Ben Witherington III

Ben Witherington III (born December 30, 1951) is an American New Testament scholar. Witherington is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church. He has written over forty books and has made many appearances on radio and television programs, and is frequently featured on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and other major networks.

Ben Witherington III
Born (1951-12-30) December 30, 1951
High Point, North Carolina, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
TitleProfessor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary
Spouse(s)Ann Witherington
Children2 (1 deceased)
Academic background
EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Alma materUniversity of Durham (PhD)
Academic work
DisciplineBiblical studies
Sub-disciplineNew Testament studies
InstitutionsAshland Theological Seminary
Vanderbilt University
Duke Divinity School
Gordon-Conwell
Asbury Theological Seminary
Notable worksThe Jesus Quest, The Paul Quest

Education

Born on December 30, 1951, from High Point, North Carolina, Witherington attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, along with minors in Philosophy and Religious Studies.[1] He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the Durham University in England.[1]

Career

Witherington is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland.[1] He is a prominent evangelical scholar.[2] He is an elected member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, a society dedicated to New Testament studies.[3]

Witherington has also taught at Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell.[1] A popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings not only in the United States but also in England, Estonia, Russia, Europe, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia.[1] He has also led tours to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.[1]

Witherington has written over forty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by the Evangelical magazine Christianity Today. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications, and is a frequent contributor to the Patheos website. Along with many interviews on radio networks across the country, Witherington has been seen on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, The Discovery Channel, A&E, and the PAX Network.[1]

Theology

Witherington is Armininan in his theology[4] and refers to Arminianism as Wesleyanism.[5] In The Problem with Evangelical Theology[6] Witherington claims that Arminianism can show exegetical weakness when it comes to the experience of perfection.[7] On the other hand he strongly challenges the exegetical foundation of Calvinism on each of its tenets[8]. He particularly insists on the doctrine of Conditional preservation of the saints,[9][10] and Prevenient grace in various publications, generally referring to the character of God and the nature of his grace and love as a justification for it.[11][4]

He is also a devout pacifist.

Personal life

Witherington is married to Ann Witherington and had two children, Christy and David.[12] On January 11, 2012 Witherington's daughter died of a pulmonary embolism.[12]

Selected works

Books
  • Witherington III, Ben (1984). Women in the ministry of Jesus : a study of Jesus' attitudes to women and their roles as reflected in his earthly life. Society for New Testament Studies, Monograph Series. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • ——— (1988). Women in the Earliest Churches. Society for New Testament Studies, Monograph Series. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • ——— (1988). Grace in Galatia : a commentary on St Paul's Letter to the Galatians. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
  • ———; Witherington, Ann (1990). Women and the Genesis of Christianity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • ——— (1990). The christology of Jesus. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
  • ——— (1992). Jesus, Paul and the end of the world : a comparative study in New Testament eschatology. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
  • ——— (1993). Conflict and community in Corinth : a socio-rhethorical commentary on 1 & 2 Corinthians. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.
  • ——— (1994). Friendship and finances in Philippi : the letter of Paul to the Philippians. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International.
  • ——— (1994). Paul's narrative thought world : the tapestry of tragedy and triumph. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press.
  • ——— (1994). Jesus the Sage: The Pilgrimage of Wisdom. London: T & T Clark.
  • ——— (1995). The Jesus Quest: The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • ——— (1995). John's wisdom : a commentary on the fourth Gospel. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press.
  • ——— (1998). The Acts of the Apostles. A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
  • ——— (1998). The Paul Quest: The Renewed Search for the Jew of Tarsus. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • ——— (1998). The many faces of the Christ : the Christologies of the New Testament and beyond. New York: Crossroad.
  • ——— (1999). Jesus the Seer: The Progress of Prophecy. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
  • ——— (1999). The realm of the reign : reflections on the dominion of God. Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources.
  • ——— (2000). The Gospel of Mark : a socio-rherorical commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
  • ——— (2001). New Testament History : A Narrative Account. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
  • ——— (2001). The shadow of the Almighty : father, son, and spirit in biblical perspectives. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub.
  • ——— (2002). The poetry of piety : an annotated anthology of Christian poetry. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
  • ——— (2003). The Brother of Jesus: the Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & his Family. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
  • ——— (2004). Paul's letter to the Romans : a socio-rhetorical commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.
  • ——— (2004). The Gospel Code : Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Da Vinci. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • ——— (2006). Matthew. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing. ISBN 1-57312-076-6.
  • ——— (2007). What Have They Done with Jesus?. New York: Harper Collins.
  • ——— (2007). Making a Meal of It — Rethinking the Theology of the Lord's Supper. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press.
  • ——— (2007). Troubled Waters — Rethinking the Theology of Baptism. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press.
  • ——— (2007). The Problem with Evangelical Theology: Testing the Exegetical Foundations of Calvinism, Dispensationalism, and Wesleyanism. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • ——— (2010). Revelation and the end times : unraveling God's message of hope. Nashville: Abingdon Press.
  • ——— (2016). New Testament Theology and Ethics. 1. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
  • ——— (2016). New Testament Theology and Ethics. 2. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

Articles

Witherington has written articles in different journals as: Ashland Theological Journal, Bible Q & A, Beliefnet, Bible Review, Biblical Archaeology Review, Christian History, Christianity Today, Journal of Biblical Literature, New Testament Studies, North Carolina Christian Advocate, Quarterly Review, Tyndale Bulletin, UM Publishing House.[1]

Notes and references

Citations
  1. Witherington III 2018.
  2. InterVarsity Press 2019.
  3. STNS 2016.
  4. Witherington III 2013. The first and most important reason I'm a Wesleyan is because of the character of God [...] which is love freely given and freely received. [...] According to the Calvinistic message we are saved by grace through faith alone and our actions have nothing to do with it. [...] According to the Wesleyan approach to the gospel, it's not just about notional assent [...] it's about trusting the truth about God and that is an activity.
  5. Witherington III 2007, I am referring to Arminianism, more commonly called Wesleyanism [...].
  6. Witherington III 2007.
  7. Galli 2005, But the same can be said about the distinctives of Arminian theology, especially when you start talking about having an experience of perfection in this lifetime. There are problems matching that up with what the New Testament says about perfection..
  8. Witherington III 2012b. It is one of the most basic tenants (sic) of Wesleyan Arminian theology that salvation is not complete at the new birth (or justification). The Wesleyan Arminian stresses that in fact there are three tenses to salvation for the believer—"I have been saved (the new birth), I am being saved (sanctification), and I shall be saved to the uttermost (glorification)." The Arminian does not believe that a person who has only experienced the new birth has completed the salvation process, or that the rest of the process is inevitable and foreordained.
  9. Witherington III 2008.
  10. Witherington III 2011. Here let me be clear— what is at issue here is: 1) the character of God; and 2) the nature of his grace and love. Is it free grace and free love…. or is it something else?
  11. Witherington III 2012a.

Sources
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