 | B. Davie Napier |
Former Yale trustee, professor and preacher
B. Davie Napier, professor emeritus of Bible and ministry at Yale Divinity School (YDS) and a former Yale trustee, died at Pilgrim Place in Claremont, California, on Feb. 24. He was 91 years old.
A prolific writer, Napier was the author of the books "Faith to Faith," "Song of the Vineyard," "Prophets in Perspective," "The Layman's Bible Commentary: Exodus, Vol. 3," "Come, Sweet Death," "Time of Burning," "On New Creation," "Word of God, Word of Earth," "Advent and Christmas" (with Frederick Borsch) and "The Best of Davie Napier ."
He also contributed to the section on the prophets in the "Disciple Series," a widely used video Bible study series, and to Vetus Testamentum, The Journal of Biblical Literature, Interpretation, Christian Century and Encyclopedia Britannica.
Born in Kuling, China, on July 12, 1915, to missionaries Dr. and Mrs. A.Y. Napier, the Yale scholar attended schools throughout China and Japan, graduating from high school in Birmingham, Alabama. He received his undergraduate degree from Howard College (now Samford University) in 1936, and earned a B.D. cum laude at YDS in 1939 and a Ph.D. from Yale in 1944.
He joined the YDS faculty in 1949 and was named the Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation in 1956. He served as master of Calhoun College 1964-1965 and 1980-1984. He was a fellow of the Yale Corporation 1975-1980.
After leaving Yale, he went on to serve at Judson College, Alfred University, University of Georgia, Stanford University and the Pacific School of Religion, where he was president 1972-1978. He also spent time in the 1970s and 1980s as a visiting professor and guest lecturer throughout the country.
Ordained in 1939 in the Congregational Church, Napier was a minister of music at churches in Westport and Bethel, Connecticut, and later served interim ministries in Athens, Georgia; Hamden and Middletown, Connecticut; and Eugene, Oregon.
Napier married Joyce Robertson White, now deceased, of Bethel, Connecticut, in 1941. They had two children: John, also deceased, and Anne Napier Caffery, now of Yakima, Washington. The family lived in Heidelberg, Germany, as part of a Fulbright Act exchange grant and traveled to Palestine, Spain, Puerto Rico, Jerusalem and the Near East. Later, Napier and his wife traveled extensively through Central and Latin America.
Brevard Childs, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Divinity, described Napier as not a scholar in the "traditional" way but, rather, as a powerful presence who "brought excitement back to teaching Old Testament at Yale Divinity School."
"Davie Napier was a particularly popular lecturer," said Childs. "For years, he had the big Old Testament course. ... But he was mainly known for his preaching. His preaching was very, very imaginative and charismatic. That was where you saw him with tremendous imagination."
In addition to his daughter, Napier is survived by his three granddaughters, Whisper Napier Baricevic of Sacramento, California, Abigail Joy Mott of Seattle, Washington, and Amanda Davie Magee of Glens Falls, New York; and three great grandchildren, Briar, Avery and Ava, with a fourth due this spring.
A memorial service will be held at the United Church of Christ in Claremont, California, on Sunday, March 18, at 3:30 p.m. At the request of the family, memorial gifts may be made to any of the following: Yale Divinity School, 409 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511; Pilgrim Place, 660 Avery Rd., Claremont, CA 91711; or Children's Village, 2701 Tieton Dr., Yakima, WA 98902.
T H I S
In Memoriam: B. Davie Napier
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IN MEMORIAM
B. Davie Napier: Former Yale trustee, professor and preacher
James B. Crowley: Specialist in the history of modern Japan
Paul Sevier Minear: A leading scholar of the New Testament
Kathryn Perrone: Assistant to the president
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