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Marten Woudstra

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Marten Hendrik Woudstra (July 23, 1922–October 3, 1991) was a Dutch-born evangelical theologian, biblical scholar, seminary professor, and minister of the Christian Reformed Church. He served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society and as chairman of the Old Testament committee for the translation of the New International Version of the Bible. Woudstra's most notable contribution to evangelical scholarship is the publication of his commentary on the Book of Joshua in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament.

Early life and education

Woudstra was born July 23, 1922, in Burgum, Netherlands (then officially called Bergum). After graduating from a Reformed Gymnasium, he attended the Reformed Theological Seminary in Kampen from 1942 to 1946. He emigrated to the United States, earned his B.D. (1948) and then Th.M. (1949) from Westminster Theological Seminary. In 1961, Woudstra was the first person from that seminary to be conferred the Doctor of Theology degree. He also studied at the Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning (1951–52), the Free University of Amsterdam (1955), and the University of Hamburg (1969–70).

Career

During his seminary days, Woudstra taught at the Reformed Episcopal Seminary in West Philadelphia. In 1953, he was ordained as a minister of the Christian Reformed Church, and served for two years as pastor of the Third Christian Reformed Church in Edmonton, Alberta. During this time, he was editor of The Presbyterian Guardian, a journal published by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. From 1955 until his retirement in 1985, he served as professor of Hebrew and Old Testament exegesis at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In 1957, Woudstra, along with Henry Schultze, Ralph Stob, and Martin Wyngaarden, formed a committee to consider producing a "faithful translation of the Scriptures in the common language of the American people." As the effort gained momentum over the next several years, Woudstra remained one of the key members (along with other notable academics such as John H. Stek and Merrill C. Tenney), of what became the Committee on Bible Translation, that eventually produced the New International Version of the Bible. He would go on to be appointed chair of the Old Testament committee, and in 1979 was elected to serve a term as president of the Evangelical Theological Society. Woudstra died October 3, 1991, in Kentwood, Michigan.

Publications

  • Calvin's Dying Bequest to the Church: A Critical Evaluation of the Commentary on Joshua (1960) Volume 1 of Calvin Theological Seminary monograph series
  • The Continued Recognition of the Old Testament as Part of the Christian Canon (1963) Inaugural address to Calvin Seminary Chapel
  • The Religious Problem-Complex of Prophet and Priest in Contemporary Thought (1965)
  • The Ark of the Covenant from Conquest to Kingship (1965) Doctoral thesis
  • The Book of Joshua in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament (1981) Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing ISBN 0802825257

References

  1. ^ "Marten H. Woudstra." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Biography in Context. Web. 21 May 2014.
  2. "Book Reviews" (PDF). JETS. 25 (3): 367–369. 1982. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ "Westminster Seminary Confers First Doctorate" (PDF). The Presbyterian Guardian. 30 (5): 90. 1961. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "Memorials" (PDF). JETS. 35 (1): 142. 1992. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Ronald F. Youngblood, Glen G. Scorgie, Mark L. Strauss, Steven M. Voth, ed. (2003). The Challenge of Bible Translation: Communicating God's Word to the World. Zondervan. p. 236-245. ISBN 0310246857.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
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