Raymond Francis Collins is an American

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

of the

Diocese of Providence The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence ( la, Dioecesis Providentiensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. The diocese was erected by Pope Pius IX on February 17, 1872 and originally comprised the entire state of Rhode ...

, and an

exegete Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretations ...

of the

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 ...

. Recently retired, he has taught as a professor at a variety of institutions of higher education, including most prominently

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

and

the Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, 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 ...

. He also served the

American College of the Immaculate Conception The American College of the Immaculate Conception, or the American College of Louvain is a former Roman Catholic seminary in Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1857, it was operated by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to prepare Europ ...

as its ninth rector.

Early life and education

Collins was born in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, on 12 May 1935. He completed his primary and secondary education within his home state. He became a seminarian for the diocese of Providence, and his

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 ca ...

Russell McVinney Russell Joseph McVinney (November 25, 1898—August 10, 1971) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island from 1948 until his death in 1971. Biography Early life Ru ...

, sent him for theological studies at the newly reopened

in 1953. At the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (french: Université de Louvain, link=no; nl, Universiteit Leuven, link=no) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of ...

, he obtained a

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus; abbreviated STB), not to be confused with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred ...

in 1959 and a License in Sacred Theology in 1961. In 1962, only a year after completing his license, he successfully defended his

doctoral dissertation A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

, which was entitled ''The Berith-Notion of the Cairo Damascus Covenant and its Comparison with the New Testament''.

Teacher and rector

Returning to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

as a young

, he taught New Testament first at Our Lady of Providence Seminary, and moral theology at Pope John XXIII National Seminary. With the division of the

in 1968, Collins returned to

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

to teach

. In 1971, he was appointed rector of the

, his ''alma mater'', where he had been living since his return to Leuven. As rector of the seminary and, starting in 1977, a full professor at the

, Collins strengthened the relationship between the two institutions, and was heavily involved in the cooperative effort to produce the English-language theological journal '' Louvain Studies''. At the American College, he expanded the pastoral formation program for the seminarians, opened up the college's doors to graduate studies for priests and religious, and started the college's sabbatical program. Collins' term as rector of the American College came to a close in 1978, and he thereafter focused more on academic pursuits. He briefly took up a part-time position teaching at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

, but then returned to Leuven full-time until 1993. That year, he left Leuven for a position as a professor of New Testament at 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. ...

, where he taught until his retirement in 2006. He now celebrates Mass occasionally at St. Luke's, a parish in the Diocese of Providence.

Partial list of publications

* ''Introduction to the New Testament''. Galilee Trade, 1987. * ''Preaching the Epistles''. Paulist Press, 1995. * ''Sexual Ethics and The New Testament : Behavior & Belief''. Herder and Herder, 2000. * ''1 & 2 Timothy and Titus: A Commentary''. Westminster John Knox Press, 2002. * ''First Corinthians (Sacra Pagina Series)''. Liturgical Press, 2007. * ''Second Corinthians (Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament)''. Baker Academic, 2013. * ''Divorce in the New Testament''. Michael Glazier Books, 1992. * ''The Many Faces of the Church: A New Testament Study''. Herder & Herder, 2004. * ''Letters That Paul Did Not Write: The Epistle to the Hebrews and the Pauline Pseudepigrapha''. Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2005. * ''Birth Of The New Testament: The Origin & Development of the First Christian Generation''. Herder & Herder, 1993. * ''John and His Witness''. Liturgical Press, 1991. * ''These Things Have Been Written: Studies on the Fourth Gospel''. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991. * ''Wealth, Wages and the Wealthy - New Testament Insight for Preachers and Teachers''. Liturgical Press, 2017.

References

External links

American College at Louvain
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Raymond F. Living people 1935 births Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni American College of the Immaculate Conception alumni Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence Catholic University of America faculty Religious leaders from Rhode Island