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Graham Norman Stanton (1940–2009) was a New Zealand
biblical scholar Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 ...
who taught at
King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King G ...
, and as Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity at the
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. A
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...
specialist, Stanton's special interests were in the Gospels, with a particular focus on Matthew's Gospel; Paul's letters, with a particular focus on Galatians; and second-century Christian writings, with a particular interest in
Justin Martyr Justin Martyr ( el, Ἰουστῖνος ὁ μάρτυς, Ioustinos ho martys; c. AD 100 – c. AD 165), also known as Justin the Philosopher, was an early Christian apologist and philosopher. Most of his works are lost, but two apologies and ...
.


Biography

Stanton was born on 9 July 1940 in
Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
, New Zealand. He came to
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
in 1966 to study under C. F. D. Moule (at Westminster College and as a member of Fitzwilliam College), his dissertation was completed in 1969 and published in 1974. From 1970 to 1998, he served as lecturer and (from 1977) as Professor of New Testament at
King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King G ...
. In 1998, he returned to Cambridge as Lady Margaret's Professor and as a Fellow at Fitzwilliam College. In 1996–1997, Stanton was the President of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, a society of New Testament scholars. In 1982–1990), he was editor of the journal '' New Testament Studies'' and of the associated monograph series (1982–1991) and was a General Editor of the International Critical Commentaries (1984-2009). Among other honours, Stanton was awarded an honorary
Doctor of Divinity 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 ...
degree from the University of Otago in 2000; in 2005, he was honoured with 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 ...
'' to mark his 65th birthday. ''The Written Gospel'' (eds. M. Bockmuehl and D. Hagner, Cambridge University Press) includes a bibliography of Stanton's books and articles until 2005 (9 authored books, 6 edited books, 60 authored articles or chapters). In 2006 he was awarded the
Burkitt Medal The Burkitt Medal is awarded annually by the British Academy "in recognition of special service to Biblical Studies". Awards alternate between Hebrew Bible studies (odd years) and New Testament studies (even years). It was established in 1923 and ...
by the
British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars s ...
for his contribution to
biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 ...
in the United Kingdom. Stanton died on 18 July 2009 in Cambridge. In 2011, a collection of essays discussing various aspects of Stanton's work was published in his memory.


Criticism of Christ myth theory

Stanton criticised the arguments of Christ myth theorists. In his book ''The Gospels and Jesus'', he wrote:
Today, nearly all historians, whether Christians or not, accept that Jesus existed and that the gospels contain plenty of valuable evidence which has to be weighed and assessed critically. There is general agreement that, with the possible exception of Paul, we know far more about Jesus of Nazareth than about any first or second century Jewish or pagan religious teacher.Stanton, Graham (2002). ''The Gospels and Jesus'' (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 145.


Works


Books

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Edited works

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Articles and chapters

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''Festscrift''

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References


External links


Professor Graham Stanton
- Daily Telegraph obituary

- J.D.G. Dunn on "Graham Stanton (1940-2009)" * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanton, Graham 1940 births 2009 deaths Academic journal editors Academics of King's College London Critics of the Christ myth theory Fellows of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge New Testament scholars New Zealand biblical scholars New Zealand Presbyterians New Zealand theologians Religious leaders from Christchurch University of Otago alumni Lady Margaret's Professors of Divinity Oceanian biblical scholars