Meredith George Kline (December 15, 1922 – April 14, 2007) was an American theologian and

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 ...

scholar. He also had degrees in Assyriology and

Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious ...

Academic career

Kline received his AB from Gordon College, Th.B. and Th.M. from

Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary is a Protestant theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1929 after Princeton chose to ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and PhD in Assyriology and

from Dropsie College. He enjoyed a long and fruitful professorial career spanning five decades and two coasts, teaching

(1948–77), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (1965–93), the

Claremont School of Theology Claremont School of Theology (CST) is an American graduate school focused on religion and theology and located in Claremont, California. CST is fully recognized and approved as one of thirteen official theological schools of the United Methodi ...

(1974–75),

Reformed Theological Seminary Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) is a theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition with campuses in multiple locations in the United States. Founded by conservatives in the Southern Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church i ...

(1979–83), and

Westminster Seminary California Westminster Seminary California is a Reformed tradition, Reformed and Presbyterianism, Presbyterian Christianity, Christian seminary in Escondido, California. It was initially a branch campus of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia un ...

(1981–2002). Kline was a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

at Westminster Seminary California and Gordon-Conwell until his death. He was an ordained minister in the

Orthodox Presbyterian Church The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) is a confessional Presbyterian denomination located primarily in the United States, with additional congregations in Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. It was founded by conservative members of the Presbyter ...

Work

Building on the legacy of Geerhardus Vos, Kline was an influential voice for covenant theology in the Reformed tradition, providing both new insights into biblical accounts and critical engagement with contemporary biblical scholarship. He is, perhaps, best known for his contributions on the subject of ancient

suzerain Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is calle ...

–

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...

, specifically on the relationship of treaties from the 2nd millennium BC to covenants found in the Bible. Kline is also well known for propounding the

framework interpretation :''This article focuses on the views of certain Christian commentators and theologians. For a more general account of the topic of Genesis chapter 1, see Genesis creation narrative.'' The framework interpretation (also known as the literary fram ...

of the

creation account A creation myth (or cosmogonic myth) is a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it., "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop ...

found in the first chapter of

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

in the New King James Version. Theologian John Frame has called Kline "the most impressive biblical theologian of my lifetime," adding that Kline's work "is

orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

, yet often original, and it always provides rich analysis of

Scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

." In 2000, a

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

was published in Kline's honor: ''Creator Redeemer Consummator: A Festschrift for Meredith G. Kline'', ed. H. Griffith and J. R. Muether (Greenville, SC: Reformed Academic Press), featuring scholars (and former students) such as

Tremper Longman Tremper Longman III (born 8 September 1952) is an Old Testament scholar, theologian, professor and author of several books, including 2009 ECPA Christian Book Award winner ''Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings''. Biograp ...

and Charles Lee Irons.

Publications

Some of Kline's many publications include:

Books

* * * * * * * * *

Articles and chapters

* * * * * * * * *

References

External links

Meredith Kline Online
– a website with a comprehensive collection of Kline's writings
- a website with a comprehensive collection of Kline's writings-->
The Upper Register
– a website with publications by and about Kline from his former student and collaborator Lee Irons
Audio lectures
by Kline

by Jeong Koo Jeon, in '' Kerux: The Journal of Northwest Theological Seminary'', vol. 16, no. 1
A Glossary of Klinean Terminology'The Feast of Cover-Over' (JETS 1994)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kline, Meredith G. 1922 births 2007 deaths American Calvinist and Reformed theologians American biblical scholars Dropsie College alumni Gordon College (Massachusetts) alumni Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary faculty Orthodox Presbyterian Church ministers Westminster Theological Seminary alumni Westminster Theological Seminary faculty 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Old Testament scholars Westminster Seminary California faculty 20th-century American clergy