Dr. Harold W. Hoehner, 1935-2009

A Tribute to Beloved Professor Dr. Harold W. Hoehner
By Dallas Theological Seminary

A Tribute to Harold Hoehner
By Dr. Michael Burer

Harold Hoehner 1935-2009
By Professor Sandra Glahn


Dr. Harold Hoehner, Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, went to be with the Lord this past week. The entire campus was greatly surprised and saddened by this unexpected loss. But the fact that this response really came from the entire campus tells the story of the remarkable impact of this man's ministry. There is not a person at DTS (nor one who has graduated within the span of Dr. Hoehner's tenure - which has been a long time), be it professor, staff, or student that has not been impacted by Dr. Hoehner's teaching, his ministry, and the way he lived his life. He will be greatly missed.

Yet it is somewhat fitting that a tribute to him arises in the midst of a series on the book of Romans. The class for which I originally wrote this paper was taught by Dr. Hoehner for many years. Though I wasn't able to take a Romans class from him, I did have the privilege of being in his Intertestamental History class, a specialty of his.

What I remember most about that class was how Dr. Hoehner would spend the majority of each lecture reviewing all the material we had covered up to that point, and then only adding a small amount of new material toward the end of class. Everyday the same thing, the same review material over and over and over and.... it worked. About half way through the semester it clicked, "Maybe this is the information he thinks is important for me to know, just in case I were to ever be tested on the material, say, at the end of the semester." Dr. Hoehner was known for having difficult exams, and I can testify that he lived up to that reputation, but he prepared you for it.

He wasn't afraid to push you and challenge you in the classroom, and what God really blessed him with was his ability to do so in a humble and loving manner. Dr. Hoehner truly exemplified what it meant to live and to think Christianly.

Grace be with all of those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
(Ephesians 6:24)