Monday, September 14, 2009

John Sweet: Church Times Obituary

I am afraid that I missed this one when it came out at the end of July in the Church Times:

Obituary: Canon John Philip McMurdo Sweet
by The Rt Revd Robert Hardy

It's a nice piece, and includes a photograph of Canon Sweet in his study, apparently reading A Historical Introduction to the New Testament. I am guessing that this is the one by R. M. Grant. Anyone recognize it? There is a particular pleasure in seeing a man in his study given the following remarks (with which I agree):
In his latter years, he said that he felt dons were having to spend too much time showing others how to do their jobs, and not enough time actually doing them. He was equally clear that there were too many books in the world; and accordingly he himself wrote sparingly, and only when he had something to say. His SCM Pelican Commentary on Revelation was published in 1979, and was well-received. It remains an inviting introduction to one of the strangest books of the Bible.
See also previous posts on John Sweet.

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