HOLMGREN, Fredrick Carlson 1926-

PERSONAL:

Born April 1, 1926, in Cadillac, MI; son of Charles Olaf and Freda Natalia (Teelander) Holmgren; married Betty Jean Margaret Carlson, June 12, 1948; children: Mark, Margaret. Ethnicity: "Swedish." Education: Calvin College, B.A., 1949; Union Theological Seminary, B.D. (magna cum laude), 1955, M.S.T. (summa cum laude), 1957, Th.D., 1963. Religion: Protestant. Hobbies and other interests: German languate, literature, culture; travel to Europe.

ADDRESSES:

Home—5536 North Sawyer Ave., Chicago, IL 60625. Office—North Park Theological Seminary, 3225 West Foster Ave., Chicago, IL 60625-4895. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL, professor of Biblical literature, 1960—.

MEMBER:

Society of Biblical Literature, Chicago Society of Biblical Literature.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Rockefeller Foundation fellowship, 1960; Deutscher Akademischer Austauch scholar, 1991.

WRITINGS:

With Wings as Eagles: Isaiah 40/55, Biblical Scholars Press (Chappaqua, NY), 1974.

The God Who Cares: A Christian Looks at Judaism, John Knox Press (Atlanta, GA), 1979.

Israel Alive Again: A Commentary on the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, W. B. Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI), 1987.

(Editor with Herman E. Schaalman) Preaching Biblical Texts: Expositions by Jewish and Christian Scholars, W. B. Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI), 1995.

The Old Testament and the Significance of Jesus: Embracing Change—Maintaining Christian Identity: The Emerging Center in Biblical Scholarship, W. B. Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI), 1999.

Editor, International Theological Commentary (28 volumes), 1982—. Contributor of articles to professional journals, including Journal of Ecumenical Studies and Currents in Theology and Mission.

SIDELIGHTS:

Fredrick Carlson Holmgren's writings pay close attention to Biblical scripture as they seek to reinterpret the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. His interest in Judaism began during studies at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, and was further developed at Union Theological Seminary in New York City under the guidance of such well-known figures as James Muilenburg, Fredrick C. Grant, and W. D. Davies. A significant event that greatly influenced his life occurred while he was marching with the thousands accompanying civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. At the front of the march, together with Dr. King, was the great Jewish tehologian Abraham Joshua Heschel. Holmgren was so impressed by Heschel's presence in this march that he began reading all of Heschel's writings.

Heschel's influence on Holmgren may be seen in almost all of Holmgren's writings. He is particularly interested in bringing about change in understanding Jewish tradition to a Christian readership—general and scholarly—in order to facilitate dialogue between two closely-related faiths. The God Who Cares: A Christian Looks at Judaism, which was particularly inspired by the writings of Heschel, is aimed at general readers. The work seeks to refute Christian stereotypes about Jews that persisted for centuries and caused religious intolerance and persecution. In his America review of the book, Jack Riemer commended Holmgren's "honest scholarship" and his attempts "to correct caricatures." Harriet L. Kaufman in Theology Today called the book a "reliable guide" for Christians who want a broader understanding of Judaism.

The Old Testament and the Significance of Jesus: Embracing Change—Maintaining Christian Identity: The Emerging Center in Biblical Scholarship seeks an audience of serious students and teachers who want to reexamine certain Christian readings of the Old Testament. The book uses texts from both the Old and New Testaments to explain the historical relationship between early Christians and Jews. In an Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology review of the work, Walter Harrelson suggested that Holmgren's conclusions are "sane, temperate, and widely useful."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

America, September 29, 1979, Jack Riemer, review of The God Who Cares: A Christian Looks at Judaism, pp. 218-219.

Interpretation, July, 1975, Philip B. Harner, review of With Wings as Eagles: Isaiah 40/55, pp. 312-313; January, 2000, Walter Harrelson, review of The Old Testament and the Significance of Jesus: Embracing Change—Maintaining Christian Identity, p. 86.

Theology Today, January, 1980, Harriet L. Kaufman, review of The God Who Cares, pp. 615-616.