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More than a renowned and marvelous biblical scholar and communicator, Dr. Bruce Metzger was a valued and trusted friend. In spite of his world-renowned reputation he was the embodiment of humility, always submitting himself to God’s most noble will and purpose. At student and alumni/ae functions, he sat and conversed easily with students and alums alike—always self-effacing and apparently far more interested in what you were doing than in his most recent achievement. He was, in short, a great man, who never boasted of his greatness, but gave all honor and glory to God and his Son, Jesus Christ. As example, mentor, friend, and scholar, he will be sorely missed.
Peter S. Wendell (M.Div., 1960)
Plantation, Florida

Some years ago Toshii and I happened to be in Bermuda at the same resort where the Metzgers were vacationing. During that brief time together, we had the privilege of expressing our appreciation for their contribution to our church and lives. One day I did a watercolor of Bermuda’s famous little bridge. Upon return to our home, we stopped by and presented them with the painting, which apparently hung over their fireplace for some years. It was such a privilege to be with this wonderful couple even for such a brief time.
Dick (M.Div., 1960) and Toshii (M.Div., 1960) Moore
Willow Street, Pennsylvania

Metzger was a very positive influence in my life. I took a Greek New Testament course under him and he was a very encouraging, non-judgmental professor. He was real to me and committed as a dedicated servant of Christ.

Back in June of 1997 I wrote him about what he had published in a pamphlet regarding the Jehovah’s Witnesses. He sent me six copies and a personal note. Another time I attended a class he was giving as a retired professor at the Seminary. The room was full. He was great. Afterward I asked him to autograph my copy of the NRSV, which I am very proud of, and had someone take a picture of us together. I loved and still deeply appreciate his high standards and faithful leadership. By the grace of God, we’ll see each other again.
Howie Fritz (Th.M., 1961)
Columbia, Pennsylvania

Dr. Metzger was the advisor for my Th.M. thesis in 1960–61. I had at least one consultation in his home. He was dressed, as always, “to the nines,” and behaved every inch a gentleman as he quizzed me regarding my thesis topic. Every time I returned for a reunion, Dr. Metzger joined our group for the alumni/ae photograph. When I take out those pictures, I will treasure the memory of one of God’s choicest servants.
Tom Erickson (Th.M., 1961)
Springfield, Missouri

In 1957–58 I had the privilege of serving as the teaching fellow for Dr. Metzger. Working with him taught me the skill of precision in New Testament studies, especially textual studies. At the same time I helped prepare a bibliography of periodical material on Paul. Dr. Metzger taught me how to discover widely diverse material and assemble it. That skill has made my books very useful for others. I am very grateful for that opportunity to have worked with him.
Graydon F. Snyder (Ph.D., 1961)
Chicago, Illinois

Dr. Metzger was a great teacher and a marvelous person. I remember how he lovingly challenged me, and others. I am very grateful to have known him. My wife worked for him part time helping him prepare his concordance, which was published soon thereafter. He meant much to her, too!
G. Daniel McCall (Th.M., 1961)
Augusta, Georgia

Dr. Bruce Metzger was my weekly inspiration at Princeton Theological Seminary! Coming to class was a joy as I watched him lay an open Greek Testament on the table and open its treasure to my heart. He did not seek to destroy faith but to enrich it without insulting my mind. His contributions to others through my ministry will be his treasure now in Christ's presence.
Alan W. Whitelock (M.Div., 1962)
Castle Rock, Colorado

Thank you for this opportunity to express my longstanding appreciation of Dr. Metzger. He taught me in the sesquicentennial year, 1961–62, when I was studying for my Th.M. I shall always remember his kindly manner. He was sincerely interested in his students, and ever gracious. Some years later I was honored when he asked me to write on the witness theme for The Oxford Companion to the Bible. I appreciated also his personal greetings at SBL meetings, where I heard him give several illuminating talks on the NRSV. I am grateful for the inspiration, dedication, and friendship of such a fine scholar and Christian gentleman.
Allison A. Trites (Th.M., 1962)
Nova Scotia, Canada

Bruce Metzger was my teacher. I admired his scholarship although I wasn’t always in agreement with his theology. My favorite memory related to Dr. Metzger was when as a student at PTS I “babysat” for Charles Fritsch’s son and daughter. Their favorite activity was to bring out their folks’ wedding pictures. Bruce Metzger was best man at their wedding. The New Testament world has lost one of its most significant scholars.
Gary Skinner (M.Div., 1962)
Seattle, Washington

I feel very fortunate to have attended Princeton Seminary when I did. One of the things that I remember about Dr. Metzger was the attention to detail, even in his exams. There were always a number of words to identify. Ted Fiske was a classmate with a terrific sense of humor. One of the words on this particular exam was “gittum.” I had no idea what this word was. But Ted told me afterward that “This is what Jesus said to the donkey, followed by up, when entering Jerusalem.” Dr. Metzger was not only a great scholar, but a very sensitive human being.
Richard Knowles (M.Div., 1962)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

I was at PTS from 1958–1963 working on my Ph.D. in the Theology Department. Therefore, I did not have much contact with Professor Metzger in the classroom. Later on I became general secretary of the Bible Society of Egypt, and we were privileged to benefit very much from the scholarship of Professor Metzger.

The lasting impression I had was when Professor Metzger himself came on a Thanksgiving Day to my room in 123 Brown Hall, knocked at the door, and asked me to make sure that nobody stays in his room on that day. He asked me to extend a cordial invitation on his behalf to anyone to share Thanksgiving dinner with his family at his home. The humility, the genuine Christian love, and care for others have made a lasting impression on me which will be long remembered by many after his promotion to glory.
Abd-el-Masih Istafanous (Ph.D., 1963)
Cairo, Egypt

Bruce Metzger’s integrity in open-minded biblical scholarship is a lighthouse amid the fashions of textual bowdlerizers. After retiring, he addressed the alumni/ae in the chapel regarding the much-promoted New Testament lectionary. Its editors had taken ideological liberties, shunning the meticulous care of the NRSV. He cited their numbing repetition of “God” throughout Psalm 23 as deplorable scholarship. Because he was a gentle and gracious man of deep piety, his words carried the greater force when he concluded his brilliant and profound address declaring—to a standing ovation—“The New Testament lectionary, therefore, is a monstrous perversion.” He was faithful to the truth.
Bill Miller Jr. (Th.M., 1964)
Princeton, New Jersey

My first contact with Dr. Metzger came in the early 1960s when I was a student in the M.R.E. program. I’ve even forgotten the actual name of the course. I think it was something general about the New Testament. But the thing I noticed most about him was the precision of his gestures when he lectured. This somehow was a sign to me that he really knew what he was talking about, and my respect for him began to build. Much later I purchased a new Bible, a copy of the New Oxford Annotated RSV, and called him to ask if he would sign it for me, and he invited me to his home for tea with him and his wife! We would occasionally see each other around town. One time at the doctor’s office I told him my doctor had retired and I was looking for a new physician. He pointed out the black book on the counter with all the doctor’s resumes in it, which helped me make my choice. Another time I saw him at the grocery store when a gentleman with a speech defect tapped him on the shoulder. He turned, and spoke warmly to him in recognition. When I found out Metzger was very ill, I sent him a cheerful card, and to my surprise he replied with a postcard thanking me. Bruce Metzger was not just a great scholar. He was a genuine and loving human being.
Nancy Howard (M.A., 1964)
Princeton, New Jersey

Dr. Metzger’s reliable, detailed scholarship was always useful in Bible study classes and sermon preparation. He never understated or overstated his conclusion to difficult or recondite problems. I used his books on Revelation and New Testament texts and the development of the canon as my primary sources for classes on these subjects in my church.
Bill Hufham (M.Div., 1964; Th.M., 1970)
Chocowinity, North Carolina

A caring man and a caring scholar is the Bruce Metzger I knew. He exemplified what it is to treat the text with care. He remains a beacon of light for those going forward in ministry. If he cared about codices as he did, how can his students do anything other than care for the church? In 1991 he preached for Eastminster Presbytery and made reference to his NRSV journey. Sitting beside him, I remember it being my best presbytery meeting ever! His introduction to my desk NRSV reminds me to be caring when it comes to the text and the church.
Robert Philip Hoover (B.D., 1964)
Youngstown, Ohio

I was an anonymous fifth-row student in Dr. Metzger’s class. I was always impressed with his scholarship and passion for what could have been a dull academic subject. I tried to keep up as well as I could. After reading his introduction to the NRSV, I wrote him a letter discussing the dilemma of finding a gender-neutral third-person personal pronoun. He promptly and graciously responded in terms I could understand and demonstrated his friendly and inclusive personality that surely permeated his scholarship and teaching career. I am thankful that I was there when he was.
Lloyd W. Kinzer (M.Div., 1965)
Reston, Virginia

When in 1965 Dr. Metzger asked me to teach Greek at Princeton, I did not realize that he was leading me into a love of teaching. That love has flowered in Bible classes for lay people in all the churches I have served. The way Bruce Metzger could speak to seminary wives and make high-sounding biblical studies simple enough for people without technical training inspired me to bring the fruits of biblical scholarship to the lay people of the church. This has been the mainstay of my career.
Ernie Williams (M.Div., 1965)
St. Petersburg, Florida

Bruce Metzger “suffered (us) fools gladly” and imparted a rigorously honest approach to the New Testament with a delightfully dry sense of humor. He’s been more than a mentor; he was a shining example of a Christian gentleman. Thanks be to God!
L.G.(Bud) Everitt (M.Div., 1965)
Westminster, Colorado

As a Princeton Seminary student in the early 1960s, I stood in awe of Dr. Metzger's intellect and appreciated his efforts to have us students as guests in his home. What struck me most about him was his humility. This was driven home in 1992 when a Princeton graduate of the 1950s, Donn Moomaw, and I were worshipping at Hope Park Presbyterian Church in St. Andrews, Scotland, on a Sunday morning in July 1992. We came early to meditate in preparation for worship. Suddenly, we both felt finger-taps on our shoulders. We turned around, and it was Dr. Metzger, sitting in the row behind us with Principal Black of St. Mary's College, the divinity school of the University of St. Andrews. Dr. Metzger greeted us warmly and then introduced us to Principal Black with these words: “I’d like you to meet my two friends, Doctors Huffman and Moomaw. The three of us studied together at Princeton.” Donn and I, neither of us noted for our great facility with biblical languages, have ever since that time spoken with awe of both his humility and his affirmation of us as colleagues, no matter how great the gap might have been between us and him in his field of expertise. Then, for the next eight years, it was my privilege to have lunch with him once a year at the National Council of Churches meeting when I chaired our Presbyterian delegation and he came for the Revised Standard Version meeting. What a teacher of both New Testament and of humble Christian attitude! How much we will miss him.
John Huffman (M.Div., 1965; D.Min., 1983)
Newport Beach, California

As a young Army captain deployed overseas as chaplain to the Eight Infantry Division, I found the works of Bruce M. Metzger of fundamental value in the field as I served a large community of soldiers whose focus was definitely in other directions. The more I worked at adapting my ministry, the more aware I became of my need for more training in the biblical text and its ramifications for operational life, down on the ground in the world of practical human experience. Metzger invited me to study with him. I came to esteem him as a teacher, scholar, and gentleman. I am forever in his debt.
J. Harold Ellens (Th.M., 1965)
Farmington Hills, Michigan

While I never had Dr. Metzger for a class, I was always so appreciative of his work and of the very genuine, friendly, and humble way this gentleman came across upon meeting him on campus. In truth, he may have had more effect on more people around the world than most other seminary professors. But Dr. Metzger’s influence often was so much in the background that most people were not that aware of what he had done. Yet without him the RSV and the NRSV and an understanding of the various manuscripts that went into the translations of those versions might never have reached the level that they did, and biblical literacy might well have been at a much lower level.
Bob Dent (M.Div., 1966)
Topsham, Maine

As a very diligent and dedicated professor, scholar, writer, and master of detail, Dr. Metzger was and remains an excellent role model for all of us.
Norman A. Beck (Ph.D., 1967)
Seguin, Texas

Dr. Bruce Metzger will be greatly missed as a scholar and as a person. There is true greatness here. My contribution flows from my doctoral studies at PTS from matriculation in 1958 to Ph.D. in 1967, majoring in history and theology. After the two-year residence study and field examinations, I began my dissertation studies with a distinguished committee of mentors. I did not have any courses of study with Dr. Metzger, yet somehow he knew me and was interested in my work. I walked into the library in 1962 to check some references in the card catalogue, and there was Dr. Metzger bent down to a bottom drawer of the catalogue. He looked up briefly and smiled, saying, “Oh, hello there McClelland, how are you?”—a demonstration of his name recognition and interest in PTS students.

As a church historian, I taught courses at Muskingum College. All members of the department, except the philosophy chaps, offered Bible courses. I adopted for the department as a required textbook the Oxford Annotated Study Bible (RSV). Through the years, hundreds upon hundreds of students benefited from the scholarship of Dr. Bruce Metzger and his committee for the RSV and NRSV. For me and for Muskingum College, Dr. Metzger has been a wonderful blessing.
William L. McClelland (Ph.D., 1967)
New Concord, Ohio

I remember Dr. Bruce Metzger as a servant of God whose humble demeanor and brilliant insight expressed in understandable, concrete terms helped me develop an appreciation for New Testament Greek words, concepts, and Bible study. I thank God for him. His teachings and insight have helped me these past forty years as a pastor.
Szabolcs S. Nagy (M.Div., 1967; Th.M., 1974)
Somerset, New Jersey

I teach English as a second language at San Fernando High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. I remember the time a group of us seminary students were living just across the bridge from Trenton, about 1964 or 1965. We invited Dr. Metzger and his wife to have dinner with us one night at Lee Van Hams’s apartment. When the Metzgers arrived, we watched from the Van Hams’s front window as Dr. Metzger walked around the car and opened the door for his wife. The evening was pleasant and uneventful, but we were certainly left with the example of a gentleman.
Dennis L. Baker (B.D., 1967)
Panorama City, California

When I studied under Dr. Metzger, I got to know a man great both in humility and knowledge, one who loved God’s Word. I got to know an internationally renowned Bible scholar who was willing to teach introductory New Testament exegetical courses. He taught me. I got to know a world-traveled speaker and expositor who accepted both engagements at international seminars and at small Bible colleges, and the invitation to give the sermon at my ordination service. I caught from him a love of the Bible—its text and message—and a desire to take great care in its reading and interpretation.
Steve Bodnar (M.Div., 1968)
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Metzger was a man without equal who changed the face of biblical scholarship. He was truly an elegant gentleman, gracious, kind, and debonair, with a keen and sharp wit behind his scholarly exterior. When he was a special dinner guest at our PTS fortieth class reunion, he told fascinating stories of the struggles in finding just the right words for each verse of the extraordinary translation, The New Revised Standard Version, accomplished with his committee of scholars. His death will leave a great void both in the church and in the scholarly world, but there is joy in heaven as he walks and talks with Barth, Cullman, Bultmann, and the other greats who are there to greet him.
Abigail Rian Evans (M.Div., 1968)
Princeton, New Jersey

The first reaction most of us had to Dr. Metzger was how anybody could remember all those different documents. As we moved along in the class on textual criticism, the next impression was how passionlessly he presented his arguments. His assessment of the documents was exhaustive, and then he would present his recommendation, but to me there always seemed to be a question mark, as if suggesting that no one could be sure, and that maybe getting it absolutely right was not possible, and maybe not even necessary. Dr. Metzger to me always sounded “neutral” on the process of textual criticism.
Rick Brand (B.D., 1968)
Henderson, North Carolina

I am eternally grateful for Dr. Metzger’s class, The Exegesis of John’s Letters. He helped us all understand that Jesus Christ is not only the atoning sacrifice, but the “expiation” for our sins (1 John 4:10). With that affirmation and Dr. Metzger’s caring manner, I have always felt forgiven and loved. Thank God for his witness and scholarship.
Rob Morrison (M.Div., 1969)
Jackson, New Jersey

When I went to Dr, Metzger’s required New Testament exegesis class in the fall of 1966 I fully expected to fail, or at least not to enjoy it. I had heard rumors he was difficult and strict. I could not have been more surprised! He was a kind and gentle man who knew every student’s name and took time before and after class to make sure we all “got it.” And he treated everyone the same, whatever their background or theological bent. I enjoyed his class!
Vern E. McCarty (B.D., 1969)
Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. Metzger was patient with me in our exploration of 1 John in New Testament Exegesis. Perhaps he was the pearl and we students were the swine, because I remember thinking that we were not ready for each other. It was perhaps years later that I came to appreciate the level of scholarship and the love of Scripture that he had offered us. I remember him as a gentle man who was simultaneously humble and dignified. Obviously he was a brilliant scholar and a devoted follower of Jesus.
Peter Amerman (M.Div., 1969)
Blairstown, New Jersey