Walter Brueggemann was born in 1933 in Tilden, Nebraska, the son of a German Evangelical pastor whose legacy left a lasting imprint on his approach to scripture and ministry. He attended Elmhurst College in Illinois, graduating in 1955 with a degree in sociology, before attending Eden Theological Seminary, where he majored in Old Testament and was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 1958. He earned a Ph.D. in education from St. Louis University while teaching at Eden Theological Seminary.
Brueggemann enjoyed a distinguished academic career spanning more than four decades. He was professor of Old Testament from 1961 to 1986 and Dean from 1968 to 1982 at Eden Theological Seminary, and beginning in 1986 served as William Marcellus McPheeters professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. He retired in 2003 but remained intellectually active throughout his remaining years.
His scholarly output was extraordinary. Brueggemann wrote more than 58 books, hundreds of articles, and several commentaries on books of the Bible. His groundbreaking work in rhetorical criticism emphasized the persuasive and poetic power of Scripture. Among his most significant publications, The Prophetic Imagination, published in 1978, sold over a million copies and is still considered a classic. His magnum opus, Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy (1997), remains a foundational work. He also made substantial contributions to Psalms interpretation through his various commentaries and reflections.
Brueggemann was a co-founding editor of the Journal for Preachers for more than 40 years, and in 1990 was elected President of the Society of Biblical Literature. Brueggemann died at a hospice in Traverse City, Michigan, on June 5, 2025, at the age of 92.
Walter Brueggemann was not only a towering figure in Old Testament scholarship but also remarkably approachable and genuinely invested in dialogue with students at all levels. Throughout my teaching career, I regularly assigned The Prophetic Imagination to my classes. One year, a student asked if she should reach out to Brueggemann directly with questions about the book. To her amazement, he not only took her call but engaged in an extended conversation about his work. She was stunned that a scholar of his stature would generously devote time to discussing his ideas with an unknown student.
I experienced this same generosity firsthand when I had the privilege of interviewing Brueggemann for a biography I was writing about him. He graciously gave me substantial time and provided the detailed information I needed to complete the project.
A few weeks before his death, I contacted Brueggemann to ask if he would consider endorsing my book, Ancient Israel’s Women of Faith: A Survey of the Heroines of the Old Testament. He responded with characteristic honesty, explaining that he was too old and weak to write an endorsement. Shortly thereafter, he passed away.
His death created a significant void in Old Testament scholarship. Brueggemann was a prolific author whose articles and books consistently offered fresh perspectives and original interpretations of biblical texts that continue to influence the field.
My brief biography of Brueggemann appears in The Encyclopedia of Christian Literature, edited by George T. Kurian, et al. (Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2010), 1:225-226. A PDF copy of the biography is available for download here.
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
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Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 