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April 11, 2008
David Noel Freedman
Many bloggers have already reflected upon the death of David Noel Freedman. He died April 8th. Freedman was one of those giants of 20th century biblical studies who continued to make very significant contributions to his last days. The list of his books and articles would be many pages long. Just the portion on Hebrew poetry that John Hobbins posted is formidable.
I really didn't know Freedman. If memory serves me, I met him twice: once in Israel and once in Claremont. I was away from Biblical and Ugaritic studies during most of his tenure at the University of California, San Diego and if our paths crossed at the Society of Biblical Literature meeting last year, I sure didn't recognize the significance of the occasion. I have several of his books in my library and I have read many of his papers.
While scholarly activity represents a kind of continuum stretching over generations of teachers and students, there is a sense that Freedman's death is a significant and sad milestone on the way to the end of an important era in scholarship.
Posted by Duane Smith at April 11, 2008 7:27 PM | Read more on Hebrew Bible |
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