Paul van Buren
Paul Matthews van Buren (April 20, 1924 – June 18, 1998) was a Christian theologian and author. An ordained Episcopal priest, he was a professor of religion at Temple University, Philadelphia for 22 years. He was a Director [NYT obituary says "Associate"] of the Center of Ethics and Religious Pluralism at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
Also recorded as Paul Matthews van Buren
Paul van Buren
- Name
- Paul van Buren
- Born
- 20 April 1924
- Birthplace
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Died
- 18 June 1998
- Place of death
- Memorial Hospital, Blue Hill, Maine
- Occupation
- Theologian Author
- Education
- Harvard College, Episcopal Theological School, University of Basel
- Movement
- Death of God theology (disavowed)
- Spouse
- Anne Hagopian
- Nationality
- United States
- Movements
- death of God theology
- Honours
- Guggenheim Fellowship
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Paul Matthews van Buren (April 20, 1924 – June 18, 1998) was a Christian theologian and author. An ordained Episcopal priest, he was a professor of religion at Temple University, Philadelphia for 22 years. He was a Director [NYT obituary says "Associate"] of the Center of Ethics and Religious Pluralism at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Paul van Buren (1924–1998) was an anglican priest, philosopher and theologian, among other activities, of American nationality. The anglican priest died in Blue Hill.
Paul van Buren was educated at Episcopal Divinity School at Union, Harvard College and University of Basel. The anglican priest worked for Heidelberg University and Temple University. Paul van Buren was associated with death of God theology.
Languages used include English. Honours include Guggenheim Fellowship.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 29 September 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Paul van Buren. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1306434 · wikipedia · Paul van Buren
In this article
Biography
Biography
He died of cancer on June 18, 1998, at age 74.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Paul van Buren • Born — 20 April 1924 • Birthplace — Norfolk, Virginia • Died — 18 June 1998 • Place of death — Memorial Hospital, Blue Hill, Maine • Occupation — Theologian Author • Education — Harvard College, Episcopal Theological School, University of Basel • Movement — Death of God theology (disavowed) • Spouse — Anne Hagopian
Early life
Early life
Van Buren was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. During World War II, he had served in the United States Coast Guard.
Career
Career
Van Buren attended Harvard College, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in government, in 1948. He then attended the Episcopal Theological School, and received a bachelor's in sacred theology in 1951. It was after this that he was ordained as an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Massachusetts. He received a Th.D. in theology in 1957 from the University of Basel in Switzerland studying under Karl Barth. A professor at Temple University, he was considered a leader of the "Death of God" school or movement, although he himself rejected that name for the movement as a "journalistic invention," and considered himself an exponent of "Secular Christianity." Later, however, Van Buren expressed criticism of the approach that he and others had taken to accommodate the Christian faith to an increasingly secular culture. Writing in 1980, Van Buren stated:
Works
Works
Below is an incomplete list of his works: • The Secular Meaning of the Gospel: Based on an Analysis of Its Language • A Theology of the Jewish-Christian Reality (3 Volumes.) • The Edges of Language:An Essay in the Logic of a Religion • The Burden of Freedom • Theological Explorations • Christ in Our Place: The Substitutionary Character of Calvin's Doctrine of Reconciliation
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Van Buren, Paul M., Discerning the Way: A Theology of the Jewish-Christian Reality, Seabury Press, 1980. pp. 58–59.
- 2.New York Times obituary
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Studied at
2- Episcopal Divinity School at UnionOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
- University of BaselOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,988 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Paul ThymichAuthor
- Paul TordayAuthor
- Paul Vaillant-CouturierAuthor
- Paul ValéryAuthor
- Paul van der SterrenAuthor
- Paul van OstaijenAuthor
- Paul VerlaineAuthor
- Paul VermeerschAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Paul van Buren?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.