Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryant J. Williams III" <bjwvmw AT com-pair.net>]

Dear List,

Here is the eulogy for the passing of Geoffrey Bromiley, August 7, 2009.

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
News
Fuller Mourns the Loss of Geoffrey Bromiley
Preeminent Scholar and Professor, Prolific Translator and Editor, and Caring 
Mentor and Friend :: 08/11/09 
Geoffrey W. Bromiley, renowned church historian and historical theologian, 
and professor emeritus at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, passed away on Friday, 
August 7. 

Bromiley significantly influenced English-language Christianity over the past 
six decades, translating and editing—from several original 
languages—thousands upon thousands of pages of theological works from such 
notables as Karl Barth, Jacques Ellul, Helmut Thielicke, and others. 

Among his many translations widely used by English-language readers are the 
10-volume Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, edited by Gerhard 
Kittel; extensive portions of Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics; Wolfhart 
Pannenberg's three-volume Systematic Theology; and Commentary on Romans by 
Ernst Kasemann. 

Bromiley was also the English-language editor of the monumental Encyclopedia 
of Christianity (translated from a German language resource), the fifth 
volume of which he completed in 2007—past his 90th year. “His work as the 
English-language editor of these five volumes is without question among the 
most painstaking work a scholar can be called upon to do. Few there are who 
are equal to the challenge,” said Robert P. Meye, the former dean of Fuller’s 
School of Theology, who served during many of the years while Bromiley was 
Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Fuller. 

“Geoffrey Bromiley was one of Fuller’s most accomplished faculty members, 
distinguishing himself as a professor, scholar, author, translator, and 
mentor,” said Howard Loewen, dean of the School of Theology and professor of 
theology and ethics at Fuller. Loewen, who was a PhD student under Bromiley, 
remembers Bromiley’s vocational life and theological work as “characterized 
by a passion for the church and its ministry in the world. He embodied and 
advanced in a remarkable way the evangelical identity and ecumenical mission 
of Fuller Seminary, and contributed to the theological formation of a 
generation of seminary students and church leaders.” 

Professor James E. Bradley was also Bromiley’s student, later his colleague, 
and currently is the Geoffrey W. Bromiley Professor of Church History. “The 
strength of his character exercised an enormous influence on those of us who 
were his students and colleagues,” said Bradley. “His singular dedication to 
Jesus Christ and his love for the church shaped us both spiritually and 
intellectually. His understanding of the discipline of scholarship as part of 
the ministry of the Word of God will continue to influence Fuller’s future.” 

Bromiley, born in Bromley Cross, Lancashire, England, in 1915, earned his MA 
at Cambridge and his PhD, DLitt, and DD at Edinburgh University. Ordained in 
the Church of England, he served from 1951 to 1958 as Rector of St. Thomas’s 
Church, Edinburgh. In 1958, he accepted the appointment as Professor of 
Church History and Historical Theology at Fuller, where he served until his 
retirement in 1987. 

In addition to his translating and editing, Bromiley was also the author of 
14 books, including Baptism and the Anglican Reformers; The Unity and 
Disunity of the Church; Historical Theology: An Introduction; God and 
Marriage; and An Introduction to the Theology of Karl Barth.

Bromiley is survived by his wife, Isobel, and their two daughters, Katherine 
and Ruth.