Milestone: Leonard J. Greenspoon (1945–2025)

COURTESY OF THE FAMILY OF LEONARD GREENSPOON

A towering scholar who made biblical scholarship accessible to BAR readers for nearly two decades, Leonard J. Greenspoon—the Philip M. and Ethel Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University—passed away on May 22. He was 79 years old.

After completing both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Richmond, Greenspoon went to Harvard to study Classics for his Ph.D., though he soon transferred to biblical and Near Eastern studies. His dissertation, published as Textual Studies in the Book of Joshua (Scholars Press, 1983), demonstrated his dual command of Semitic and classical languages and inaugurated his influential role in the study of the Septuagint (the earliest known translation of the Hebrew Bible—into Koine Greek, beginning with the Pentateuch in the early third century BCE).^a

From 1975 to 1996, Greenspoon taught at Clemson University, where he developed new course offerings and published prolifically. His scholarship in Septuagint studies, including his contributions to a new English translation of the Septuagint, led him to serve as the president of the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies from 1993 to 1999. An incredibly wide-ranging scholar, Greenspoon would go on to publish some 200 journal articles and book chapters on diverse subjects such as the Hellenistic period, Bible translations, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Holocaust, Jews in popular culture, and Jewish humor.

In 1996, Greenspoon accepted the Klutznick Chair at Creighton University, a decision that allowed his interests to blossom further. He always wrote with wit, clarity, and accessible eloquence, and realized that his style could serve a popular audience. As his career progressed, he enthusiastically developed another type of translation, transforming the fruits of scholarship into language that was interesting and understandable to the public. An apt illustration was his regular column “The Bible in the News,” which ran in BAR and, before that, in Bible Review, from 2001 to 2016. Writing in the first person with warmth and humor, Greenspoon gave readers a deep comprehension of sophisticated concepts, approaching them as a friend rather than a pedagogue.

The consummate researcher, Greenspoon shared the results of scholarly inquiry with the wider world. A majestic scholar and beloved teacher, treasured mentor and devoted friend, his enduring contributions served both the public and the academy and thus carved out a path for future seekers of truth.