Frederick William Danker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frederick William Danker
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| Born | 12 July 1920  Frankenmuth |
| Died | 2 February 2012 (aged 91) Saint Louis University Hospital |
| Education | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Lexicographer, New Testament scholar |
Frederick William Danker (born July 12, 1920 – died February 2, 2012) was a very important scholar who studied the New Testament part of the Bible. He was especially known for his work as a lexicographer, which means he created dictionaries.
Danker was a top expert in Koine Greek, which is the common form of the Greek language used during the time the New Testament was written. He spent many years working on and improving a famous Greek dictionary called the Bauer Lexicon. This dictionary helps people understand the original Greek words in the New Testament.
His work on the Bauer Lexicon started in 1957. He became the main editor in 1979 and worked tirelessly to update it. He made it much easier to use and helped publish it in electronic forms too. His version of the dictionary was almost like a brand new book. He reportedly worked on it for 12 hours a day, six days a week, for 10 years!
Contents
Studying and Teaching
Early Education
Professor Danker first studied at Concordia Seminary. There, he earned a degree by writing about a Hebrew word called "hebel" in the book of Qoheleth.
After that, he went to the University of Chicago. He studied classical languages, focusing on ancient Greek writers like Homer and Pindar. He earned his PhD by writing about sad themes in the plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles.
Teaching Career
Starting in 1954, Danker taught at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He joined a team working on the second edition of the Bauer Lexicon, which was then called BAGD.
In 1974, many teachers, including Danker, left Concordia Seminary to start a new school called Seminex. When Seminex closed in 1983, Danker moved to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He taught there until he retired in 1988.
Work in Retirement
Even after retiring, Professor Danker began his most important work. He started creating the third edition of the Greek dictionary, known as BDAG. This huge project was finished in 2000.
He didn't stop there! In his final years, he prepared another book called The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. This was a completely new, shorter dictionary for the New Testament.
Awards and Special Recognition
In 2004, a special book was published to honor Frederick W. Danker. It was called Biblical Greek Language and Lexicography: Essays in Honor of Frederick W. Danker. This book included 18 essays about the Greek language of the Bible and how dictionaries are made. It celebrated all of Danker's amazing contributions.
A Personal Story About Danker
A scholar named William Varner once interviewed Professor Danker in 2003. Varner asked him about a rumor: that Danker worked 12 hours a day, six days a week, for ten years on the third edition of the lexicon. Danker humbly replied, "Well, we did take vacations."
Varner cherishes this memory and often shares it with his students. Danker also quietly mentioned he had another project coming. When his 400-page Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament came out in 2009, Varner remembered that secret! Frederick W. Danker was a very careful and dedicated scholar. He was also a kind person who cared about others, even making time to visit a sick friend in the hospital.
Frederick W. Danker's Collection
The Frederick W. Danker Depositorium is a special collection of his personal library and papers. It is located at the Overton Memorial Library at Heritage Christian University in Florence, Alabama.
Danker decided to donate his entire collection to the library in April 2010. The process of moving his books and papers began in October 2010 and continued until shortly after he passed away in February 2012. This collection includes his research files, personal letters, published and unpublished writings, and items from his home and office.
Books by Frederick W. Danker
Here are some of the books Frederick W. Danker wrote or helped create:
- A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. University of Chicago Press.
- The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
- 2 Corinthians - Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament
- Benefactor: Epigraphic Study of a Graeco-Roman and New Testament Semantic Field
- A Century of Greco-Roman Philology Featuring the American Philological Association and the Society of Biblical Literature
- Creeds in the Bible (Biblical monographs)
- Invitation to the New Testament Epistles IV: A commentary on Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2.
- Multipurpose Tools for Bible Study
- Jesus and the New Age: A commentary on St. Luke's Gospel
