arminian ministers Arminian theologians Boston University alumni Eastern Nazarene College alumni Eastern Nazarene College faculty Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary alumni Harvard University alumni Nazarene Theological Seminary faculty People from Dighton, Massachusetts Translators of the Bible into English Bible commentators New Testament scholars