HTR Centennial Anniversary: greetings and introduction.(Speech)

At the beginning of this ceremony I would like to express my gratitude to Dean William A. Graham for his ongoing interest in Harvard Theological Review and for his generosity in helping us to organize this Centennial Anniversary.

I am pleased to welcome you here to Harvard Divinity School, in that place where one hundred years ago some professors of this Faculty launched a new periodical, Harvard Theological Review. I express my welcome to you, Helmut Koester, former editor, to Bunn Thompson and Marianne Palmer Bonz, former managing editors, to the members of the editorial board, to the authors present here, to the copy editors, typesetters, proofreaders, and just readers over the years.

It is impossible to start without a thought and a prayer for Krister Stendahl, former editor of HTR, who is not able to participate due to his severe illness. (1) I cannot start either without mentioning Dr. Margaret Studier, who has been the soul and the body, the Martha and the Mary of this event. My gratitude is immense toward her. She selected the room, the food, and the paper of the program, if not the arrangement of this room. She is also and first of all the indispensable present managing editor of HTR.

I have to confess to you that as a young professor at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) at John …