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Dean Emeritus Rev. Dr. Burton Goddard passed away in New Oxford, PA, on July 22, 2007 at the age of 97.
Dr. Goddard began serving at Gordon College and Gordon Divinity School in 1941, holding positions of Dean, Professor of Biblical Languages and Exegesis, and Director of the Library. The Goddard Library was named in his honor upon his retirement in 1975. Before coming serve in higher education, he was ordained to the Christian ministry (Presbyterian) in 1937 and served as pastor of the Carlisle, MA Congregational Church for 4 years. Additionally, Dr. Goddard was instumental in the founding of the Evangelical Theological Society, Boston Christian High School (now Lexington Christian Academy), Deerwander Bible Conference, and the Chinese Evangelical Literature Committee. He served as the first general secretary and as an editor and translator of the Committee on Bible Translation, which in 1978 produced the New International Version of the Bible. Dr. Goddard was also editor of The Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Missions and the author of The NIV Story, Meet Jeremiah and Animals of the Bible.
Dr. Goddard received his bachelor of arts degree from UCLA in 1933, where he graduated "with highest honors in history,” the bachelor of theology degree from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1937, the master of the science of theology and doctor of theology degrees from Harvard in 1938 and 1943 respectively, and the master of library science degree from Simmons College in 1957. In 1986, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
He is survived by his sister, Miriam Sellers of Iowa, two nieces and a nephew.
About Gordon-Conwell
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is a multi-denominational evangelical Protestant
graduate school serving more than 2,200 students on campuses in South Hamilton
and Boston, Massachusetts, Charlotte, North Carolina and an extension site in
Jacksonville, Florida. Students on the three campuses represent 107 denominations
and 44 foreign countries. The seminary ranks 5th in size among all seminaries
accredited by the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and
Canada. Gordon-Conwell offers many degrees at the master’s and doctoral
levels and has gained an international reputation for leading faculty in the
areas of Biblical Studies, Ministry and Theology.
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