Roy Harrisville

Roy Alvin Harrisville II (April 22, 1922 – July 25, 2023) was an American Lutheran theologian who wrote extensively on the interpretation of the New Testament.

Harrisville was educated at Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota), Luther Theological Seminary (in Saint Paul, Minnesota), Princeton Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey, and the University of Tübingen in Germany. He served as a pastor in Mason City, Iowa, before joining the faculty of Luther Theological Seminary as professor of New Testament (1958-1992). During his tenure at Luther Seminary, Roy received the Lutheran World Federation Scholarship, the Association of Theological Schools Fellowship, and the Fredrik A. Schoitz Fellowship. He co-founded Dialog, A Journal of Theology and member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the American Association of University Professors, and honorary member of the Teologiske Menighetsfakultet. He is listed in the "Bultmann Handbuch" (Mohr-Siebeck, 2017).

Harrisville's view on the nature of scripture and the interaction between human writers and the Holy Spirit helped shape the preaching and theology of Lutherans in North America for over 40 years. His works include The Bible in Modern Culture: Baruch Spinoza to Brevard Childs with Walter Sundberg and Fracture: The Cross as Irreconcilable in the Language and Thought of the Biblical Writers. Harrisville believed the historical critical method could be used in service of the Gospel. His long friendship with German theologian Ernst Käsemann led to several translations and reviews of Käsemann's work. Their correspondence can be found in the University of Tübingen Library and in the Luther Seminary Archives.

Books

 * 1)  The Scriptural Significance of the Concepts "Light" and "Darkness" in the Old Testament. Luther Theological Seminary Thesis (unpublished, 1947).
 * 2)  God Incognito: A Series of Lenten Sermons on the Passion according to St. John (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1956).
 * 3)  The Concept of Newness in the New Testament (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1960).
 * 4)  Kerygma and History: A Symposium on the Theology of Rudolf Bultmann. Selected, translated and edited by Carl E. Braaten and Roy A. Harrisville (Nashville: Abingdon, 1962).
 * 5)  The Historical Jesus and the Kerygmatic Christ: Essays on the New Quest of the Historical Jesus. Translated and edited by Carl E. Braaten and Roy A. Harrisville (Nashville: Abingdon, 1964).
 * 6)  His Hidden Grace: The Origins, Task and Witness of Biblical Criticism (Nashville: Abingdon, 1965).
 * 7)  The Miracle of Mark: A Study in the Gospel (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1967).
 * 8)  Pick Up Your Trumpet (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1970).
 * 9)  Play On Your Harp: Meditations on Biblical Themes (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1975).
 * 10)  Frank Chamberlain Porter: Pioneer in American Biblical Interpretation (Missoula: Scholars Press, 1976).
 * 11)  Benjamin Wisner Bacon: Pioneer in American Biblical Criticism (Missoula: Scholars Press, 1976).
 * 12)  Romans: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1980).
 * 13)  Holy Week: Proclamation 2, Series B: Aids for Interpreting the Lessons of the Church Year, with Charles D. Hackett (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981).
 * 14)  Holy Week: Proclamation 3, Series C (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984).
 * 15)  First Corinthians: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1987).
 * 16)  Ministry in Crisis (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1987).
 * 17)  The Bible and Modern Culture, with Walter Sundberg (Eerdmans: 1995).
 * 18)  The Bible and Modern Culture, trans. Korean.
 * 19)  New Proclamation, Series A, 1999, Augsburg-Fortress.
 * 20)  Second Edition, The Bible and Modern Culture, Eerdmans: 2002.
 * 21)  Fracture, The Cross as Irreconcilable in the Language and Thought of the Biblical Writers, Eerdmans, 2006
 * 22) Pandora's Box Opened, Eerdmans, 2014.
 * 23) That Reminds Me: A Memoir. MN: Eclipse Press, 2020 (Kindle Publishing).
 * 24) The Story of Jesus: A Mozaic, Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2020.
 * 25) "Biblical Interpretation and the Interpretation of Natural Phenomena" in Talking God in Society, Festchrift for Peter Lampe, ed. Ute E. Eisen and Heidrun E. Mader, Vol I, 91-112, Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2020.
 * 26) Tell It on the Mountain: A Collection of Sermons, St. Paul, MN: Eclipse Press, 2021 (KDP/Amazon Publishing).
 * 27) A Brief Guide to New Testament Interpretation: History, Methods, and Practical Examples. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2022.
 * 28) Take Every Thought Captive: A Small Book of Devotionals. St. Paul, MN: Eclipse Press, 2023 (KDP/Amazon Publishing; posthumous)

Translations:


 * 1)  "Behold, I Make All Things New!" by Peter Stuhlmacher, Lutheran World. 15 (1968): 3-15.
 * 2)  Mark The Evangelist: Studies on the Redaction History of the Gospel, by Willi Marxsen. Translated with James Boyce, Donald Juel and William Poehlmann (Nashville: Abingdon, 1969).
 * 3)  The Problem of Miracle in Primitive Christianity, by Anton Fridrichsen. Translated with John S. Hanson (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1972).
 * 4)  "The Christology of Chalcedon in Ecumenical Discussion," by Edmund Schlink, Dialog. 2 (Spring, 1963).
 * 5)  "A Protestant View of the Vatican Council Schema 'De Ecclesia,'" by Edmund Schlink, Dialog. 3 (Spring 1964).
 * 6)  Historical Criticism and Theological Interpretation of Scripture, by Peter Stuhlmacher (Philadelphia: Forgress, 1977).
 * 7)  The Influence of the Holy Spirit: The Popular View of the Apostolic Age and the Teaching of the Apostle Paul, by Hermann Gunkel. (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979).
 * 8) "The Signs of an Apostle: Paul's Miracles;" "The Center of Scripture in Luke;" "The Circumcised Messiah;" "The Daughters of Abraham: Women in Acts," The Unknown Paul, by Jacob Jervell (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984).
 * 9)  The Wandering People of God, by Ernst Käsemann. Translated with Irving L. Sandberg (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984).
 * 10)  The Second Letter to the Corinthians, by Rudolf Bultmann (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1985).
 * 11)  The Freedom of a Christian, by Eberhard Jüngel (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1988).
 * 12)  Rudolf Bultmann, What Is Theology, Fortress 1998.
 * 13)  Translation of Käsemann's 1937 sermon (1999 unpublished).
 * 14)  Translation of Käsemann's Rückblick for Dialog, Vol. 38, Spring 1999.
 * 15)  Bernard Lohse, Luther's Theology, Fortress. 2000.
 * 16)  Translation of Udo Snelle essay
 * 17) The Theology of Facts versus the Theology of Rhetoric: Confession and Defense, trans. with notes by Roy A. Harrisville, introduction by Walter Sundberg (Fort Wayne: Lutheran Legacy, 2008).
 * 18)  Translation of Käsemann's On Being a Disciple of the Crucified Nazarene, Eerdmans.
 * 19)  Translation with Mark Mattes of Johann Georg Hamann, Eerdmans. Feb. 2011
 * 20)  Translation of Oswald Bayer essay (2011 unpublished).
 * 21)  Translation of Käsemann's Kirchliche Konflikte, Baker Book House, 2021.

Vitals

 * 1) Born April 22, 1922, Okonomowoc, WI
 * 2) B.A. Concordia College, 1944
 * 3) M. Div. Luther Seminary, 1947
 * 4) Ordained, Bethlehem Lutheran, Minneapolis, MN, 1949
 * 5) Interim Pastor, Bethlehem Lutheran, Minneapolis, MN, 1949-1950
 * 6) Teaching Fellow, Princeton Seminary, 1950-1951
 * 7) Married Norma Alice Haggerty December 22, 1951
 * 8) Pastor, Trinity Lutheran, Mason City, IA, 1952-1957
 * 9) PhD Princeton Seminary, 1953
 * 10) Delegate, Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, Switzerland, 1957-1958
 * 11) Assistant Professor, Luther Seminary, 1958-1960
 * 12) Board of Regents, Luther College, Decorah, IA, 1954 - 1966
 * 13) Summer Ministry, Mexico City, 1960
 * 14) Associate Professor, Luther Seminary, 1960-1965
 * 15) Professor, Luther Seminary, 1965-1992

Sabbaticals

 * 1) Tübingen, Germany 1957-1958
 * 2) Tübingen, Germany 1957-1958
 * 3) New Haven, CT (Yale) 1964-1965
 * 4) Cambridge, England 1971-1972
 * 5) Middlebury, VT 1977-1978
 * 6) Tübingen, Germany 1985-1986

Influences

 * 1) Otto Piper
 * 2) Ernst Käsemann
 * 3) Book of Matthew (28) in the New Testament
 * 4) Cochrane, Arthur. Christianity and Classical Culture
 * 5) Prenter, R. Spiritus Creatus
 * 6) Dostoyevsky, F. Crime and Punishment
 * 7) Luther, Martin. The Freedom of the Christian
 * 8) Käseman, Ernst. Romans Commentary
 * 9) Thomas, B. Biography of Lincoln
 * 10) Bultmann, R. Theology of the New Testament
 * 11) James, W. Varieties of Religious Experience
 * 12) Pierce, Charles. How to Make Our Ideas Clear
 * 13) Dewey, John. Democracy in Education
 * 14) Royce, Josiah. Sources of Religious Insight