William Hendriksen

William Hendriksen
Born 18 November 1900
Tiel, Gelderland
Died 12 January 1982 (aged 81)
Occupation Professor, minister, writer

William Hendriksen (18 November 1900 – 12 January 1982) was a New Testament scholar and writer of Bible commentaries. He was born in Tiel, Gelderland, but his family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1911. Hendriksen studied at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary before obtaining an S.T.D. degree from Pike's Peak Bible Seminary, as was common for on-the-job pastors seeking doctorates in the 1930s and 1940s. It is there that he wrote the thesis More than Conquerors. This book has never gone off the market since it was then privately printed and Herman Baker issued it as the first publication of the new Baker Book House in 1940. He received a Th.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary.[1]

Hendriksen served as a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, with a stint as Professor of New Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary from 1942 to 1952. He started the New Testament Commentary, completing commentaries on half of the New Testament books. This series was published by Baker and completed by Simon Kistemaker after Hendriksen's death. Hendriksen was awarded a posthumous Gold Medallion Book Award for his commentary on Romans.[2] He also translated the Book of Revelation for the New International Version.[3] His granddaughter Dawn Wolthuis now serves as President of the Institute for Christian Studies.

In his influential work Israel and Prophecy, written a year after the 1967 war, and still in print, Hendriksen criticized the view, held by Restorationists and Christian Zionists that the Bible prophesies the return and restoration of the Jews to the land of Israel.[4] Hendriksen's work has been described as "a classic representation of replacement theology".[5]

Hendriksen has been described as "one of the leading and most respected of New Testament commentators."[6]

References

  1. ↑ Simon J. Kistemaker, "William Hendriksen," in Walter A. Elwell and J. D. Weaver (eds.), Bible Interpreters of the 20th Century (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999) p. 144.
  2. ↑ Kistemaker, "William Hendriksen," p. 153.
  3. ↑ Kistemaker, "William Hendriksen," p. 148.
  4. ↑ Hendriksen, William (2007). Israel in prophecy. London: Wakeman, (Originally published by Baker Book House in 1968). p. 16. ISBN 9781870855525.
  5. ↑ Horner, Barry (2015-01-15). "The Reformed Eschatology of William Hendriksen". Future Israel website. Archived from the original on 2015-03-08. Retrieved 2015-03-08.
  6. ↑ De Waard, Henk (November 1982). "Book Reviews". Vox Reformata 39: 47.