John D. W. Watts

The Reverend Doctor
John D. W. Watts
SBC[1]
Born John Drayton Williams Watts[1]
(1921-08-09)August 9, 1921[1]
Laurens, South Carolina[2]
Died July 21, 2013(2013-07-21) (aged 91)[1]
Penney Farms, Florida[1]
Nationality American
Citizenship United States
Education B.A., B.D., Th.D.[1]
Alma mater Mississippi College, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary[1]
Occupation Professor
Years active 1948-1995[1]
Parent(s) J. Wash Watts[1]
Religion Christianity
Church Southern Baptist Convention
Congregations served
 Military chaplain, U. S. Navy (1944-1946)[1]
Offices held
 Teacher in Old Testament,
- International Baptist Theological Seminary, Rüschlikon (Switzerland) (1948-1970),
- Serampore College, Serampore (India) (1972-1975),
- Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena (United States) (1976-1981)(1976-1981),
- Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville (United States) (1981-1995)[1]

John D. W. Watts (August 9, 1921 – July 21, 2013)[1] was a Baptist theologian and Old Testament scholar.

Career

Europe

[3]
In 1948,[1] Watts was a member of the founding faculty of the International Baptist Theological Seminary, Rüschlikon in Switzerland where he taught Old Testament. He eventually served as President of the Seminary from 1963 until 1969, and continued teaching there until 1970.[1] After his retirement, he returned to teach for one more year at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in 1995-1996, which had by that time moved to Prague in the Czech Republic.

Asia

Serampore College, a constituent College of the Senate of Serampore College (University), Serampore India was founded in 1818 by the Baptist Missions led by Joshua Marshman, William Carey, and William Ward with affiliated seminaries throughout the Indian subcontinent. It was in this historic college that John Watts began teaching[4] Old Testament from 1972[1] onwards in place of K. V. Mathew[4] but was joined by G. Babu Rao.[4] Among the seminarians who studied during that period include, D. K. Sahu,[5] the present Dean of the Theology Department of the Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad,[6] and others.

North America

Watts joined the Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena in the United States in 1976[1] and taught there for nearly six years up to 1981. While at Fuller Seminary, Watts was recruited to serve as the Old Testament editor of the Word Biblical Commentary, which he continued to do until 2011. In 1981, Watts moved to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville where he had earned his Th.D. degree and taught for two years previously (1970-1972). Now he joined the permanent faculty for fifteen years until his retirement in 1995.[1]

Writings

In the first half of his career, Watts provided valuable inputs on the growth of the Old Testament, especially on Amos.[7] In the 1970s and 1980s, he developed a literary analysis of prophetic literature as drama, which he applied to the Book of Isaiah in his two-volume commentary. A comprehensive list[8] of his writings was made available in the festschrift that came out in 1996 in his honor which covers the period between 1948 through 1995.[8] Later in 2008, when a special edition on the Watts' contribution was brought out by the Baylor University, Pamela J. Scalise of the Fuller Theological Seminary compiled a bibliography of his writings.[9] In addition, he continued to publish beyond 2008 even up to 2011.

  • 1948, The Heavenlies of Isaiah,[8]
  • 1952, For My Name's Sake – A Study of the Phrase in Ezekiel XX,[10]
  • 1954, Biblisches Geben,[11]
  • 1954, Note on the Text of Amos V:7,[12]
  • 1955, The Origin of the Book of Amos,[13]
  • 1956 An Old Hymn preserved in the Book of Amos,[14]
  • 1956, The People of God,[15]
  • 1957, The Song of the Sea – Exodus XV,[16]
  • 1958 Vision and Prophecy in Amos: 1955 Faculty Lectures,[17]
  • 1958, Elements of Old Testament Worship,[18]
  • 1958, The Knowledge of God in the Old Testament,[19]
  • 1958, Lists of Words appearing frequently in the Hebrew Bible,[20]
  • 1959 Remarks on Hebrew Relative Clauses,[21]
  • 1960, The Methods and Purpose of Biblical Interpretation,[22]
  • 1961, Jeremiah – A Character Study,[23]
  • 1962, Infinitive Absolute as Imperative and the Interpretation of Exodus 20:8,[24]
  • 1965, Yahweh Malak Psalms,[25]
  • 1965, Today's Man of God,[26]
  • 1966, Studying the Book of Amos,[27]
  • 1966 Amos, the man,[28]
  • 1966, Amos – The man and his message,[29]
  • 1969, Obadiah: A Critical Exegetical Commentary,[30]
  • 1969, Zechariah,[31]
  • 1970, Deuteronomy,[32]
  • 1970, Zechariah,[33]
  • 1971, Basic Patterns in Old Testament Religion,[34]
  • 1971 (with J. J. Owens and M. E. Tate), Job,[35]
  • 1972, A critical analysis of Amos4:1ff,[36]
  • 1972, Review of D. Balzer, Ezechiel and Deutero-jesaya,[37]
  • 1971, The authority of the Old Testament,[38]
  • 1974, The Historical Approach to the Bible: Its Development,[39]
  • 1975, The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah,[40]
  • 1976, Higher Education in Southern Baptist Foreign Missions,[41]
  • 1977, The Deuteronomic Theology,[42]
  • 1977, Exodus,[43]
  • 1978, Study Outlines of Old Testament Books,[44]
  • 1978, The formation of Isaiah Chapter 1: Its context in chapters 1-4,[45]
  • 1981, Current Issues in Old Testament Interpretation,[46]
  • 1983, Preaching on the narratives of the monarchy,[47]
  • 1984, Psalms of Trust, Thanksgiving and Praise,[48]
  • 1985, Isaiah 1-33,[49]
  • 1986, The Characterization of Yahweh in the Vision of Isaiah,[50]
  • 1987, Isaiah 34-66,[51]
  • 1987, Introduction to the book of Malachi,[52]
  • 1988, Babylonian Idolatry in the Prophets as a False Socio-Economic System,[53]
  • 1989, Isaiah (Word Biblical Themes),[54]
  • 1991, Reading Isaiah in a New Time,[55]
  • 1991, Resources for Preaching from the Book of Isaiah,[56]
  • 1992, Baptists and the Transformation of Culture: A Case Study from the Career of William Carey,[57]
  • 1992, A Canonical Model (Habakkuk 2:4),[58]
  • 1992, Images of Yahweh: God in the Prophets,[59]
  • 1993, Autobiographical essay in How I have changed my mind,[60]
  • 1994, The spirit of the prophets: Three brief studies,[61]
  • 1995, Amos: Across Fifty Years of Study,[62]
  • 1995, Isaiah,[63]
  • 1996 (with Paula Fontana Qualls), Isaiah in Ephesians,[64]
  • 1999, A History of Old Testament Studies in the 20th Century,[65]
  • 2000, A History of the use and interpretation in the Psalms,[66]
  • 2011, How We Got Our Bible: Files from an Alttestamentler's Hard Drive,[67]

Honors

In 1996, a fetschrift entitled, Forming Prophetic Literature: Essays on Isaiah and the Twelve[8] was brought out by some students and colleagues of Watts edited by James W. Watts, Professor of Religion at the Syracuse University[68] and Paul R. House, Professor of Old Testament at the Beeson Divinity School.[69]

Again in 2008,[70] the Baylor University in its Perspectives in Religious Studies dedicated some essays on the contribution of Watts with essays by Gerald L. Keown[70] of the Gardner–Webb University,[71] Pamela J. Scalise[70] of the Fuller Theological Seminary[9] and Carol Woodfin[70] of the Hardin–Simmons University[72] with additional bibliography of the writings of Watts compiled by Pamela J. Scalise.[70]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Society of Biblical Literature, John D. W. Watts.
  2. ↑ Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, John D. W. Watts, former professor at Southern Seminary, dies at 92 in SBTS Communications, July 24, 2013.
  3. ↑ Woodfin, Carol (2013). An Experiment in Christian Internationalism. Macon: Baptist History and Heritage Society. pp. 11–14, 54–80. ISBN 978-1578431113.
  4. 1 2 3 The Story of Serampore and its College, Council of Serampore College, Serampore (Fourth Edition), 2005, p.92.
  5. ↑ Convocation Brochure, February 1, 1975 Serampore College, Serampore.
  6. ↑ SHIATS, Faculty of Theology.
  7. ↑ J. Blair Wilgus, Judgment on Israel: Amos 3-6 read as a unity, Edinburgh University, 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 James W. Watts, Paul R. House (Edited), Forming Prophetic Literature: Essays on Isaiah and the Twelve in Honor of John D. W. Watts, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, 1996.
  9. 1 2 Fuller Theological Seminary, Faculty.
  10. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, For My Name's Sake – A Study of the Phrase in Ezekiel XX in The Fraternal, Volume 85, 1952, pp.13-17.
  11. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Biblisches Geben, in Der Gemeindebote, Volume 32, 1954, pp.105-108.
  12. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Note on the Text of Amos V:7, Vetus Testamentum, Volume 4, 1954, pp.215-216.
  13. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The Origin of the Book of Amos, Expository Times, Volume 66, Number 4, 1955, pp.109-112.
  14. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, An Old Hymn preserved in the Book of Amos, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Volume 15, Number 1, 1956, pp.33-39.
  15. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The People of God in Expository Times, Volume 67, Number 8, pp.232-237.
  16. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The Song of the Sea – Exodus XV, Vetus Testamentum, Volume 7, pp.371-380.
  17. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Vision and Prophecy in Amos: 1955 Faculty Lectures, Brill, Leiden, 1958. Expanded anniversary edition by Mercer University Press, Macon, 1996.
  18. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Elements of Old Testament Worship, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Volume XXVI, Issue 3, pp.217-221.
  19. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The Knowledge of God in the Old Testament in Review & Expositor, Volume 55, April 1958, pp.155-164.
  20. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Lists of Words appearing frequently in the Hebrew Bible, Brill, Leiden, 1968.
  21. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Remarks on Hebrew Relative Clauses in Akten des 24: Internationalen Orientalisten-Kongress München 28. August bis 4. September 1957, Herbert Franke, Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft, 1959, pp.190-191.
  22. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The Methods and Purpose of Biblical Interpretation in South Western Journal of Theology, Volume 2, 1960, pp.7-16.
  23. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Jeremiah – A character study in Review & Expositor, October 1961, Volume 58, Number 4, pp.428-437.
  24. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Infinitive Absolute as Imperative and the Interpretation of Exodus 20:8 in [Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft], Volume 74, 1962, pp.141-45.
  25. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Yahweh Malak Psalms in Theologische Zeitschrift, Volume 21, 1965, pp.341-48. Cited in Thomas L. Constable, Notes on Psalms, 2016.
  26. ↑ John D. W. Watts, Today's Man of God in Review & Expositor, Volume 62, August 1965, pp.361-366.
  27. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Studying the Book of Amos, Broadman, Nashville, 1966.
  28. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Amos, the man in Review & Expositor, Volume 63, Number 4, 1966, pp.387-91.
  29. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Amos – The man and his message, South Western Journal of Theology, Volume 9, 1966, pp.21-26.
  30. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Obadiah: A Critical Exegetical Commentary, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1969.
  31. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Zechariah in Broadman Bible Commentary VII, Hosea-Malachi, Broadman Press, Nashville, 1969, pp.308-65.
  32. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Deuteronomy, in Broadman Bible Commentary II, Leviticus, Ruth, Volumes 1-2; Volumes 8-10, Broadman Press, 1970, pp.175-296.
  33. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Zechariah in Broadman Bible Commentary VII, Hosea-Malachi, Broadman Press, Nashville, pp.308-65.
  34. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Basic Patterns in Old Testament Religion, Vantage Press, New York, 1978.
  35. ↑ Job in Broadman Bible Commentary 4, Esther-Psalms, Broadman, Nashville, 1971, pp.22-151.
  36. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, A critical analysis of Amos4:1ff in SBLSP, Scholars Press, Missoula, pp.489-500.
  37. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Review of D. Balzer, Ezechiel and Deutero-jesaya in JBL, Volume 91, 1972, pp.252-53.
  38. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The authority of the Old Testament in Foundations, Volume 17, 1971, pp.64-70.
  39. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The Historical Approach to the Bible: Its Development in Review & Expositor, Volume 71, Spring 1974, pp.163-178.
  40. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, Cambridge Bible Commentary, Cambridge University, Cambridge, 1975.
  41. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Higher Education in Southern Baptist Foreign Missions in Baptist History and Heritage, Volume 2, 1976, pp.218-31
  42. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The Deuteronomic Theology in Review & Expositor, Volume 74, 1977, pp.321-336.
  43. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Exodus in Theological Educator, Fall 1977, pp.58-68.
  44. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Study Outlines of Old Testament Books, Jameson, South Pasadena, 1978.
  45. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The formation of Isaiah Chapter 1: Its context in chapters 1-4 in SBLSP, Volume 13, Scholars Press, Missoula, 1978, pp.109-119.
  46. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Current Issues in Old Testament Interpretation in SWJT, Volume 23, Issue 2, 1981, pp.7-19.
  47. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Preaching on the narratives of the monarchy in J. W. Cox (Edited), Biblical Preaching: An Expositor's Treasury, Westminister Press, Philadelphia, 1983.
  48. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Psalms of Trust, Thanksgiving and Praise, Review & Expositor, Volume 81, Number 3, August 1984, pp.395-406,
  49. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Isaiah 1-33 in Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 24, Word Books, Waco, 1985, second edition 2005.
  50. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The Characterization of Yahweh in the Vision of Isaiah in Review & Expositor, Volume 83, Number 3, Summer 1986, pp.439-50.
  51. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Isaiah 34-66 in Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 25, Word books, Waco, 1987, second edition 2005.
  52. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Introduction to the book of Malachi in Review & Expositor, Volume 84, Summer 1987, pp.373-81.
  53. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Babylonian Idolatry in the Prophets as a False Socio-Economic System in A. Gileadi (Edited), Israel's Apostacy and Restoration: Essays in honour of Roland Harrison, Baker, Grand Rapids, 1988, pp.115-22.
  54. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Isaiah (Word Biblical Themes), Word Publishing, Dallas, 1989.
  55. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Reading Isaiah in a New Time in Review & Expositor, Volume 88, pp.131-136.
  56. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Resources for Preaching from the Book of Isaiah, in J. Cox (Edited), The Ministers Manual, Harper, San Francisco, 1992 edition, pp.267-72.
  57. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Baptists and the Transformation of Culture: A Case Study from the Career of William Carey in Review & Expositor, Volume 89, Number 1, 1992, pp.11-21.
  58. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, A Canonical Model (Habakkuk 2:4) in R. Bailey (Edited), Hermeneutics for preaching: Approaches to contemporary interpretation of scripture, Broadman, Nashville, 1992, pp.53-76.
  59. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Images of Yahweh: God in the Prophets, in R. L. Hubbard, R. K. Johnston, R. P. Meye (Edited), Studies in Old Testament Theology: Historical and Contemporary Images of God and God's People, Word Books, Dallas, 1992, pp.135-47.
  60. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Autobiographical essay in How I have changed my mind in Review & Expositor, 1993, pp.124-34.
  61. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, The spirit of the prophets: Three brief studies in M. W. Wilson (Edited), Spirit and Renewal: Essays in honour of J. Rodman Williams, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, 1994, pp.84-91.
  62. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Amos: Across Fifty Years of Study in Review & Expositor, Volume 92, 1995, pp.189-193.
  63. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, Isaiah, in W. E. Mills et. al., Mercer Commentary on the Bible, Mercer University Press, Macon, 1995, pp.565-613.
  64. ↑ Paula Fontana Qualls, J. D. W. Watts, Isaiah in Ephesians in Review & Expositor, Volume 93, Spring 1996, pp.249-259.
  65. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, A History of Old Testament Studies in the 20th Century in Review & Expositor, Volume 96, Number 3, Summer 1999, pp.357-367.
  66. ↑ J. D. W. Watts, A History of the use and interpretation in the Psalms in Harold Wayne Ballard, W. Dennis Tucker Jr. (Edited), An Introduction to Wisdom Literature and the Psalms: Festschrift Marvin E. Tate, Mercer University Press, Macon, 2000, pp.21-35.
  67. ↑ John D. W. Watts, How We Got Our Bible: Files from an Alttestamentler's Hard Drive, Wipf Books, Eugene, 2011.
  68. ↑ Syracuse University, Faculty Directory.
  69. ↑ Beeson Divinity School, Faculty.
  70. 1 2 3 4 5 Perspectives in Religious Studies, Volume 35, Issue 2, Spring 2008
  71. ↑ Gardner–Webb University, Faculty.
  72. ↑ Hardin–Simmons University, Faculty.

Further reading

Educational offices
Preceded by
J. D. Hughey		 President,[1]
Baptist Theological Seminary,
Rüschlikon (Europe)
1964-1970 		Succeeded by
John Allen Moore
Academic offices
Preceded by
K. V. Mathew[2]		 Teacher - in - Old Testament
Serampore College,
Serampore (Asia)
1972-1975[2] 		Succeeded by
G. Babu Rao[2]
  1. ↑ Walter Shurden, Perspectives on Theological Education: Essays in Honor of C. Penrose St. Amant, Mercer University Press, Macon, 1989, p.60.
  2. 1 2 3
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