Renowned Biblical scholar Bernhard W. Anderson died on December 26, 2007, at the age of 91. He was professor emeritus of Old Testament theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, an enthusiastic teacher and archaeologist. His textbook Understanding the Old Testament, perhaps his best-known work, was first published in 1957 and went on to set sales records in the field of Biblical studies. One of the preeminent Old Testament scholars of the 20th century, his insightful yet accessible style of teaching inspired countless students to follow in his footsteps.
After completing high school early, Anderson attended the College of the Pacific (now the University of the Pacific), where he studied music and majored in religion. Upon graduation in 1936, he continued his exhaustive course of study with a divinity degree from the Pacific School of Religion in 1939 and a Ph.D. in Old Testament from Yale Divinity School in 1945.
Anderson’s long teaching career began at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, before moving to the University of North Carolina and then Colgate-Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York.
In 1954 he accepted the position of Dean of the Theological School of Drew University, becoming the youngest dean in the school’s history, while still teaching courses in Biblical theology. It was there that Anderson became interested in archaeology and, with George Ernest Wright, launched the Drew-McCormick Archaeological Expedition in 1956 to excavate the site of Biblical Shechem.
His archaeological career included a year of teaching at the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem (now the W.F. Albright Institute) and numerous field trips to sites in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Egypt.
In 1968 Anderson became professor of Old Testament theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he remained until his retirement. His daughter Carol Anderson Hanawalt recalls that his “Introduction to the Old Testament” class was often filled to overflowing, but he and his wife Joyce nevertheless continued their tradition of inviting all of his students to their home in small groups at least once per semester.
After his retirement from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1983, he moved to New England, where he usually spent part of each day exploring the wooded hills around his home. He continued to lecture widely, teaching at the Boston University School of Theology, Yale Divinity School, Union Seminary and Middlebury College. He held the office of president of both the Society for Biblical Literature (1980) and the American Theological Society (1985), and he received numerous honors and awards throughout his long career.
Anderson was a frequent contributor to the pages of Bible Review. His book Understanding the Old Testament, now in its fifth edition (2006), has been translated into numerous languages and is read around the world.—D.D.R.
Philip C. Hammond, professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Utah and adjunct professor of anthropology at Arizona State University, passed away on February 24 after a lengthy illness. He was 83 years old.
Hammond’s archaeological work included sites in Jordan and Egypt such as Nag Hammadi, Hebron (Tell er-Rumeide) and Petra.
From 1963 to 1966 he directed the American Expedition to Hebron, which carried out the first excavations of the site where the traditional patriarchal burial cave of Machpelah is located.e The Six-Day War of 1967, however, forced Hammond to postpone and ultimately abandon his work at the West Bank site.
Hammond subsequently turned his attention to Petra in Jordan. He and his wife, Lin, led several excavations at the site over the years, and he became an expert in the archaeology, history and culture of the Nabataeans.f
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Hammond was a decorated World War II veteran and a graduate of Brothers College and Drew Theological Seminary at Drew University. He studied at the American School in Jerusalem (now the W.F. Albright Institute) in 1954–1955 and earned his Ph.D. in archaeology from Yale in 1957.
Before coming to the University of Utah in 1969, Hammond also taught at Lycoming College, Princeton Theological Seminary and Brandeis University. He retired in 1994.
Professor Jeffrey R. Chadwick of Brigham Young University, who inherited Hammond’s Hebron research, described the “generous and genuine” support of his teacher and colleague. “Phil Hammond was a fascinating and friendly individual for whom archaeology was a passion as much as a profession. His work at Hebron was groundbreaking, and his accomplishments at Petra are enjoyed by every visitor to the ‘rose red city.’”—D.D.R.
Renowned Biblical scholar Bernhard W. Anderson died on December 26, 2007, at the age of 91. He was professor emeritus of Old Testament theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, an enthusiastic teacher and archaeologist. His textbook Understanding the Old Testament, perhaps his best-known work, was first published in 1957 and went on to set sales records in the field of Biblical studies. One of the preeminent Old Testament scholars of the 20th century, his insightful yet accessible style of teaching inspired countless students to follow in his footsteps. After completing high school early, Anderson attended the College of the Pacific […]
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