RESPECTED NEW TESTAMENT SCHOLAR TO SPEAK AT FULLER SEMINARY, APRIL 22-24

PASADENA, CA (April 14, 2003) – Professor Richard Bauckham, professor of New Testament studies and Bishop Wardlaw Professor at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, is guest lecturer at Fuller Theological Seminary’s annual Payton Lectures, beginning at 10 a.m., April 22-24. His lecture series is entitled “The Historical Jesus and the Apostolic Testimony: Where History and Theology Meet.” The lectures, held in Travis Auditorium, are free and open to the public.

In addition to the Payton Lectures, on Tuesday, April 22, Bauckham is scheduled to speak on the topic of “Women in the Gospels,” 1 to 2 p.m. in Payton 101. This special lecture is also open to the public. For more information, call 626-584-5302.

Richard Bauckham studied at the University of Cambridge, where he read history at Clare College (1966-72) and was a Fellow of St. John’s College (1972-75). He taught theology for one year at the University of Leeds, and for 15 years at the University of Manchester (1977-1992), where he was lecturer, then reader in the History of Christian Thought, before moving to St. Andrews in 1992. He is currently a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and a member of the Doctrine Commission of the Church of England.

“Professor Richard Bauckham is one of the leading and most respected New Testament scholars in the world today, a prolific author who’s written authoritative books across a broad range of topics bearing on the New Testament,” said Donald Hagner, the George Eldon Ladd Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Fuller Seminary instituted the Payton Lectures in 1949, in memory of Dr. and Mrs. John E. Payton, parents of late Mrs. Charles Fuller. The theme of the lectures falls within one of these areas: the uniqueness or confirmation of the historic Christian faith, the confutation of non-Christian or sub-Christian views, or the formulation of biblical doctrines.

“The Payton lectures provide the opportunity to hear the very best scholars from around the world--in this case, one from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. While Bauckham’s approach in his lectures will be solidly historical, he is also a man of faith, and has a great respect for the text of the New Testament. We can therefore expect that his lectures will provide an antidote to the unnecessary and unfounded skepticism of the Jesus Seminar concerning the so-called historical Jesus. Bauckham will undoubtedly show that the New Testament witness to the significance and identity of Jesus is well-founded,” Hagner said.

Fuller Seminary is the largest multidenominational seminary in the world, with more than 4,000 students from more than 60 countries and 100 denominations.  Fuller provides professional and graduate-level education in its schools of theology, psychology, and world mission.  In addition to the main campus in Pasadena, Fuller has campuses in Irvine and Menlo Park, California; Seattle, Washington; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Phoenix, Arizona.