{"id":43851,"date":"2019-11-11T09:12:32","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T14:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=43851"},"modified":"2019-11-11T11:34:23","modified_gmt":"2019-11-11T16:34:23","slug":"ambs-professor-emeritus-remembered-for-prolific-scholarship-faith-and-humility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/ambs-professor-emeritus-remembered-for-prolific-scholarship-faith-and-humility\/","title":{"rendered":"AMBS professor emeritus remembered for prolific scholarship, faith and humility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<aside class=\"highlight highlight-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ambs.edu\/news-events\/news\/1669196\/professor-emeritus-remembered-for-prolific-scholarship-faith-and-humility\">Read a tribute by AMBS.<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ambs.edu\/academics\/people\/749338\/willard-swartley\">Willard M. Swartley<\/a> \u201859, PhD., former professor and dean at Eastern Mennonite College and Seminary and professor emeritus of New Testament at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, died of natural causes at age 83 on Nov. 6, 2019, in Goshen, Indiana. He had lived with a heart condition for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Swartley was professor of New Testament at Eastern Mennonite College  from 1971\u201378, where he also served as dean 1976\u201378.  He was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emustories.com\/alumnus-of-the-year-2004-willard-swartley\/\">EMU&#8217;s Alumnus of the Year in 2004<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"688\" src=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/11\/Willard-Swartley-2-1024x688.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/11\/Willard-Swartley-2-1024x688.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/11\/Willard-Swartley-2-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/11\/Willard-Swartley-2-768x516.jpg 768w, https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/11\/Willard-Swartley-2.jpg 1935w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Willard Swartley &#8217;59 teaching at Eastern Mennonite Seminary. (EMU file photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Swartley earned a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Princeton (New Jersey) Theological Seminary in 1973; a Bachelor of Divinity from Goshen (Indiana) Biblical Seminary (now AMBS) in 1962; and a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Mennonite College (now University) in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in 1959. He spent various summers studying at universities in T\u00fcbingen, Heidelberg and G\u00f6ttingen, Germany; Union Theological Seminary, New York; and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois; among others. He also was a senior scholar at the University of St. Andrews, United Kingdom (2002), and a research fellow at Cambridge (United Kingdom) University (2002) and Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut (1988\u201389).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among his many published works are the books <em>Jesus, Deliver Us: Evil, Exorcism and Exousiai<\/em> (Cascade, 2019); <em>Living Gift: John\u2019s Gospel in Meditation and Poetry, Art and Song<\/em> (Evangel, 2013); <em>John<\/em> (Believers Church Bible Commentary; Herald, 2013); <em>Health, Healing and the Church\u2019s Mission: Biblical Perspectives and Moral Priorities<\/em> (InterVarsity, 2012); <em>Send Forth Your Light: A Vision for Peace and Mission, and Worship<\/em> (Herald, 2007); <em>Covenant of Peace: The Missing Peace in New Testament Theology and Ethics<\/em> (Eerdmans, 2006); <em>Homosexuality: Biblical Interpretation and Moral Discernment<\/em> (Herald, 2003); <em>Israel&#8217;s Scripture Traditions and the Synoptic Gospels: Story Shaping Story<\/em> (Hendrickson, 1994); <em>Slavery, Sabbath, War and Women: Case Issues in Biblical Interpretation<\/em> (Herald, 1983); and <em>Mark: The Way for All Nations<\/em> (Herald, 1979; rev. ed. 1981).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/11\/Willard-Swartley-teaching-at-AMBS-Oct-1998-952x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43855\" width=\"365\" height=\"392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/11\/Willard-Swartley-teaching-at-AMBS-Oct-1998-952x1024.jpg 952w, https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/11\/Willard-Swartley-teaching-at-AMBS-Oct-1998-279x300.jpg 279w, https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/11\/Willard-Swartley-teaching-at-AMBS-Oct-1998-768x826.jpg 768w, https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/11\/Willard-Swartley-teaching-at-AMBS-Oct-1998.jpg 1354w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 365px) 100vw, 365px\" \/><figcaption>Willard Swartley teaching at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in 1998. (Courtesy of AMBS)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Swartley was also the New Testament editor for the Believers Church Bible Commentary series (Herald) and editor of 20 other books, including <em>Politics of Discipleship and Discipleship in Politics: J\u00fcrgen Moltmann Lectures in Dialogue with Mennonite Scholars<\/em> (Cascade, 2006); <em>The Love of Enemy and Nonretaliation in the New Testament<\/em> (Westminster\/John Knox, 1992); and <em>Perspectives on Feminist Hermeneutics<\/em> (IMS, 1987), with co-editor<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ambs.edu\/academics\/people\/749324\/gayle-gerber-koontz\"> Gayle Gerber Koontz<\/a>, Ph.D., professor emerita of theology and ethics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also taught at Conrad Grebel College (now University College) in Waterloo, Ontario, and Goshen (Indiana) College, as well as seminars and intensive courses in Japan, Taiwan, Swaziland, Nairobi, Botswana and Cairo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Swartley was baptized in 1945 at Doylestown (Pennsylvania) Mennonite Church and, while still in seminary, became pastor and was ordained at the former Locust Grove Mennonite Church in Elkhart. From 1978 to his death, he was a member of Belmont Mennonite Church in Elkhart, where he served on numerous commissions and teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was born Aug. 6, 1936, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, to William Henry Swartley and Ida Myers Swartley, as the youngest of eight children. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary, of Goshen; their two children, Louisa Renee Swartley Oyer (Gary Oyer) of Hesston, Kansas, and Kenton Eugene Swartley (Emily Hertzler Swartley) of Cedar Falls, Iowa; six grandchildren; and a sister, Dorothy Swartley Martens of Chester, Vermont.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Burial and the memorial service were Saturday, Nov. 9. Memorial contributions may be made to AMBS or a charity of your choice. Online condolences may be shared at www.yoderculpfuneralhome.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Parts of this article were contributed by and published with permission from Annette Brill Bergstresser\/AMBS.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Willard M. Swartley \u201859, PhD., former professor and dean at Eastern Mennonite College and Seminary and professor emeritus of New Testament at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, died of natural <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/ambs-professor-emeritus-remembered-for-prolific-scholarship-faith-and-humility\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about AMBS professor emeritus remembered for prolific scholarship, faith and humility<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,17562,5642,265],"tags":[],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-43851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-digest","category-faculty-and-staff","category-seminary"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>AMBS professor emeritus remembered for prolific scholarship, faith and humility - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/ambs-professor-emeritus-remembered-for-prolific-scholarship-faith-and-humility\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AMBS professor emeritus remembered for prolific scholarship, faith and humility - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; Willard M. 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