Remembering Geoffrey Bromiley (1915-2009)

If you have read Karl Barth, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Helmut Thielicke, or Kittel's famous Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, in English, then you have likely benefited from prodigious translation work of Dr. Geoffrey Bromiley, Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. Bromiley also wrote a number of books -- some on Barth, some on the English Reformation, as well as other topics. Dr. Bromiley was relatively retired by the time that I matriculated at Fuller in 1982. But, I did get to take his Barth Seminar. There's something to be said for taking a seminar like this with the person who translated the works of the one being studied. When it came to interpreting Barth's often dense prose, who better to hear offer an opinion on the meaning of the text than one who had spent so much time ingesting the words of this most important theologian.

I heard someone once say that German theologians would read Barth in Bromiley's translations -- because his renderings were clearer than Barth's own words. That could be apocryphal, but it goes to the importance of his work. His work as a translator has enriched our own theological endeavors.

On August 7th, this man, who was probably Fuller's most prominent scholar, died at the age of 94. thout his translations our theological work in English would have been less rich. Indeed, Ben Meyer suggests that he may have been the most important English theologian of the 20th century --

I remember a conversation where a friend and I were discussing the question, “Who is the 20th century’s most important English-language theologian?” My own argument – and I meant this quite seriously – was that Geoffrey Bromiley has been the single most influential figure in modern English-language theology. Several of those European traditions that have most deeply shaped our own imaginative landscapes have been mediated primarily by Bromiley’s tireless, meticulous, and loving work of translation.


But he was not just a scholar -- he was a teacher and a model of Christian life. My own mentor, Dr. James Bradley, serves as the Geoffrey Bromiley Professor of Church History at Fuller. Jim makes this statement about one who was his mentor.

“The strength of his character exercised an enormous influence on those of us who were his students and colleagues,” said Bradley. “His singular dedication to Jesus Christ and his love for the church shaped us both spiritually and intellectually. His understanding of the discipline of scholarship as part of the ministry of the Word of God will continue to influence Fuller’s future.”

I would say the same of Jim, as he has spoken of Dr. Bromiley, which means that Dr. Bromiley was one to be reckoned with, both as scholar and as a person of faith. We have been blessed that this man has walked among us. I was blessed personally to have spent just one academic quarter in his classroom, exploring thought of one of history's greatest theological minds -- Karl Barth. This is a legacy to treasure.

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