I was first introduced to Peter C. Craigie via his commentary on Psalms 1-50 in the Word Biblical Commentary series. I found a tremendous amount of help in this well-packed volume, and I recommend it to you. As I read through portions of this commentary it became obvious to me that Craigie was seeking to maintain a difficult position in the midst of mainstream, Biblical schoraship. While it was abundantly evident that Craigie was aware of text-critical methods of OT scholarship, it was equally evident that he didn't bow to them.I recently purchased a used copy of Craigie's The Old Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content and have found a similar posture. Although he felt that it was not within the scope of this particular book to discuss the doctrine of inspiration, nevertheless he insisted on acknowledging the unique nature of the Biblical text. He concludes his comments on the survival of the Old Testament by stating the following:
It is the conviction of both the Jewish and the Christian faiths (though exrpessed in different ways), that the Hebrew Bible, or the Old Testament, is more than just an ancient book. It is the Word of God, the divine revelation, a sacred text. In this sense, the Old Testament books differ fundamentally from works such as those of the Jewish historian Josephus, or the Christian theologian Augustine. Thus from the perspective of Christian or Jewish faith there is an aspect of the authenticity and preservation of the ancient manuscripts that cannot be easily submitted to the historian's investigation or the scientist's microscope. The faith that believes this ancient Scripture to be the Word of God may also exercise faith that in some mysterious fashion God has preserved the integrity of that word in its transmission. This approach is one of faith, consistent with the larger religious belief to which it belongs; it may be informed by a knowledge of the history of the transmission of the Hebrew texts, and indeed should be so informed, but it is not a natural consequence of that study. (p. 37)As his biographer, Lyle Eslinger, repeated emphasizes, Craigie was had resolved "to tackle the job of mediating biblical scholarship to a conservative popular audience" ("Peter C. Craigie" in BI20C, p. 416). In a certain sense Craigie appears to OT scholarship what George Ladd was to NT scholarship. That said, both Craigie and Ladd came from fairly different backgrounds and served in very different academic circles.
Eslinger also notes that "Craigie's characteristic caution set him as much against that brand of fideistic bibliolatry as it did against the speculations of historical criticism" (BI20C, p. 421).
Peter Campbell Craigie was born on August 18, 1938, in Lancaster, England. Religiously, he was reared in the Anglican tradition. However, he did his share of exploring as he matured; becoming involved with Baptist and Evangelical Free churches. Although he gravitated back to the Anglican tradition, Eslinger notes that Craigie avoided working in a confessional environment.
Having lost his opportunity of being a pilot in the Royal Air Force, Craigie went to Canada to study at Prarie Bible Institute (PBI). At that time, L. E. Maxwell (author of Born Crucified & Crowded to Christ) was the principal of this school. Although he only remained for two years, his biographer notes that the influence of this school remained with Craigie throughout his life. After PBI, Craigie enrolled at the University of Edinburgh. In 1965, he completed an M.A in Semitic languages. While working on this degree, Craigie spent a summer in Lebanon studying Arabic at the Middle East Centre for Arabic Studies. Craigie continued his studies by pursuing and completing the requirements for a diploma in theology at St. John's College, University of Durham. Craigie moved on to the University of Aberdeen for post-graduate work where he earned a Masters in Theology. Finally, Craigie returned to Canada where he completed the requirements for a Ph.D. at McMaster University.
Upon the completion of his studies (1970), Craigie was offered a teaching post at Carleton University. One year later (1971), Craigie returned to McMaster to fill a similar position. In 1974, Craigie moved to Alberta where he took up a lectureship at the University of Calgary. At the University of Calgary, Craigie was well received and quickly elevated to higher levels of leadership.
- 1977 - head of the religious studies department
- 1979 - dean of the faculty of humanities
- 1984 - associate vice-president (academic)
- 1985 - vice-president (academic)
Note (from the CSBS website):
The Craigie Lecture is held bi-annually during the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies, in late May or early June. It is named after Dr. Peter Craigie, who died tragically in a car accident in 1985 at the age of 47. He was much beloved by his colleagues at the University of Calgary, and in the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies, and died while Vice-President Academic of the University of Calgary and President of the CSBS. During his abbreviated academic career, Craigie authored seven books and over forty articles. Following his death, funds were raised by the CSBS, with the support of his family, in order to sponsor public lectures by scholars of international stature.
Biographical Sketches & Bibliographies -
- Stephen G. Wilson, “Peter Campbell Craigie, 1938-1985: In Memoriam,” Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses 14 (1985) 233.
- H.G. Coward, "Academic Biography of Peter C. Craigie," Ascribe to the Lord: Biblical & Other Essays in Memory of Peter C. Craigie (vol. 67; eds. L. Eslinger and J. G. Taylor; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1988), 593-97.
- Rebecca G. S. Idestrom and J. Glen Taylor, “Addendum to the Bibliography of Peter C. Craigie,” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 51 (1991) 115-17.
- Lyle Eslinger, "Peter C. Craigie," Bible Interpreters of the 20th Century: A Selection of Evangelical Voices. (eds. W. A. Elwell and J. D. Weaver; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999) 411-22. [This resource is available for the Libronix Digital Library System from Logos: here.]
Bibliography of Works -
- Craigie, Peter C. The Book of Deuteronomy. The New international Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976. [WTS | Amazon | CBD]
- _____. Ugaritic Studies, 1972-1976: Reprint of the "Newsletter for Ugaritic Studies," No. 1/1972 -No. 10/1976. Calgary, Alta.: Dept. of Religious Studies, University of Calgary, 1976.
- _____. The Problem of War in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978. [Amazon]
- _____. Ezekiel. Daily Study Bible. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983. [Amazon | CBD]
- _____. Psalms 1-50. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 19. Dallas: Word, 1983; 2nd ed., updated by Marvin Tate, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005. [WTS | Amazon | CBD]
- _____. Ugarit and the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983. [Amazon]
- _____. Twelve Prophets. Daily Study Bible. 2 vols. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1984-85. [Amazon | CBD & CBD]
- _____. The Old Testament: Its Background, Growth, and Content. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1986. [Amazon]
- _____. Jeremiah 1-25. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 26. Dallas: Word, 1991. [WTS | Amazon | CBD]
Hi Jason
ReplyDeleteYou always have interesting posts, which cause me to want to chime in. I happen to have Craigie's Deuteronomy, but haven't used it extensively.
His educational background is certainly eclectic. Prairie Bible Institute, at the time he attended, was stricter than BJU in terms of code of conduct. It has always been a Keswick school, Maxwell was a major figure in that movement. On the other hand, McMaster has been a liberal Baptist institution for many years (although I am not sure if it is officially a Baptist school now). I have a distant cousin who disappointed his preacher father after attending McMaster and throwing off any vestiges of faith he ever had.
FWIW.
Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Eslinger's biography of Craigie points out the stark contrast between Prarie Bible Institute and McMaster. It does seem a bit strange that he would migrate from the one to the other. It seems this process was initiated by his father's suggestion that he study at a university rather than such a small school. Craigie left PBI after his second year and enrolled at the Univ. of Edinburgh.
ReplyDeleteA strong point that Eslinger wanted to make is that Craigie never brushed off his conservative roots. Although some conservatives probably mourn the fact that he decided to work in non-conservative circles, I found it instructive that as an academician, Craigie sought to continually remind the "theological scientists" that the Bible is a book that transcends the sphere of science and human reason. It is a book that must be read understood through the eyes of faith. I think that the quote I shared illustrates this.
I can't say that his choice to labor as a conservative scholar in the midst of a school noted for its religious pluralism (see Eslinger) is ideal. It seems that he had a particular burden to do this.
Thanks for the post and the bibliography. I just read Craigie's entry on "wisdom" in the "Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible." Insightful. Especially his comments on Job and Christ:
ReplyDelete"Paul indicates that the wisdom of God is somehow intimately related to the death and resurrection of Jesus, which ties wisdom in the NT to one of the central passages concerning wisdom in the OT. The Book of Job ends, from a certain perspective, on an unsatisfactory note. The fundamental questions of wisdom concerning suffering, evil, and God, received no unambiguous and satisfying answer. All that is clear is that Job, in his encounter with the living God, somehow lost interest in the questions of wisdom. The encounter with God was in itself so overwhelming an experience that the questions of wisdom were no longer central. But for the person who does not encounter God in the whirlwind, as did Job, the persistent questions of OT wisdom remain. To this dilemma, the gospel offers a new wisdom and a new understanding. From a Christian perspective, the wisdom of Job functions as a signpost to a greater wisdom—the wisdom of God in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The way in which the wisdom of Job is superseded by that of the gospel may be seen partially in terms of the remarkable parallel between the experiences of Job and Jesus. Jesus, a good man, suffered, as did the righteous man Job. Jesus and Job suffered for no evil they had done, while evil men flourished and grew old in prosperity. Job felt deserted by the God whom he had known and served, as did Jesus on the cross: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” But beyond the parallels, there lies a remarkable difference. In Job, we perceive the agonized face of humanity turned toward God and asking: “Why?” But on the cross, it is the agonized face of God himself which is revealed to mankind in the person of Jesus. The crucifixion no more provides a simple solution to the problems of wisdom than does the Book of Job, but it does provide the place where a solution may be found. For all those things which conspire against wisdom, the problems of pain and evil, even of God himself, are present in the crucifixion of Jesus. And while the answer to the question “Why?” remains partially a mystery, the resurrection of Jesus sets the questions in a different perspective. The Book of Job suggested that the resolution to the problems of wisdom was to be found in an encounter with the living God; the death of Jesus marks the place where that encounter may be made.
(Baker Encylopedia of the Bible, Vol. 2, Page 2153)
Excellent quote, and very timely for me. (I'm currently considering the wisdom of Ecclesiastes). Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this background on Peter Craigie. He was quite the Old Testament scholar, one who did so much the bridge the gap from the scholarly to the everyday.
ReplyDeleteI was just quoting him in a blog post I wrote about Habakkuk, How can we be faithful in a world like this? I'd love to get some feedback about it, but it really is just building upon Craigie's work, and here I'll share the power quote with you:
Faithfulness requires a continuation in the relationship with God, even when experience outstrips faith and the purpose in continuing to believe is called into question.The sometimes contradictory "knowledge" which some believers share with us actually seems to get us nowhere. The life of faith does not require reason and knowledge to be abandoned, as Habakkuk’s persistent questioning makes clear. But the life of faith may require continuing belief, even though reason and knowledge have long since been exhausted. We cannot always understand either God’s action or his seeming lack of action. Nevertheless, if the relationship is secure, we can continue in the path of faith even when the road of knowledge has become a cul-de-sac.
Thanks again for some background on Craigie. Too bad he died so young with so much more of the Old Testament to explore.
Ken
http://www.samaritanxp.blogspot.com
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