Theologian Charles C. Ryrie died Tuesday
(Feb. 16) at the age of 90. Ryrie was best known for his contribution
of the Ryrie Study Bible, which contained 10,000 of his explanatory
footnotes.
Ryrie was an acclaimed Christian educator and served as a professor of
Systematic Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) before being
named dean of doctoral studies. He retired in 1983.
A tribute of Ryrie’s life in DTS Magazine says the theologian was passionate about helping the average person understand the Bible.
Ryrie previously said, “When I was working on the study Bible, I
thought of people in home Bible classes, and I would sometimes ask,
‘Would they want a note on this verse or an explanation of this
doctrine? Simply?’ These people were my make-believe audience. Actually,
they weren’t make-believe, they were real people.”
DTS president Mark Bailey said, “Dr. Ryrie was a master at biblical and
theological synthesis. He had the unusually rare gift of being able to
state complex theological ideas in succinct statements. All of us are
indebted to his efforts to articulate and defend dispensational
premillennialism.”
Boyce College professor and blogger Denny Burk
said he only knew Ryrie outside of the classroom. "I am grateful to
have known him for the short time that I did. He was gracious, kind, and
generous to spend time talking to a wet-behind-the-ears theology
student all those years ago. I hope I can have that same legacy with my
students."
Ryrie is survived by three children and three grandchildren.
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