Roger R. Nicole (December 10, 1915 – December 11, 2010
[Roger Nicole (1915-2010) http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/12/11/roger-nicole-1915-2010/]) was a native Swiss
Reformed Baptist theologian and proponent of
Christian egalitarianism and
biblical inerrancy.
He was an associate editor for the ''New Geneva Study Bible'', assisted in the translation of 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 a ...
, and was a founding member of both the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy and the
Evangelical Theological Society, serving as president of the latter in 1956.
Early life and education
Nicole was born to Swiss parents December 10, 1915, in
Charlottenburg,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. During his childhood, the family moved back to Switzerland, where he lived until 1935. He earned his
M.A. from
Sorbonne,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
, and then emigrated 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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
to continue his studies. He received a
B.D. (1939),
S.T.M.
The Master of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Magister; abbreviated STM) is a graduate-level, North American, academic degree in theology equivalent to ThM. The Roman Catholic equivalent is the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL). An ...
(1940), and
Th.D. (1943) from
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, ...
, his
Ph.D. (1967) from
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 high ...
, and his
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 ran ...
(1978) from
Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to:
* Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois
* Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...
. In 1946, Nicole married Annette Cyr (1917 - 2008).
Career
In 1944, Nicole joined the faculty at what was then called Gordon Divinity School, now known as Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. He was appointed professor of theology in 1949, where he remained until retiring in 1986. He continued to teach theology during his retirement at
Reformed Theological Seminary,
Orlando, Florida.
[Institute of Theological Studies, Grand Rapids, Michigan. ] A devotee of mathematics and prolific writer, he produced some 100 articles and contributed to fifty books and reference works. A
bibliophile
Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books.
Profile
The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...
and distinguished librarian with a massive collection, he owned Calvin's ''Commentaries on the Gospels and Acts'' and other volumes from the 16th and 17th centuries.
[''Reformed Theological Seminary Quarterly.'' Footnote to Roger Nicole, ''Sanctification: Growing toward God.'' Online: ] The library of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando contains over twenty thousand of his personal books. They take up one half of the current library.
Legacy
Respected internationally for his Christian statesmanship and scholarship, he was an acknowledged expert in the thought of
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
leader
John Calvin
John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...
.
[Bailey, David W. ''Speaking the Truth in Love: Life & Legacy of Roger Nicole''. Solid Ground Christian Books, 2006. ] Evangelical commentator
David F. Wells
David Falconer Wells (born May 11, 1939) is Distinguished Senior Research Professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books in which his evangelical theology engages with the modern world. He has taught at Tri ...
dedicated his 1985 release, ''Reformed Theology in America'', simply “to Roger Nicole, a man of God.”
[Bailey, David W. "Do You Know Roger Nicole?" Columbia Evangelical Seminary "Coffee Talk." Online: ] J. I. Packer
James Innell Packer (22 July 192617 July 2020) was an English-born Canadian evangelical theologian, cleric and writer in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. He was considered one of the most influential evangelicals in North Amer ...
has written this tribute to Nicole: "Awesome for brain power, learning and wisdom, endlessly patient and courteous in his gentle geniality, and beloved by a multitude as pastor, mentor and friend."
[
]
Other interests
An avid philatelist
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is pos ...
, Nicole had a personal collection of approximately one million stamps. He also had a collection of six thousand mystery novels.
Selected works
Nicole has written more than 100 articles and contributed to 50 books and reference works, including[ Reformed Theological Seminary Professor Emeritus]
Thesis
*
Books
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*
*
*
* - Nicole writes the forward
* - Nicole was Associate Editor (a name change for the "New Geneva Study Bible")
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*
Chapters
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*
*
Other
* "Christians for Biblical Equality: Statement on Men, Women and Biblical Equality" Contributor. Minneapolis: Christians for Biblical Equality, 1989.
Festschriften
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicole, Roger R.
American Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Swiss Calvinist and Reformed theologians
1915 births
2010 deaths
Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary alumni
People from Orlando, Florida
Harvard University alumni
University of Paris alumni
American philatelists
Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni
20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians