Burnett Hillman Streeter
Encyclopedia
Burnett Hillman Streeter (17 November 1874, London
10 September 1937, Basel
) was a British biblical scholar and textual critic.
(from 1922 to 1937). In 1910, he formed a group of Oxford dons known as The Group, which met weekly to discuss theological topics. He attended the 1935 Nuremberg Rally
. He wrote a dozen volumes in the fields of philosophy of religion
, comparative religion, and New Testament
textual studies.
He was Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture
at the University of Oxford
from 1932 to 1933, when he became Provost of Queen's College.
The most important work of Streeter was The Four Gospels: A Study of Origins (1924), in which he proposed a “four document hypothesis
” (instead “two-source hypothesis
”) as a new solution to the synoptic problem. In this work he also developed the theory of “local texts” in the manuscript transmission of the New Testament
(pp. 27–50). Johann Leonhard Hug
was his forerunner.
He found a new textual family: Caesarean text-type
. He remarked a close textual relationship between Codex Sinaiticus
and Vulgate
of Jerome
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
10 September 1937, Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
) was a British biblical scholar and textual critic.
Life
He was educated at Queen's College, Oxford. Streeter was ordained in 1899 and was a member of the Archbishop’s Commission on Doctrine in the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
(from 1922 to 1937). In 1910, he formed a group of Oxford dons known as The Group, which met weekly to discuss theological topics. He attended the 1935 Nuremberg Rally
Nuremberg Rally
The Nuremberg Rally was the annual rally of the NSDAP in Germany, held from 1923 to 1938. Especially after Hitler's rise to power in 1933, they were large Nazi propaganda events...
. He wrote a dozen volumes in the fields of philosophy of religion
Philosophy of religion
Philosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion, including the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious experience, analysis of religious language and texts, and the relationship of religion and science...
, comparative religion, and New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
textual studies.
He was Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture
Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture
The position of Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture was established at the University of Oxford in 1847. The professorship was instituted by John Ireland, Dean of Westminster from 1816 until his death in 1842, who acquired considerable riches during his ecclesiastical career...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
from 1932 to 1933, when he became Provost of Queen's College.
The most important work of Streeter was The Four Gospels: A Study of Origins (1924), in which he proposed a “four document hypothesis
Four Document Hypothesis (Synoptic problem)
A Four Document Hypothesis is an explanation for the relationship between the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It posits that there were at least four sources to the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke: the Gospel of Mark, and three lost sources: Q, M-Source, and L source...
” (instead “two-source hypothesis
Two-source hypothesis
The Two-Source Hypothesis is an explanation for the synoptic problem, the pattern of similarities and differences between the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It posits that the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke were based on the Gospel of Mark and a lost, hypothetical sayings...
”) as a new solution to the synoptic problem. In this work he also developed the theory of “local texts” in the manuscript transmission of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
(pp. 27–50). Johann Leonhard Hug
Johann Leonhard Hug
Johann Leonhard Hug , was a German Roman Catholic theologian.-Life:In 1783 he entered the University of Freiburg, where he became a pupil in the seminary for the training of priests, and soon distinguished himself in classical and Oriental philology as well as in biblical exegesis and criticism...
was his forerunner.
He found a new textual family: Caesarean text-type
Caesarean text-type
Caesarean text-type is the term proposed by certain scholars to denote a consistent pattern of variant readings that is claimed to be apparent in certain Greek manuscripts of the four Gospels, but which is not found in any of the other commonly recognized New Testament text-types; the Byzantine...
. He remarked a close textual relationship between Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
and Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
of Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
.
Works
- Foundations: A Statement of Christian Belief in Terms of Modern Thought, (Macmillan and Co.: London 1912).
- Immortality: an Essay in Discovery Coordinating Scientific Psychical and Biblical Research (Macmillan Company: New York 1917)
- Woman and the Church (London 1917)
- God and the Struggle for Existence (New York 1919)
- The Message of Sadhu Sundar Singh: A Study in Mysticism and Practical Religion, (New York 1921).
- The Spirit: the Relation of God and Man, Considered from the Standpoint of Recent Philosophy and Science (New York 1922).
- The Four Gospels, a Study of Origins treating of the Manuscript Tradition, Sources, Authourship, & Dates, (1924).
- Reality: A New Correlation of Science and Religion, (London 1926).
- Primitive Church Studied with Special Reference to the Origins of the Christian Ministry, (1929).
- The Chained Library, (1931).
- The Buddha and the Christ, (Bampton Lectures, 1932).
- Reality A New Correlation Of Science And Religion, (1935).
Further reading
- John M. Court, Burnett Hillman Streeter, (17 November 1874 - 10 September 1937), in: ExpT 118.2006, Nr.1, S. 19-25.