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Brian Rapske :: ACTS Seminaries

Brian Mark Rapske, Ph.D.

Professor of New Testament Studies;
Chair of the Master of Theological Studies Program;
Chair of the Master of Theology Program;
email: brian.rapske@twu.ca

Brian’s Thoughts on Biblical Scholarship and Life:

Scholar and pietist Johann Albrecht Bengel put the dynamic and closely interconnected relationship between the life of learning/scholarship and the life of faith very well: “Apply thyself wholly to the text; apply the text wholly to thyself.” Brian works to bring this into the classroom at ACTS.

While he is always hungry to explore the text of Scripture at depth to grasp its message with confidence intellectually, at the same time he wants to answer the question, “How can I personally embody this truth in worship, witness and service?”

Personal Information

Brian enjoys drawing, sketching, painting, wire sculpture, and photography. He’s provided cover design concepts for the multi-volume series The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting, gen. ed. B.W. Winter, I.H. Marshall and D.W.J. Gill (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans/Carlisle: Paternoster, 1993-1996) and designed the cover for the J.B. Torrance Festschrift entitled Christ in Our Place, ed. T. Hart and D. Thimell (Exeter: Paternoster/Allison Park, PA: Pickwick, 1991).

He’s also provided cartoon concepts for Partnership magazine and was for a number of years the staff cartoonist for the Vancouver newspaper Christian Info (1985-1987). Brian enjoys “heavy” landscaping, weight training and jogging. He and his family (wife Rita and daughters Trish and Jenn) are widely travelled.

Education:

  • University of Aberdeen (Ph.D., 1993); New Testament Studies. Thesis Title: “Pauline Imprisonment and the Lukan Defense of the Missionary Prisoner Paul in the Light of Greco-Roman Sources.”
  • Regent College (M.Th., 1987); New Testament Studies. Thesis Title: “The Widow in the Apostolic Church.”
  • Northwest Baptist Seminary (M.Div., 1983); New Testament Studies. Thesis Title: “James the Lord’s Brother: A Study of His Life and Ministry Based Upon the Biblical and Early Extra-Biblical Documents.”
  • University of British Columbia (B.A., 1975) Major in Psychology.
  • Vancouver Community College (1st and 2nd year B.A.).
  • North American Baptist College (Certificate in Christian Education, 1970).

Academic & Ministry Positions:

  • 2010-Present: Professor of New Testament Studies, NBS/ACTS.
  • 2003-2010: Associate Professor New Testament Studies, NBS/ACTS.
  • 1997-2003: Assistant Professor New Testament and Hermeneutics, NBTC/NBS/ACTS.
  • 1995: Sessional Lecturer New Testament, Regent College.
  • 1993-1996: Senior Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church (BUWC).
  • 1988-1992: Youth Leader/Sponsor Westhill Christian Fellowship (Ind., Scotland).
  • 1984, 1986: Sessional Lecturer, Biblical Studies (NBTC).
  • 1985-1986: Interim Pastor, Royal Oak Baptist Church (BGC).
  • 1980-1985: Senior Pastor, Abbotsford Baptist Church (BGC).
  • 1978-1979: Student Pastor, Bethany Baptist Church (NABC).

Scholarly Organizations, Consultations & Denomination Work:

  • 2011-Present: Fellow of the Northwest Centre for Biblical and Theological Literacy
  • 2009-Present: Committee member on the Evangelical Theological Society New Testament Backgrounds consultation.
  • 2009-Present: Full Member Institute for Biblical Research.
  • 2005-Present: Full Member, Evangelical Theological Society.
  • 1998-Present: Full Member, Society of Biblical Literature.
  • 2007-2008: Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Baptism and Membership (FEBBC&Y).
  • 2001-2008: Chairman of the Fellowship Advisory and Credentialing Commission (FEBBC&Y).
  • 2003-2008: Member of Governing Council (FEBBC&Y).
  • 1998-Present: Maintains a very active preaching and teaching ministry.

Books:

  • Revision team for Moulton and Geden’s Concordance to the Greek New Testament. Ed. I.H. Marshall. 6th edn.; Edinburgh: Continuum/T. and T. Clark, 2002.
  • The Book of Acts and Paul in Roman Custody. Series: The Book of Acts in its First Century Setting. Volume 3. Gen. ed., B.W. Winter. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans/Carlisle: Paternoster, 1994.

Articles/Book Chapters:

  • “Exiles, Islands and the Identity and Perspective of John in Revelation.” In Christian Origins and Classical Culture: Social and Literary Contexts for the New Testament. Christian Origins and Classical Culture 1. S.E. Porter and A.W. Pitts, eds. TENTS; Leiden: E.J. Brill. (Forthcoming)
  • “Shipping in the Ancient World.” In The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook. J.Daniel Hays and J. Scott Duvall, eds. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011. 730.
  • “Roman Prisons.” In The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook. J.Daniel Hays and J. Scott Duvall, eds. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011. 721.
  • “Roman Rule in Palestine.” In Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus. Ed. C.A. Evans. New York/London: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, 2008. 523-529.
  • “Divine Comfort at the Turbulent Periphery: Acts 8 and the Samaritan Mission.” In Being Church: Explorations in Christian Community. Ed. L. Perkins. Victoria, BC: Bookmark Self-Publishing, 2007. 66-90.
  • “Citizenship, Roman.” In Dictionary of New Testament Backgrounds. Eds. C.A. Evans and S.E. Porter. Downers Grove: IVP, 2000. 215-18.
  • “Prison, Prisoner.” In Dictionary of New Testament Backgrounds. Eds. C.A. Evans and S.E. Porter. Downers Grove: IVP, 2000. 827-30.
  • “Roman Governors of Palestine (Pilate, Felix, Festus).” In Dictionary of New Testament Backgrounds. Eds. C.A. Evans and S.E. Porter. Downers Grove: IVP, 2000. 978-84.
  • “Travel and Trade (Including Travelogues).” In Dictionary of New Testament Backgrounds. Eds. C.A. Evans and S.E. Porter. Downers Grove: IVP, 2000. 1245-50.
  • “Chapter 12. Opposition to the Plan of God and Persecution.” In Witness to the Gospel: The Theology of Acts. Eds. I.H. Marshall and D. Peterson. Grand Rapids/Cambridge: Eerdmans, 1998. 235-56.
  • “Rome and Roman Christianity.” In Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments. Eds. R.P. Martin and P.H. Davids. Downers Grove: IVP, 1997. 1063-68.
  • “Roman Empire, Christians and the.” In Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments. Eds. R.P. Martin and P.H. Davids. Downers Grove: IVP, 1997. 1059-63.
  • “Acts, Travel and Shipwreck.” In The Book of Acts in its First Century Setting. Volume 2. Ed. D.W.J. Gill and C. Gempf. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans/Carlisle: Paternoster, 1994. 1-47.
  • “The Lukan Defence of the Missionary Prisoner Paul [Dissertation Abstract].” Tyndale Bulletin 44.1 (1993) 193-96.
  • “The Importance of Helpers to the Imprisoned Paul in the Book of Acts.” Tyndale Bulletin 42.1 (1991) 3-30.
  • “The Prisoner Paul in the Eyes of Onesimus.” New Testament Studies 37 (1991) 187-203.

Reviews:

  • Victor Paul Furnish. 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians.” In Canadian Evangelical Review 36 (2009) 59-61.
  • Jerry Camery-Hoggatt. Reading the Good Book Well: A Guide to Biblical Interpretation.” In Canadian Evangelical Review 36 (2009) 55-57.
  • M. Barth and H. Blanke, The Letter to Philemon.” In Stone Campbell Journal 5.2 (2002) 316-318.
  • John Clayton Lentz Jr., Luke’s Portrait of Paul.” In Evangelical Quarterly 66.4 (1994) 347-53.

Papers Delivered & Presentations:

  • “Deep Exegesis: Scripture, Tradition and the Deep Church.” Invited paper delivered at the “Resourcing Church: Discerning Biblical Community Between Tradition and Culture” Conference. Jointly sponsored by Northwest Baptist Seminary, Canadian Baptist Seminary, and Canadian Pentecostal Seminary. February 26, 2011 at Trinity Western University, BC.
  • “Greco-Roman Stoas, the Stoas Bordering the Court of the Gentiles, and Christian Gatherings in Solomon’s Colonnade.” Invited paper delivered in the New Testament Backgrounds Consultation at the 2010 gathering of the Evangelical Theological Society in Atlanta, GA.
  • “Crossing Divides: Reading Acts in Light of Contemporary Border Studies.” Invited paper delivered in the Luke-Acts Consultation at the 2010 gathering of the Evangelical Theological Society in Atlanta, GA.
  • “Interpreting Scripture in a Hermeneutically Pluralistic World: Where Does a Baptist Locate Truth?” Presentation at the Baptist Identity in the 21st Century Canadian Context conference. Fosmark Centre. Trinity Western University. Langley, BC. March 11-12, 2005.
  • “Acts 2:42-47: Unrealistic Ideal or Connecting Church?” Break-out presentation at The Connecting Church conference. Pastors and Mentor’s Day. Broadway Church. Vancouver, BC. October 25, 2004.
  • “Context, Context Context! Key to Understanding Your Bible.” Presentation at the Convention of the FEBBC&Y. Faith Fellowship Baptist Church. Vancouver, BC. May 27-29, 2003.
  • “Church Governance.” Presentation read at the National Convention of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada. South Delta Baptist Church. South Delta, BC. November 7, 2001.
  • “Release Assurance and Courageous Witness in Acts 12:1-19.” Evening lecture presented at the 2001 Knox Summer Fellowship Lecture Series. Knox Presbyterian Church. Toronto, Canada. August 8, 2001.
  • “Acts, Travel, Imprisonments and Shipwreck.” Paper read at the Conference on the Book of Acts in its First Century Setting. Tyndale House. Cambridge, England. March 29-30, 1993.
  • “Imprisonment in the Roman Empire as a Background to Paul.” Paper read to the 1990 NT Study Group. Tyndale House. Cambridge, England.
  • “Jesus’ Concern for Widows: A Study of His Words Against Their Abuse in Mark 12:40-44 and Luke 20:47-21:4.” Paper read at the Regional Evangelical Theological Society. Multnomah School of the Bible. Portland, Oregon. [Theological Research Exchange Network, 1987. Microfiche ETS 0046.]