James Barr (30 March 1924 – 14 October 2006) was a Scottish
Old Testament scholar, known for his critique of the notion that the vocabulary and structure of the Hebrew language may reflect a particular theological mindset. At the
University of Oxford, he was the
Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture from 1976 to 1978, and the
Regius Professor of Hebrew from 1978 to 1989.
Biography
Born in
Glasgow, Scotland (although one obituary claims he was born in Edinburgh on 20 March 1924),
[Bartsad, Hans (11 November 2006]
The Rev Professor James Barr, Semitist whose technical approach to the Hebrew Bible changed the methods of biblical exegesis
The Independent. Retrieved 23 September 2014 educated at
Daniel Stewart's college
Stewart's Melville College (SMC) is an independent day and boarding school in Edinburgh, Scotland. Classes are all boys in the 1st to 5th years and co-educational in Sixth (final) year. It has a roll of about 750 pupils.
The school is twinned w ...
in Edinburgh and the
University of Edinburgh, Barr was ordained to the ministry of the
Church of Scotland in 1951.
[Williamson, HGM (8 November 2006]
James Barr, Radical academic whose incisive critiques challenged the orthodoxies of biblical theology
''The Guardian''. Retrieved 23 September 2014 He held professorships in
New College in the University of Edinburgh,
University of Manchester, in
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly o ...
and at
Vanderbilt University in the United States. He was
Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at
Oxford from 1976 to 1978 and
Regius Professor of Hebrew from 1978 to 1989.
Following service in World War II in the
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
of the Royal Navy where he was a pilot of torpedo bombers and took part in air-sea rescue missions,
[ he studied at Edinburgh University, obtaining a first-class honours degree (Scottish MA) in Classics (1948) and the BD with Distinction in Old Testament (1951). After ordination (1951) and service as minister in the Church of Scotland in Tiberias, Israel (1951–53), during which time he acquired fluency in modern Hebrew and Arabic, he was appointed Professor of New Testament in the Presbyterian College, Montreal (1953–55). Then he was appointed Professor of Old Testament Language, Literature & Theology in Edinburgh University (New College, 1955–61). He then moved to the US as Professor of Old Testament in Princeton Theological Seminary (1961–65),] followed by appointments in the University of Manchester (1965–76) as Professor Semitic Languages and Literatures, and in Oxford University, initially as Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture (1976–78) and then as Regius Professor of Hebrew (1978–89). After his retirement from Oxford, he was appointed Professor of Hebrew Bible in Vanderbilt University (1989–98).[
Barr received many honours. He served as President of the ]Society for Old Testament Study The Society for Old Testament Study (SOTS) is a learned society, based in the British Isles, of professional scholars and others committed to the study of the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament.
History
SOTS was inaugurated at King's College, London
...
(1973) and of the British Association for Jewish Studies The British Association for Jewish Studies (BAJS) is an organization in the United Kingdom that promotes scholarly study of Jewish culture.
The society was founded in 1975 as a non-profit, professional organization. Its focus is on supporting and c ...
(1978), and was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
and a member of the American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 1993. He was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway.
History
The Royal Frederick Univer ...
from 1977.
Biblical scholarship and theology
His '' The Semantics of Biblical Language'' (1961), in which he criticised the tendency of many scholars to rely on linguistically
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
flawed arguments, such as arguments from etymology or based upon misconceptions about the relation between Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
thought and language was very influential. Much of the critique was built upon the work of French linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. In turn, Barr's student Moisés Silva
Moisés Silva (born September 4, 1945) is a Cuban-born American biblical scholar and translator.
Biography
Silva was born in Havana, Cuba, and has lived in the US since 1960. He has taught biblical studies at Westmont College (1972–1981), Wes ...
built on Barr's work in ''Biblical Words and Their Meaning'' (1983). In another important study, ''Comparative Philology and the Text of the Old Testament'' (1968), he criticised the tendency to ascribe meanings to difficult Hebrew words based on words in other Semitic languages (e.g., Ugaritic). This study has been described as having "put comparative Semitic philology on a new and firmer footing."["Barr, James," ''Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation'', ed. J. H. Hayes (Nashville: Abingdon Press), 1:98–99.] He edited ''Journal of Semitic Studies'' 1965–76, and served as editor of the ''Oxford Hebrew Dictionary'' project.
He was also an outspoken critic of conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
evangelicalism, which he attacked in his 1977 book ''Fundamentalism''. In particular he criticised evangelical scholars such as 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 ...
for affirming the doctrine of scriptural inerrancy, the teaching that the Bible is without error. Barr's other works about fundamentalism include ''The Scope and Authority of the Bible'' (1980) and ''Escaping Fundamentalism'' (1984). He was often invited to appear in BBC religious programming.
Personal life
Barr married Jane Hepburn in 1950 and had two sons and a daughter. He was the grandson of the minister and politician James Barr. He died in Claremont, California
Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a popul ...
, on 14 October 2006, aged 82.
Selected works
*1961: '' The Semantics of Biblical Language''
*1968: ''Comparative Philology and the Text of the Old Testament''
*1973: ''The Bible in the Modern World''
*1977: ''Fundamentalism''
*1980: ''The Scope and Authority of the Bible''
*1984: ''Escaping from Fundamentalism'' (titled ''Beyond Fundamentalism'' in the United States)
*1989: ''The Variable Spellings of the Hebrew Bible'' (Schweich Lectures
Schweich is a town in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Moselle, approx. northeast of Trier.
Schweich is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Schweich an der ...
for 1986) Oxford: for the British Academy by the Oxford University Press
*1992: ''Biblical Faith and Natural Theology'' (Gifford Lectures
The Gifford Lectures () are an annual series of lectures which were established in 1887 by the will of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford. Their purpose is to "promote and diffuse the study of natural theology in the widest sense of the term – in ...
for 1990–91) Oxford: Clarendon Press
online
*1999: ''The Concept of Biblical Theology: an Old Testament perspective''
*2004: he contributed the article "Of Metaphysics and Polynesian Navigation" to the anthology ''Seeing God Everywhere'' ( World Wisdom)
*2005: ''History and Ideology in the Old Testament: biblical studies at the end of a millennium''
*2013: ''Bible and Interpretation: The Collected Essays of James Barr, Volumes I-III''. Oxford University Press,
References
External links
Statement from Vanderbilt University on Barr's death
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barr, James (biblical scholar)
1924 births
2006 deaths
British biblical scholars
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh School of Divinity
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
Academics of the Victoria University of Manchester
Fellows of Oriel College, Oxford
Fellows of the British Academy
Fleet Air Arm aviators
Writers from Glasgow
Scottish Christian theologians
20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland
Vanderbilt University faculty
Christian Hebraists
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Old Testament scholars
Academic journal editors
People educated at Stewart's Melville College
Oriel and Laing Professors of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture
Regius Professors of Hebrew (University of Oxford)
Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford
Fleet Air Arm personnel of World War II
British expatriates in the United States
Clergy from Glasgow
Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Members of the American Philosophical Society
Members of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Presidents of the Society for Old Testament Study