Raymond Edward Brown
Born 1928 · Died 1998
From New York City, New York, United States · Nationality: United States
Raymond Edward Brown SS was an American Catholic priest, a member of the Sulpician Fathers and a prominent biblical scholar. He was regarded as a specialist concerning the hypothetical "Johannine community", which he speculated contributed to the authorship of the Gospel of John, and he also wrote influential studies on the birth and death of Jesus. Brown was professor emeritus at Union Theological Seminary (UTS) in New York where he taught for 29 years. He was the first Catholic professor to gain tenure there, where he earned a reputation as a superior lecturer.
Brown was one of the first Catholic scholars to apply historical-critical analysis to the Bible. As biblical criticism developed in the 19th century, the Catholic Church opposed this scholarship and essentially forbade it in 1893. In 1943, however, the Church issued the papal encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu, which authorised Catholic scholars to investigate the Bible historically. Brown called this encyclical the "Magna Carta of biblical progress." The Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) further supported the method of higher criticism, which, Brown felt, vindicated his approach.
Brown remains controversial among traditionalist Catholics because of their claim that he denied the inerrancy of the whole of scripture and cast doubt on the historical accuracy of numerous articles of the Catholic faith.
Books by Raymond Edward Brown in order
Books by Raymond Edward Brown in the order they were published, from The Book of Daniel (1962) to An Introduction to the Gospel of John (2003).
- 1The Book of DanielThe Book of Daniel1962
- 2The Gospel of St. John and the Johannine Epistles
The Gospel of St. John and the Johannine Epistles1965 - 3Jesus: God and Man
Jesus: God and Man1967 - 4The Jerome Biblical Commentary
The Jerome Biblical Commentary1968 - 5The Semitic Background of the Term "Mystery" in the New TestThe Semitic Background of the Term "Mystery" in the New Testament1968
- 6Priest and Bishop
Priest and Bishop1970 - 7The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI
The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI1970 - 8The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus
The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus1973 - 9Biblical Reflections on Crises Facing the Church
Biblical Reflections on Crises Facing the Church1975 - 10Biblical Reflections on Crisis Facing the Church
Biblical Reflections on Crisis Facing the Church1975 - 11An Adult Christ at Christmas
An Adult Christ at Christmas1977 - 12The Birth of the Messiah
The Birth of the Messiah1977 - 13The Community of the Beloved Disciple
The Community of the Beloved Disciple1979 - 14The Critical Meaning of the Bible
The Critical Meaning of the Bible1981 - 15Antioch and Rome
Antioch and Rome1983 - 16The Churches the Apostles Left Behind
The Churches the Apostles Left Behind1984 - 17The Gospel and Epistles of John
The Gospel and Epistles of John1988 - 18Responses to 101 Questions on the Bible
Responses to 101 Questions on the Bible1990 - 19The New Jerome Biblical Commentary
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary1990 - 20The New Jerome Bible Handbook
The New Jerome Bible Handbook1992 - 21An Introduction to New Testament Christology
An Introduction to New Testament Christology1994 - 22The Death of the Messiah
The Death of the Messiah1994 - 23An Introduction to the New Testament
An Introduction to the New Testament1997 - 24An Introduction to the Gospel of John
An Introduction to the Gospel of John2003