Opening the Bible (PDF)

AUD$32.95

Antony F Campbell, SJ, is a Jesuit priest. He has described himself as ‘a New Zealander by birth, an Australian Jesuit by choice, and a lover of the Older Testament by passion.’ He entered the Jesuit Order in 1953 and after early studies at Loyola College, Watsonia in Melbourne and a year at St Aloysius’ College, Milson’s Point in Sydney, he studied for a BA (Hons) in Greek and Hebrew and for an MA in biblical archaeology (the Chalcolithic period), both at the University of Melbourne. He was sent for theological studies to Lyon-Fourvière, France, and then for scriptural studies to the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Italy—a European base allowing him substantial time in London, Israel, and Munich. On the way home, his doctoral studies were at the then Claremont Graduate School in California.
He was stationed at Jesuit Theological College from early 1974 until the end of 2009, his activities involving administration, teaching, and research and writing.
With ripening age and his retirement from JTC, he notes that there is still some writing awaiting completion; more important, there are walks for the taking, TV for relaxing, armchairs for sitting, life for living, friends to delight in, God to commune with—and nature, reading, and music to enjoy.

SKU: 9781922239839 Categories: , ,

Description

When Tony Campbell, aged 75, asked the Council of Jesuit Theological College for Emeritus status and retirement from JTC, both were granted most graciously, along with a testimonial document which said in part: ‘His teaching has combined evocation and provocation in the best sense of those terms. He has mentored research students with scholarly exactitude and personal care. He has published books of the highest scholarly quality, of engaging readability, and of passionate conviction.’ When we at ATF were considering asking him for a volume of Collected Works or Selected Writings, we were well aware that ‘published books of the highest scholarly quality’ were likely to be found on the shelves of libraries and of specialised academics, but not with students and others generally interested. There may be a dozen or more of Tony’s books on the list from Amazon.com booksellers, along with another two or three that are not listed there. But most are heavy-duty specialist works, not easily accessible even to the educated public. We were equally well aware that there was a surprising number of essays and articles scattered in journals and proceedings of conferences that were, because of the scattering, often just as inaccessible. We thought that a collection of these in a single volume would be of great value to those interested. In the Introduction to this volume, Father Campbell has gone into some detail about the contents. Suffice for us to say that Job and the issues associated with suffering concern us all, that the interplay of history and narrative is a constant in the understanding of much biblical text, and that the nature of the Bible and its role in our lives is a major concern for most thinking Christians. While Father Campbell’s focus is on the Older Testament, pondering what he looks at throws light on much of the Newer Testament as well. The writings Tony Campbell has pulled together in this single volume address significant issues within the readable length of an article or a talk. Addressed originally to thinking people, we at ATF believe they are likely to be of interest to a wide audience.