He has been appointed to a chair in New Testament and early Christianity at St Andrews in Scotland.
Leading New Testament scholar N. T. Wright, 61, will retire after seven years as the Bishop of Durham on August 31. He will take a chair in New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
'This has been the hardest decision of my life," Wright said in a statement. "But my continuing vocation to be a writer, teacher and broadcaster, for the benefit (I hope) of the wider world and church, has been increasingly difficult to combine with the complex demands and duties of a diocesan bishop. I am very sad about this, but the choice has become increasingly clear."
Wright's recent books include Surprised by Hope, Simply Christian, and
Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision. A review of After You Believe is in Christianity Today's May issue. The diocese announcement explains what Wright is working on next.
As a writer, Bishop Tom has been working on three series of books – Christian Origins and the Question of God (at a scholarly level), The New Testament for Everyone (at a popular level) and a sequence of studies to introduce the Christian faith, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope and most recently Virtue Reborn (US Title After You Believe). He hopes now to be able to complete these collections, and other ongoing research, while teaching (particularly graduate students) in the Faculty of Divinity at St Andrews. He has also been approached to head up various broadcasting projects to bring the results of good biblical scholarship to a wider audience.
Wright has worked in the past at at Cambridge, McGill (Montreal) and Oxford Universities before holding church appointments. "Tom Wright ranks among the most distinguished New Testament scholars in the world, and his profile as a churchman, writer and communicator is simply outstanding," St. Andrew's Head of School Ivor Davidson said in a statement.
Wright responded to CT's April cover story on the historical Jesus. Wright and John Piper became the focus of a debate over justification. Wright has also been interviewed several times.
Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey on April 27, 2010 8:30AM
Comments
What has always impressed me msot about N.T. Wright is the combination of his excellent scholarship and inspiring faith. I have appreciated his work and his perspective and I look forward to more from him in the future. His retirement is probably a bit disappointing to his parish but I know his influence will continue to grow and benefit the lives of Christians around the world. I wish him all the best and God's blessings.
Posted by: Steve at April 27, 2010
This is indeed mixed news.
But N.T. Wright is serving the greater good as a writer at the scholarly level. His book Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship is a great biblical look at Christian discipleship.
Posted by: Greg at April 27, 2010
N.T. Wright Retiring as Bishop is so good for us to use
Posted by: GHD at April 28, 2010
kinda sad. I think one of the appealing things about brother wright was that he spoke to us from a high church ecclesiology. I'm sure he will do well at St. Andrews.
Posted by: corpuschristioutreachministries at April 29, 2010
Excellent ... a gift like Tom's needs to be used for the widest scope of benefit to the church as possible while he is with us. Tom's work will continue to help and encourage and inspire believers for a long time to come, and anything that will help him increase that body of work is a good thing.
Posted by: Daniel at July 1, 2010
N.T. Wright is serving the greater good as a writer at the scholarly level. His book Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship is a great biblical look at Christian discipleship.
Posted by: ghd at August 2, 2010
A boaster and a liar are cousins-german.
Posted by: ghd hair at August 22, 2010
kinda sad. I think one of the appealing things about brother wright was that he spoke to us from a high church ecclesiology. I'm sure he will do well at St. Andrews.
Posted by: cheap golf clubs at August 27, 2010
it is so good to see Wright's is able to concentrate on helping a large number of students and readers of his works to gain a deeper understanding of God's Word and of Jesus.
Posted by: Sam Hey at October 19, 2010
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