J. B. Torrance

James B. Torrance

James B. Torrance (3 February 1923 – 15 November 2003) was Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Aberdeen. He was a younger brother to Thomas F. Torrance and father of Alan Torrance. He gave the 1994 Didsbury Lectures (published as Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace), and the 2001 Warfield Lectures at Princeton (forthcoming).

James Torrance was educated in Edinburgh, receiving First class degrees in Philosophy (for which he was also awarded Senior Medals in moral philosophy, logic and metaphysics) and Theology. Following this he continued his studies in Marburg and Basel, where he studied with Karl Barth, and then continued research in Oxford.

Professor Torrance took a special interest in international politics, being a staunch opponent of Apartheid, and engaging directly with President F. W. de Klerk. He also engaged with Gerry Adams.

Major works

• 'Covenant and Contract, a Study of the Theological Background of Worship in seventeenth-century Scotland', SJT 23: 51-76 (1970)
• 'The Contribution of McLeod Campbell to Scottish Theology', SJT 26: 295-311 (1973)
• 'The Vicarious Humanity of Christ' in The Incarnation, Ecumenical Studies in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, AD 381, ed. T.F. Torrance (Handsel Press, 1981)
• 'The Doctrine of the Trinity in our Contemporary Situation' in The Forgotten Trinity, Volume 3 (British Council of Churches, 1991)
• 'Introduction' to The Nature of the Atonement by J. McLeod Campbell (Handsel Press, 1996)
• Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace. The 1994 Didsbury Lectures (Paternoster, 1996)

Secondary works

• Christ in Our Place: The Humanity of God in Christ for the Reconciliation of the World: Essays Presented to James Torrance, edited by Trevor Hart et al. (Paternoster, 1989)
• Introduction to Torrance Theology: Discovering the Incarnate Saviour, edited by Gerrit Dawson (Continuum, 2007)

External links

• Obituary in the Scotsman
• Obituary in The Times
• Obituary in The Independent