William Reuben Farmer (1921 – December 31, 2000) was an American

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 ...

scholar, professor of

theology 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 ...

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

, and advocate of

ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

Biography

Farmer studied at

Cambridge University , 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 ...

in England and Union Theological Seminary in New York (the home of famous teachers such as

Reinhold Niebuhr Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892 – June 1, 1971) was an American Reformed theologian, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years. Niebuhr was one of America ...

and

Paul Tillich Paul Johannes Tillich (August 20, 1886 – October 22, 1965) was a German-American Christian existentialist philosopher, religious socialist, and Lutheran Protestant theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologi ...

, among others). He graduated seminary in 1952. Farmer was then ordained as a minister of the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

. He became a professor at the

Perkins School of Theology Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools and is located in Dallas, Texas. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J. and Lois Craddock Perkins of Wichita Falls, Texas. De ...

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 ...

in 1959 or 1960. There, he was known as an associate and ally to

Albert Outler Albert Cook Outler (November 17, 1908 – September 1, 1989) was a 20th-century American Methodist historian, theologian, and pastor. He was a professor at Duke University, Yale University, and Southern Methodist University. He was a key figure i ...

, a Protestant historian of the church who closely observed and studied the Catholic Church and supported both the paleo-orthodox and the

ecumenical movement Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

. Farmer supported the

Southern Christian Leadership Conference The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African-American civil rights organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. SCLC is closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King Jr., who had a large role in the American civi ...

(SCLC) and served on its board of directors in supporting civil rights for African-Americans in Dallas. In 1990 at the age of 67, he also joined the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

as a lay member. He attempted to stay in both churches at once as a nod toward ecumenism, but was unable; the Methodist Judicial Council ruled that joining another denomination automatically terminates UMC membership. After his retirement and conversion, he did occasional projects with the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a Private university, private Catholic church, Catholic university in Irving, Texas. Established in 1956, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The university comprises four academi ...

, a Catholic University in Irving, such as editing a volume of Bible commentaries from a Catholic and ecumenical perspective. Farmer died in 2000 in Dallas of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

Works

Farmer's most notable area of research was 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 ...

, or the question of the nature of the connection between the gospels 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 ...

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

, and

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 ...

. In his 1964 book ''The Synoptic Problem: A Critical Analysis'', he disputes the

two-source hypothesis The two-source hypothesis (or 2SH) is an explanation for the synoptic problem, the pattern of similarities and differences between the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It posits that the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke were bas ...

that had generally become accepted among historians of Christianity in the 20th century (and still is accepted today) which suggests that Mark and an unknown tradition called " Q" were used to write Matthew and Luke. Rather, he supported a variant of the older Matthean priority theory that suggests the Gospel of Matthew came first, the view of many early Church fathers such as

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...

. Farmer called his preferred version the

two-gospel hypothesis The two-gospel hypothesis or Griesbach hypothesis is that the Gospel of Matthew was written before the Gospel of Luke, and that both were written earlier than the Gospel of Mark. It is a proposed solution to the synoptic problem, which concerns t ...

, and suggests instead that Mark was the latest gospel that drew from both Matthew and Luke.A Web Site for the Two Gospel Hypothesis: Who Are We?
/ref> In a 1992 paper, Farmer suggested the movement for

Marcan 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 ...

originated as an effect of the German in the 1870s, a political and cultural struggle between the largely Lutheran government of the German Empire and the German Catholic Church. In this view, playing down the importance of Matthew would show that the Catholic Church was "wrong" and weaken their claims of canonical authority, opening the way for the Protestant-led government to seize authority and power.Farmer, William R.
BISMARCK AND THE FOUR GOSPELS 1870 - 1914
/ref> Farmer himself admits that any such government tampering was implicit, however, and has found few supporters for this view. A partial list of books authored: * * (Reprinted in 1976) * * A partial list of books where he served as editor: * * (with

Henning Graf Reventlow Henning Graf Reventlow, full name Henning Lothar Gert Count Reventlow (September 22, 1929 – September 9, 2010) was a German Protestant theologian, Old Testament scholar and university professor. He wrote numerous books on religion. His book ''The ...

) * *

References

External links

Published works of William R. Farmer
Obituary email
- Good source but a little weird to link--> {{authority control 1921 births 2000 deaths New Testament scholars Southern Methodist University faculty American United Methodist clergy Converts to Roman Catholicism from Methodism People in Christian ecumenism Alumni of the University of Cambridge Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni Deaths from prostate cancer