Concordia Seminary, St. Louis’ Dr. Jack Dean Kingsbury Professor of New Testament Theology Dr. James W. Voelz has been honored by his colleagues and fellow faculty members with a Festschrift written in his honor, The Press of the Text: Biblical Studies in Honor of James W. Voelz.

The book is a collection of articles from 20 scholars on four continents on topics that reflect many of Voelz’s personal and professional interests including Greek language, hermeneutics, lexicography, translation theory and theology of both biblical testaments and contemporary issues in church and world. Contributors include Voelz’s colleagues at Concordia Seminary, Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., and his former graduate students. It also reflects the collegial work Voelz has done in scholarly and international societies, such as the Society of Biblical Literature and the prestigious Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS).

Editors include Concordia Seminary faculty members Dr. Andrew Bartelt and Dr. Paul Raabe, as well as former Seminary Professor and Provost Dr. Jeffrey Kloha, now Director of Collections Operations with the Museum of the Bible.

“The breadth and depth of these articles reflects the range of interests in which Dr. Voelz has been engaged,” said Bartelt, the Gustav and Sophie Butterbach Professor of Exegetical Theology. “He has brought challenging ideas and insights to our circles at the same time that he has gained respect and credibility for our Lutheran theology and method in the scholarly world, and this volume is a tribute to this important legacy.

“It was personal joy to honor a profound theologian, scholar, churchman, gentleman, and friend!”

Voelz, a Seminary faculty member since 1989, is a renowned New Testament scholar.

“It was a great privilege for me to work on this project in honor of my esteemed colleague and good friend, Jim Voelz,” said Raabe, professor of Exegetical Theology. “I enjoyed all facets of the project, including working with authors from around the world, such as Spain, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Germany and Sweden. May the Lord of the church continue to bless and keep Jim Voelz.”

“The title, ‘The Press of the Text,’ reflects Dr. Voelz’s manner of approaching Scripture,” explains Kloha. “The text, so to speak, ‘presses itself upon us’ so that we receive its message as Law and Gospel. It is not up to us to determine its meaning. This describes the way that Dr. Voelz has taught biblical interpretation to thousands of students and pastors.”

“It is very, very humbling to be graced with a volume like this, not only because of the quality of the essays, but also and especially because of the time and effort expended by both the editors and the essayists on my behalf,” Voelz said. “It is hard to express the depth of my appreciation.”

The book was published in spring 2017 and is available for purchase in the Seminary’s Campus Store, from Wipf and Stock and fromAmazon.

About Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit www.csl.edu.