Gary Knoppers, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology at Notre Dame University, passed away on December 22, 2018, at the age of 62. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, to Dutch immigrant parents, Gary earned his bachelor of arts from Calvin College, a master of divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and finally a master of arts and doctor of philosophy in the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department at Harvard University. His dissertation was under the direction of Frank Moore Cross.
Knoppers taught at the Pennsylvania State University for 25 years, during which time he served as chair of the 015Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies Program and mentored many undergraduate and graduate students. In 2014, he moved to Notre Dame to join the faculty in the Department of Theology, continuing to teach and mentor students.
Knoppers authored or edited many books and articles over the course of his career. His research covered topics such as the Deuteronomistic History (the biblical books of Deuteronomy through Kings) and Ezra-Nehemiah, as well as Samarian and Samaritan studies. His most influential work, however, was on the biblical books of Chronicles. He published a number of very important articles and also a two-volume commentary on 1 Chronicles for the Anchor Bible Series. The second volume, 1 Chronicles 10-29 (Yale Univ. Press, 2004) won the 2005 R.B.Y. Scott Award for Outstanding Book in the field of Hebrew Bible and/or Ancient Near Eastern Studies. His most recent single-authored book, The Jews and the Samaritans: The Origins and History of Their Early Relations (Oxford Univ. Press, 2013), also won the 2014 R.B.Y. Scott Award. The collaborative nature of his research was manifest in the number of volumes he coedited on topics ranging from the Pentateuch to identity and identity formation in the biblical texts.
Knoppers served on numerous academic societies and editorial boards. He was President of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies, as well as the Biblical Colloquium. He also served on the Board of the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research and in recent years spent sabbaticals in Jerusalem at the Albright. He was active in the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), and the European Association of Biblical Studies (EABS). His editorial board activities included work on the Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, Vetus Testamentum, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel, and Studia Samaritana.
Finally, Knoppers was known to his friends, colleagues, and students as supportive, wise, and kind. Showing these gifts to all who had the privilege to meet him, he believed that the academy should extend kindness and precision without needless attack. His work helped lead to new developments and insights in the fields of biblical studies and ancient history, but, most important, he was the kind of person who made you happy you knew him.
He leaves behind his wife, Laura, the George N. Shuster Professor of English Literature at Notre Dame, two adult children, Theresa and David, and many students and colleagues who were greatly enriched by his mentorship and scholarship.—Deirdre Fulton, Baylor University
Gary Knoppers, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology at Notre Dame University, passed away on December 22, 2018, at the age of 62. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, to Dutch immigrant parents, Gary earned his bachelor of arts from Calvin College, a master of divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and finally a master of arts and doctor of philosophy in the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department at Harvard University. His dissertation was under the direction of Frank Moore Cross. Knoppers taught at the Pennsylvania State University for 25 years, during which time he served as chair of the […]
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