Raymond E. Brown – författare

Over his illustrious career, Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Ph.D., was internationally regarded as a dean of New Testament scholars. He was Auburn Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He received over thirty honorary degrees from Catholic and Protestant universities worldwide, and was elected a (Corresponding) Fellow of the British Academy and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.In addition to serving as president of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, and the Society of New Testament Studies, two popes appointed Father Brown as the sole American on the Pontifical Biblical Commission. Some of the best known of his more than thirty-five books on the Bible are three volumes in the "Anchor Bible" series on the Gospel and Epistles of John, as well as the Anchor Bible Reference Library volumes "The Birth of the Messiah", "The Death of the Messiah", and "An Introduction to the New Testament", winner of the 1998 Catholic Press Association Award for Biblical Studies. Father Brown's untimely death on August 8, 1998, saddened all who knew him.

Over his illustrious career, Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Ph.D., was internationally regarded as a dean of New Testament scholars. He was Auburn Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He received over thirty honorary degrees from Catholic and Protestant universities worldwide, and was elected a (Corresponding) Fellow of the British Academy and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.In addition to serving as president of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, and the Society of New Testament Studies, two popes appointed Father Brown as the sole American on the Pontifical Biblical Commission. Some of the best known of his more than thirty-five books on the Bible are three volumes in the "Anchor Bible" series on the Gospel and Epistles of John, as well as the Anchor Bible Reference Library volumes "The Birth of the Messiah", "The Death of the Messiah", and "An Introduction to the New Testament", winner of the 1998 Catholic Press Association Award for Biblical Studies. Father Brown's untimely death on August 8, 1998, saddened all who knew him.

When Raymond E. Brown died in 1998, less than a year after the publication of his masterpiece, An Introduction to the New Testament, he left behind a nearly completed revision of his acclaimed two-volume commentary on the Gospel of John. The manuscript, skillfully edited by Francis J. Moloney, displays the rare combination of meticulous scholarship and clear, engaging writing that made Father Brown’s books consistently outsell other works of biblical scholarship. An Introduction to the Gospel of John represents the culmination of Brown’s long and intense examination of part of the New Testament. One of the most important aspects of this new book, particularly to the scholarly community, is how it differs from the original commentary in several important ways. It presents, for example, a new perspective on the historical development of the Gospels, and shows how Brown decided to open his work to literary readings of the text, rather than relying primarily on the historical, which informed the original volumes. In addition, there is an entire section devoted to Christology, absent in the original, as well as a magisterial new section on the representation of Jews in the Gospel of John.

A primer to the New Testament for those new to the material or those seeking deeper insights, from a master biblical scholar  “A truly magnificent book, composed by our Catholic national treasure.”—Commonweal  “This judicious and reassuring approach may comfort many.”—Anthony J. Saldarini, New York Times Book Review  “A tour de force.”—America  From the experience of a lifetime of scholarship, preaching, teaching, and writing, Raymond E. Brown covers the entire scope of the New Testament with ease and clarity. He walks readers book by book through the basic content and issues of the New Testament. While a wealth of information is contained in these pages, the work’s most impressive features are the basic summaries of each book, a historical overview of the ancient Greco-Roman world, discussions of key theological issues, and the rich supplementary materials, such as illustrative tables, maps, bibliographies, and appendixes. Using this basic data, Brown answers questions raised by today’s readers, relates the New Testament to our modern world, and responds to controversial issues, such as those raised by the Jesus Seminar.  Every generation needs a comprehensive, reliable introduction to the New Testament that opens the biblical text to the novice. Raymond E. Brown’s An Introduction to the New Testament is the most trustworthy and authoritative guidebook for a generation seeking to understand the Christian Bible.  Universally acknowledged as the dean of New Testament scholarship, Father Brown is a master of his discipline at the pinnacle of his career. Who else could cover the entire scope of the New Testament with such ease and clarity? This gifted communicator conveys the heartfelt concern of a beloved teacher for his students, as he walks the reader through the basic content and issues of the New Testament. Those opening to the New Testament for the first time and those seeking deeper insights could not ask for more in a primer to the Christian Bible.

With this study—companion to the masterful two-volume The Gospel According to John—Raymond E. Brown completed his trilogy on the Johannine corpus. Meticulous in detail, exhaustive in analysis, persuasive in argument, it examines controversies that have long troubled both biblical scholars and lay readers. Questions of authorship, composition, and dating, as well as the debate over source theories, are discussed at length; but these are kept subordinate to the overall question of meaning.What gives this commentary special interest and excitement is the bold, imaginative reconstruction of the setting of the Johannine work—in particular of the “opposition figures,” who are only dimly sketched in the Epistles—so that we see clearly that the author is writing to his flock both about the dangers and difficulties confronting them, and about the eternal life that is theirs by the gift of God. In this way, the Epistles of John become intelligible as broadsides in a critical engagement between the forces of light and darkness.In addition to his superb textual analysis of the letters, Raymond Brown has brought to life the community in which these works were formed and shaped. We are forcefully reminded that the Gospel and the Epistles were addressed to very real people living in the first century a.d., people with religious problems not unlike our own. In all respects, The Epistles of John stands out as a model of biblical scholarship and study.

In the first volume of Raymond E. Brown’s magisterial three-volume commentary on the Gospel According to John, all of the major Johannine questions—of authorship, composition, dating, the relationship of John to the Synoptics (Mark, Matthew, and Luke)—are discussed. The important theories of modern biblical scholarship concerning John are weighed against the evidence given in the text and against prevailing biblical research. In sum, what is attempted is a synthesis of the major scholarly insights that bear on the Fourth Gospel. The translation—as Father Brown states at the outset—strives not for any formal beauty but rather for an accurate and contemporary version: “the simple, everyday Greek of the Gospel has been rendered into the ordinary American English of today.” The result is a translation that will strike the reader with uncommon immediacy.Father Brown also analyzes, in the appendixes, the meaning, use, and frequency of certain key words and phrases that occur in John, and examines the differences between the Johannine and Synoptic treatments of the miracle stories.The chapters of the Gospel translated here in Volume 29 (1–12) comprise the Prologue, which opens with the famous “In the beginning was the Word,” and the Book of Signs, an account of the miracles of Jesus and of his ministry.

This volume concludes Raymond E. Brown's commentary on the Gospel of John. Continuing his study begun in Anchor Bible Volume 29, the author translates the original Greek text into today's English. which allows all readers to make sense of the Gospel. Father Brown's notes and comments sort out the major issues surrounding the writings of John -- questions of authorship, composition, date, and John's relation to the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). He analyzes and presents the scholarly debates in a form the interested layperson can appreciate. John chapters 13-21 comprise the Book of Glory (describing the Last Supper, the Passion, and the appearances of the Risen Jesus) and the epilogue to the Gospel. This commentary includes a special appendix on the Paraclete, in which Brown examines in detail the role of the Holy Spirit. Whether discussing John's version of miracle stories found in the other Gospels, explaining the meaning of obscure Greek words, or showing the relevance of Jesus' words and deeds, Father Brown speaks to scholars and laypeople alike.

A long-awaited abridgement of Raymond Brown’s classic and best-selling introduction to the New TestamentSince its publication in 1997, Raymond Brown’s Introduction to the New Testament has been widely embraced by modern readers seeking to understand the Christian Bible. Acknowledged as a paragon of New Testament studies in his lifetime, Brown was a gifted communicator who wrote with ease and clarity.  Abridged by Marion Soards, who worked with Brown on the original text, this new, concise version maintains the essence and centrist interpretation of the original without tampering with Brown’s perspective, insights, or conclusions. The biblical writings themselves remain the focus, but there are also chapters dealing with the nature, origin, and interpretation of the New Testament texts, as well as chapters concerning the political, social, religious, and philosophical world of antiquity. Furthermore, augmenting Brown’s commentary on the New Testament itself are topics such as the Gospels’ relationship to one another; the form and function of ancient letters; Paul’s thought and life, along with his motivation, legacy, and theology; a reflection on the historical Jesus; and a survey of relevant Jewish and Christian writings.   This comprehensive, reliable, and authoritative guidebook is now more accessible for novices, general readers, Bible study groups, ministers, scholars, and students alike.

"The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul, discerning the thoughts of the heart.""So proclaims the Letter of the Hebrews. Yet for many persons biblical word of God is less a sharp sword than a crutch, supporting rather than piercing them. Interpreted as they have 'always' heard it, Scripture tells exactly what they want to hear. Modern critical investigation of the Bible can change that radically."Raymond E. Brown, a Catholic Sulpician priest who died 25 years ago on August 8, 1998, wrote the above words for the original edition of this book. He was convinced that modern, historical-critical study of the Bible as the word of God was neither a threat to the Christian faith nor a denial of its spiritual and theological dimensions. On the contrary, his goal was to demonstrate Scripture's profound impact on the life of the Church, leading to ongoing conversation in every era."I consider Raymond Brown the greatest biblical scholar America has ever produced. This important new edition of The Critical Meaning of the Bible, expanded beautifully by Ron Witherup, illuminates the Bible's central truths critically and meaningfully."—Paul N. Anderson"In this book the eminent scholar Raymond Brown raised critical issues and perspectives that we are still engaging with today. Ronald Witherup's helpful preface and insightful addenda update this important volume."—Michael J. Gorman"Mapping recent shifts in the history of Catholic Biblical Scholarship warrants renewed attention to this important updated version of Raymond Brown's work. As Ronald Witherup writes in his fresh and insightful preface, these issues are still current today."—Gina-Hens-Piazza†

This study in Johannine ecclesiology reconstructs the history of one Christian community in the first century, a community whose life from its inception to its last hour is reflected in the Gospel and Epistles of John. It was a community that struggled with the world and eventually among its own ranks, not unlike the Church of today. Pulling together twenty-five years of Brown's research into the Johannine corpus, this book explains why Brown called Johannine thought "the most adventuresome theology in the New Testament." In a new introduction to the book, Paul N. Anderson provides an updated overview of the book's receptions and further developments in Johannine scholarship.Endorsements"The Community of the Beloved Disciple is one of the most influential works of twentieth-century Johannine scholarship. This new printing, assisted by Paul Anderson's helpful introduction, is poised to inspire another generation of students and scholars."—Christopher W. Skinner, Loyola University Chicago"The Community of the Beloved Disciple encapsulates much of Raymond Brown's work on the Fourth Gospel and the Johannine Epistles and continues to stimulate scholarly debate, as the useful introduction by Paul Anderson indicates."—Harold Attridge, Sterling Professor of Divinity, Emeritus, Yale University Divinity School"This new edition makes Raymond Brown's seminal work on Johannine literature available to the next generation of interpreters. Paul Anderson's introduction articulates the historical context and novel insights of Brown's work, making this volume a staple of contemporary study."—Sherri Brown, professor of New Testament, Creighton University, Omaha, NebraskaRaymond E. Brown, PSS (1928–1998), remains one of the best-known Johannine scholars in the world for his reconstruction of the community behind the Gospel and Epistles of John. He was the first Catholic professor to obtain tenure at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he taught for twenty years, and one of the first Catholic scholars to make extensive use of the historical critical method.Paul N. Anderson serves as professor of biblical and Quaker studies at George Fox University and as extraordinary professor of religion at the North-West University of Potchefstroom.†