Lecture to argue Gospels based on eyewitness testimony

6 August 2014

Lecture to argue Gospels based on eyewitness testimony

One of the world’s leading New Testament scholars will deliver a public lecture at Victoria University of Wellington this month, arguing that the Gospels are based on the eyewitness testimony of those who knew Jesus personally.

Professor Richard Bauckham, Emeritus Professor of the universities of St Andrews and Cambridge, is the 2014 St John’s Visiting Scholar in Religion, hosted by Victoria University and St John’s in the City. As part of his visit, he will deliver a public lecture on Monday 18 August drawing on one of his best-known works—his award-winning Jesus and the Eyewitnesses. This landmark publication draws on textual and historical evidence, as well as developments in the study of oral tradition and the psychology of memory, to argue that the Gospels are based on the eyewitness testimony of those who knew Jesus personally.

“The argument has major implications for understanding of the character of the Gospels, but also of early Christianity more generally,” says Dr Geoff Troughton, a senior lecturer in Victoria’s Religious Studies Programme. “The issues at stake concern our access to knowledge about the life and teaching of Jesus, but also of earliest Christianity, including foundational ideas and networks and the means through which it spread.”

About Professor Richard Bauckham
Professor Bauckham is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars. He taught theology for many years at the University of Manchester and then at the University of St Andrews where he was the Professor of New Testament Studies and Bishop Wardlaw Professor. He is now Emeritus Professor at the University of St Andrews, and is based at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. A prolific writer, he has written over 20 books and 200 articles, including many influential and groundbreaking volumes. These writings include biblical commentaries, studies of New Testament history and theology, works of historical theology, and other studies on topics such as Christology and ecology.

About the St John’s Visiting Scholar Programme
The St John’s Visiting Scholar Programme was established in 2010, with the purpose of promoting the study of religion and theology. It aims to bring internationally renowned theologians and scholars of religion to Wellington each year to share their knowledge. Professor Bauckham will also be speaking at St John’s in the City on Sunday 17 August, and holding a seminar with religious leaders and academics during his stay in Wellington. He will deliver a number of public addresses whilst in New Zealand, including the Burns Lectures in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Otago.

What: Public lecture: The Evidence for Jesus: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony
When: Monday 18 August 2014, 7.00-8.30pm
Where: Maclaurin Building, LT103, Victoria University, Kelburn Parade

ENDS

© Scoop Media