James D.G. Dunn, Emeritus Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University in England, world-renowned New Testament scholar, prolific author, and “Jimmy” to his friends, died on June 26, 2020, at the age of 80.
After studying at the University of Glasgow (first economics and statistics and then earning his Bachelor of Divinity), Dunn earned his Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of Cambridge, where C.F.D. (aka “Charlie”) Moule supervised him. He was also subsequently awarded a Doctor of Divinity from the University of Cambridge.
In 1964, he was licensed as a minister by the Church of Scotland. From 1968 to 1970, he served as the chaplain to overseas students at Edinburgh University. Although raised Presbyterian, he and his wife made a point of attending a church near where they lived, and as a result he was involved in Church of Scotland, Baptist, Methodist, and Anglican congregations.
Dunn began his academic teaching career at the University of Nottingham, where he became Lecturer in Theology in 1970, being promoted to Reader in Theology in 1979. He remained there until 1982 when he was appointed Professor of Divinity at Durham University. In 0211990, he was appointed to the prestigious chair of Lightfoot Professor of Divinity, where he remained until his retirement and the awarding of emeritus status in 2003. He was active in Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS), including a stint as president. In 2006, Dunn was also elected a Fellow of the British Academy.
Over the years, his research spanned much of the New Testament. A revision of his doctoral dissertation, his first book, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, was published in 1970. His interest in pneumatology and spiritual experience in earliest Christianity continued into his second book, Jesus and the Spirit, published in 1975. These works foreshadowed what would become characteristic of his scholarship: book-length studies that tackle big-picture questions and themes, without neglecting the details, and book chapters that focused on individual texts and exegetical questions while never ever losing sight of the need to fit those individual pieces into a larger whole.
His Unity and Diversity in the New Testament (1990) and Christology in the Making (1980) each made a major impact on the study of early Christianity and its view of Jesus. His work on Paul’s thought found expression in articles, commentaries, and ultimately The Theology of Paul the Apostle (1998). His insights on “works of the Law” defined the “new perspective on Paul” in ways that still shape debates and exegetical work. The list of scholarly publications could continue. Over the years, he also authored numerous books for a general audience that made his scholarship widely accessible.
He supervised doctoral students from all around the world, who consistently remember not only his scholarly acumen but also his kindheartedness and sharp wit. So many desired to honor him that festschrifts were organized for the occasion of both his 65th and 70th birthdays (with the titles The Holy Spirit and Christian Origins [2004] and Jesus and Paul: Global Perspectives [2009], together pointing to the enormous span and scope of Dunn’s work). Although primarily a textual scholar, throughout his career Dunn engaged with archaeological scholarship related to the areas on which he worked.
Jimmy is survived by his wife, Meta, and their children, Catrina, David, and Fiona, as well as grandchildren.
James D.G. Dunn, Emeritus Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University in England, world-renowned New Testament scholar, prolific author, and “Jimmy” to his friends, died on June 26, 2020, at the age of 80.
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