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Professor Metzger was for me a Christ-honoring scholar, mentor, and pastor-teacher. His unfailing cheerfulness, unassuming brilliance, and intellectual precision and industry marked one who lived New Testament studies and made New Testament studies live for his students. He was an invaluable mentor-sponsor, guiding me through a senior paper and pointing me toward extremely profitable Ph.D. studies under Professor C.K. Barrett.

Ever a pastor-teacher for the church, he preached at my installation to my first charge, the First Presbyterian Church of Olney, Philadelphia. His text was “Preach the word…do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Tim. 4:2, 4 RSV)
William J. Larkin, Jr. (B.D., 1970)
Columbia, South Carolina

When I came to Princeton Seminary in January 1967, my first class was Dr. Bruce Metzger’s New Testament course. For me it was “love at first sight.” Dr. Metzger made everything come alive for a young seminarian. When it came time to pick an area of concentration, there was no doubt—New Testament. When I asked him if he would be my advisor, he responded, “Yes, that would be fine.” Thanks be to God for such a wonderful teacher, mentor, and friend. His influence and teachings have affected so many of us.
Dave M. Spahn (M.Div., 1970)
San Marino, California

Dr. Metzger's work was genius. He had a way of sharing complicated material in a language designed for both the layperson and the academician. His approach was unchanging, yet complimented by the most recent scholarship. We listened eagerly as he shared insights on editing the NRSV, and were amazed as we studied the writings of the author of the Book of Revelation, which Metzger took quite seriously. Whether in his work on the New Testament as a whole or on individual books, he was a major contributor in forming my theology. But more, he was a gentle giant in demeanor who influenced my life and ministry.
Gene W. Aulenbach (Th.M., 1970)
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania

Though I did not study under Dr. Metzger during my time at PTS, I was greatly influenced by his commentaries. I thank God upon every remembrance of him.
Francis Sunderaraj (Th.M., 1971)
Hyderabad, India

I remember an on-campus story. It centered around his doctoral thesis being only fifty pages long. Such news inspired me to keep my Th.M. papers short, concise, and to the point. Years later I still practice this in writing CPE evaluations.
Fred Sickert (Th., 1971)
West Linn, Oregon

When I was a sophomore at a small religious college in the Midwest in the early 1960s, Bruce Metzger came to speak about the new Revised Standard Version of the Bible. What a great presentation. He so inspired me that I said right then that someday I wanted to go to Princeton Theological Seminary. After finishing college, two years in the Peace Corps., and three years doing my Master of Divinity in the Midwest, I finally fulfilled that promise to myself. Having taken an associate pastor position in New York City following seminary, I would take the bus down to Princeton every Monday with my wife as I worked on a Th.M. By that time, I was more interested in the history of theology than in New Testament, so I never studied with Bruce Metzger. But he is the one who got me to the Princeton campus. And I’m very glad that it was a part of my journey.
James Spickelmier (Th.M., 1971)
St. Paul, Minnesota

Bruce Metzger made the Bible legible in English.
Wade Epps (M.Div., 1972; Th.M., 1974)
Burlington, New Jersey

Dr. Metzger and my husband, John Alexander Thompson, were fellow biblical scholars and translators. I remember both Dr. and Mrs. Metzger as most gracious and kind people.
Evelyn Thompson Aye (attended, 1972)
Newtown, Pennsylvania

Dr. and Mrs. Metzger opened their home to students for high tea. He led us into the basement to show how he stored writing projects. He stuffed his manuscripts in a dilapidated freezer. Like a miner protecting golden nuggets, Metzger assured us that his precious manuscripts would survive any storm or fire that might devastate his home.

I cherish memories of him for his unfailingly gracious demeanor balanced by an encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible and its formation. Gracious personality mixed with an irrepressible passion for biblical truth is rare.
Jack R. Van Ens (M.Div., 1972; Th.M., 1976; D.Min., 2006)
Arvada, Colorado

PTS will miss one who will be fondly remembered for as long as the institution lasts. For me, personally, the sense of loss is incalculable. But it will embrace as well those generations of students whose lives were enriched by his erudition, wit, and scholarly grace. The entire Christian church is also the poorer, for it was to the church that he gave a style and breadth of service not likely to be repeated, and which has justifiably drawn comparisons with Origen and Jerome. His dedicated work on the text and canon of the New Testament will not be eclipsed for centuries, if ever. But despite our pain, we may all rejoice in knowing that, like St. John of Patmos, he has been asked to “come up higher,” and that he is now writing a new commentary on the Book of Revelation, from which perhaps even the apostle will learn a few things.
Lincoln D. Hurst (M.Div., 1973)
Woodland, California

I came to PTS as a Th.M. student. Focusing on church history, I did not have any classes from Dr. Metzger. However I really wanted to learn from him. Consequently, my wife and I attended the Nassau Presbyterian Sunday school class he taught on the Book of Revelation. Frankly, we were enthralled. Later a group of us began meeting with him, informally, on a weekly basis. We knew then what we all know now: we were in the presence of true greatness. He represented scholarship combined with cordiality.
Jim Garlow (Th.M., 1973)
El Cajon, California

I thank God for the brilliant scholarship and personal friendship of Bruce Metzger. His contribution to the study of the text and translation of the Bible shaped generations of biblical study.

Bruce and Isobel became longtime friends to my wife and me. We have a special memory of a time they invited us for dinner, insisting we bring our children along (three years old and one year old). We remember Bruce, dressed in his usual suit, on his hands and knees on the floor playing with our children with an antique fire truck. I wish I had had a camera!
Paul Bremer (Ph.D., 1974)
Grand Rapids, Michigan

I attended PTS for only one term, so I never took a class from Dr. Metzger. He did greet me in the halls near his classroom. The NRSV has had a considerable affect on my two congregations, Mount Baker Presbyterian Church in Concrete, and Deming Presbyterian Church in Deming, Washington. Although they average fifteen and twenty-seven in worship, I have sold more than 100 copies of the NRSV One Year Bible. People were so excited to read it, they said that it “reads like a novel,” and they bought copies as Christmas presents for their friends. They came to Bible studies as never before. They read ahead. Many are still reading each day, each year, and some are in their thirteenth year, as long as I have been with them.

The One Year Bible balances difficult chapters of Leviticus with the Gospel of Mark, so it works better than reading from Genesis to Revelation. I just wish more Presbyterians were so committed to daily Bible reading that this edition would still be in print.
Tom Ross (attended, 1974)
Acme, Washington

In Bible study, always, and in preaching, frequently, I am eager to comment on the work of the RSV and NRSV committees, whose clear intention was to start with biblical Hebrew and Greek and translate each into the best current English usage, keeping faith with the committtees’ best scholarship in the original languages to help the Scriptures come alive for us today. That’s different, I like to point out, from a translator or translation with some other social agenda. Shaking your brother’s or sister’s hand is just not the same as greeting one another with a holy kiss!
Bill Humphreys (M.Div., 1977)
Waukesha, Wisconsin

Dr. Bruce Metzger was a man of great integrity, compassion, and insight. I was so inspired by him in his course on the Book of Revelation. He presented it like I have never heard before. Above all he was very open-minded and offered his expertise from all his studying. Dr. Metzger did not present only one view of that book, which was refreshing for me. He offered a variety of perspectives and theological thoughts from the historical, fundamental, liberal, and moderate viewpoints. He explained in detail his understanding of each of them and how they may have arrived at these conclusions. Then he explained his own understanding of the book. Yet he did not judge any for their own beliefs about the book. I have never forgotten this, and it has always inspired me to stay open-minded and seek the truth within me. It was an honor and privilege to have been one of his students.
Mike Shepard (M.Div., 1978)
Uniontown, Pennsylvania

I was truly saddened to learn from a fellow PTS alum of Dr. Metzger’s passing. I studied under Dr. Metzger, taking two New Testament courses from him, The Person and Work of Christ, and Galatians, 1 Peter, and 1 John. It was delightful to sit under him. His lessons were both scholarly and devotional as well as giving us homiletic and sermonic gems and pearls. You could almost visualize Jesus and the disciples walking through the door, especially when he would be teaching, and get a certain gleam in his look, and his hand would make a certain gesture. One quote he made that day reminds me of the sufficiency of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; he said, “Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life.’ Notice he did not say ‘cake of life.’ He was saying ‘I am basic.’ Cake is a luxury, while bread is a necessity.”

He also taught the need to be thorough as a student of the Word. One time I submitted a precept paper and the punctuation should have been better. When I got it back it looked like an American flag, it had so many red marks. From then on I was a stickler for good grammar and punctuation on papers I turned in.

He was also personal and very down to earth. I remember seeing him on occasion riding his bike to campus while wearing a three-piece suit. And he was always ready to talk to students who had questions, even over lunch.

Dr. Metzger was truly a saint and a jewel, a gift from God who loaned him to the realm of theological and biblical studies, and now has had it returned to him. I thank God everyday for having met Dr. Metzger and sat at his feet, as well as for PTS. God bless his memory and legacy as well as bless his family and of course bless, God bless PTS always.
Asriel Gamaliel McLain (M.Div., 1978)
Beaumont, Texas