Jack M. Sasson (born 1941) is the Mary Jane Werthan Professor of

Jewish Studies Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; he, מדעי היהדות, madey ha-yahadut, sciences of Judaism) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (esp ...

and

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. Hebrew: ''Tān ...

Vanderbilt Divinity School The Vanderbilt Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion (usually Vanderbilt Divinity School) is an interdenominational divinity school at Vanderbilt University, a major research university located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is one of o ...

, Emeritus and previously Professor of

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

.Vanderbilt Divinity School Faculty Pages
/ref> From 1977 to 1999, he was a professor at the

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. His research focuses primarily on

Assyriology Assyriology (from Greek , ''Assyriā''; and , '' -logia'') is the archaeological, anthropological, and linguistic study of Assyria and the rest of ancient Mesopotamia (a region that encompassed what is now modern Iraq, northeastern Syria, southea ...

and

Hebrew Scriptures The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''

Mari, Syria Mari (Cuneiform: , ''ma-riki'', modern Tell Hariri; ar, تل حريري) was an ancient Semitic city-state in modern-day Syria. Its remains form a tell 11 kilometers north-west of Abu Kamal on the Euphrates River western bank, some 120&n ...

, by the

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...

, near the modern-day Syria-Iraq border as well as on

biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 Fo ...

Biography

Born in

Aleppo, Syria )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

, on October 1, 1941, Sasson immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1955 after a significant stay in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

where he attended the

Alliance Israélite Universelle The Alliance Israélite Universelle (AIU; he, כל ישראל חברים; ) is a Paris-based international Jewish organization founded in 1860 with the purpose of safeguarding human rights for Jews around the world. It promotes the ideals of Jew ...

schools. In the United States, Sasson enrolled in Abraham Lincoln High School in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and then

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

, which later became a constituent school of the

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

college system. He received his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in history in 1962 from

. Immediately after completing his undergraduate education, Sasson accepted a scholarship to pursue his graduate studies at

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

. At Brandeis, he focused first on

Islamic Studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

, earning an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Mediterranean Studies in 1963. He went on to earn his doctorate in

Ancient Near Eastern The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran ( Elam, ...

Studies in 1966, writing his dissertation under

Cyrus Gordon Cyrus Herzl Gordon (June 29, 1908 – March 30, 2001) was an American scholar of Near Eastern cultures and ancient languages. Biography Gordon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Lithuanian emigrant and physician Benjamin Gordon. H ...

. Sasson taught at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, moving up the rank and becoming a full professor of Religious Studies in 1977.Klebba, Caryn E. ''Directory of American Scholars 2002''. 10th ed., vol. 4, 437. In 1991, Sasson was appointed to the prestigious William R. Kenan Chair in Religious Studies where he remained until joining the faculty of

in 1999. Sasson served as president of the

American Oriental Society The American Oriental Society was chartered under the laws of Massachusetts on September 7, 1842. It is one of the oldest learned societies in America, and is the oldest devoted to a particular field of scholarship. The Society encourages basic ...

from 1996 to 1997 and of the

International Association for Assyriology The International Association for Assyriology (IAA) is a non-profit, non-political organization founded in July 2003, and seated in Leiden that "the fields of Cuneiform Studies, ancient Near Eastern History and Archaeology on an international basis ...

from 2005 to 2009.Jack M. Sasson's Curriculum Vitae
/ref> He also established and directed the

program at

from 2002 to 2005.

Selected works

Books

* * * * *

Articles and chapters

*
Absalom's Daughter: An Essay in Vestige Historiography
" ''

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament The ''Journal for the Study of the Old Testament'' (JSOT) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the field of Biblical studies. The editors-in-chief are David Shepherd (Trinity College Dublin) and Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer ( Örebro School of Theol ...

'' 343 (2001): 179-196. *
Albright as an Orientalist
''The Biblical Archaeologist''. 56.1 (1993): 3-7. *
An Apocalyptic Vision from Mari: Speculations on ARM X:9
''Mari: Annales de Recherches Interdisciplinaires''. 1 (1982): 151-67. *
Biographical Notices on Some Royal Ladies from Mari
''Journal of Cuneiform Studies''. 25.2 (Apr 1973): 59-78. *
The Blood of Grapes: Viticulture and Intoxication in the Hebrew Bible
''Drinking in Ancient Societies; History and Culture of Drinks in the Ancient Near East''. Ed. Lucio Milano. Padua: Sargon srl, 1994. 399-419. *
Bovine Symbolism in the Exodus Narrative
''

Vetus Testamentum ''Vetus Testamentum'' is a quarterly academic journal covering various aspects of the Old Testament. It is published by Brill Publishers Brill Academic Publishers (known as E. J. Brill, Koninklijke Brill, Brill ()) is a Dutch international a ...

''. 18.3 (Jul 1968): 380-7. *
The Burden of Scribes
Tzi Abusch, ed. ''Riches Hidden in Secret Places: Studies in Memory of Thorkild Jacobsen''. (2002): 211-28. *
Canaanite Maritime Involvement in the Second Millennium B.C.
''

Journal of the American Oriental Society The ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' is a quarterly academic journal published by the American Oriental Society The American Oriental Society was chartered under the laws of Massachusetts on September 7, 1842. It is one of the olde ...

''. 86.2 (1966): 126-138. *
Divine Providence or Human Plan?
''Interpretation''. 30 (1976): 415-419. *
Forcing Morals on Mesopotamian Society
''Studies in Honor of Harry A. Hoffner, Jr., on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday''. Eds. Gary Beckman Richard Beal, and Gregory McMahon. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2003. 329-40. *
Instances of Mobility Among Mari Artisans
''

Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research The ''Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research'' is one of three academic journals published by the American Schools of Oriental Research. It began as the ''Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem'', in 1919 ...

''. 190 (Apr 1968): 46-54. *
Isaiah LXVI 3-4a
''

''. 26.2 (1976): 199-207. *
The King and I: A Mari King in Changing Perceptions
''

''. 118.4 (1998): 453—470. *
Love's Roots: On the Redaction of Genesis 30:14-24
''Love and Death in the Ancient Near East: Essays in Honor of Marvin H. Pope''. Eds. John H. Marks and Robert M. Good. Guilford, CT: Four Quarters Publishing Company, 1987. 205-09. *
A Major Contribution to Song of Songs Scholarship
''

''. 107.4 (1987): 733—739. *
Mari Dreams
''

''. 103.1 (1983): 283—293. *
Musical Settings for Cuneiform Literature: A Discography
''

''. 103 (1983): 233-35. *
Of Time & Immortality: How Genesis Created Them
''Bible Review''. 21.3 (Summer 2005): 32-41, 52-54. *
Old Babylonian Tablets from Al-Rimah
''

''. 100.4 (1980): 453-460. *
On the Use of Images in Israel and the Ancient Near East
Barry M. Gittlin, ed. ''Sacred Time, Sacred Place: Archaeology and the Religion of Israel''. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2002. 63-70. *
Oracle Inquiries in Judges
''Birkat Shalom: Studies in the Bible, Ancient Near Eastern Literature, and Postbiblical Judaism Presented to Shalom M. Paul on the Occasion of His Seventieth Birthday''. Eds. Chaim Cohen Victor A. Hurowitz, Avi Hurvitz, Yochanan Muffs and others. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2008. 149-68. *
The Posting of Letters with Divine Messages
''Florilegium marianum'', 2: ''Recueil d'études à la mémoire de Maurice Birot'' 'Mémoires de N.A.B.U.'', 3 Eds. D. Charpin and J.M. Durand. Paris: ''Nouvelles assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaires'', 1994. 299-316. *
The Road to Vanderbilt
''The Spire''; Vol. 22 No. 01, 2001. 28-32. *
The Search for the Hebrew God
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 23 Sept 2001. Lecture. *
The Servant's Tale: How Rebekah Found a Spouse
''Journal of Near Eastern Studies''. Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press. 65.4 (2006): 241-265. *
Should Cheeseburgers Be Kosher?
''Bible Review''. 19.6 (Dec 2003): 41-43, 50-51. *
Sketch of North Syrian Economic Relations in the Middle Bronze Age
''Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient''. 9.3 (Dec 1966): 161-81. *
Thoughts of Zimri-Lim
''Biblical Archaeologist''. 47.2 (June 1984): 110-20. *
The Treatment of Criminals at Mari: A Survey
''Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient''. 20.1 (Jan 1977): 90-113. *
Untold Stories: The Bible and Ugaritic Studies in the Twentieth Century
''

Jewish Quarterly Review ''The Jewish Quarterly Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering Jewish studies. It is published by the University of Pennsylvania Press on behalf of the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies (University of Pen ...

''. 93.1/2 (2002): 314-316. *
Utopian and Dystopian Images in Mari Prophetic Texts
''Utopia and Dystopia in Prophetic Literature''. Ed. Ehud Ben Zvi. Helsinki: Finnish Exegetical Society, 2006. 27-40. *
Who Cut Samson's Hair? (And Other Trifling Issues Raised by Judges 16
''Prooftexts''. 8.3 (1988): 333-339. *
Year: Zimri-Lim Dedicated His Statue to Addu of Halab, Locating One Year in Zimri-Lim's Reign
''Mari: Annales de Recherches Interdisciplinaires''. 5 (1987): 577-89. *
Year: Zimri-Lim Offered a Great Throne to Shamash of Mahanum: An Overview of One Year in Mari, Part 1: The Presence of the King
''Mari: Annales de Recherches Interdisciplinaires''. 4 (1985): 437-52. *
Zimri-Lim Takes the Grand Tour
''Biblical Archaeologist''. 47.4 (1984): 246-52. *
Zimri-Lim's Letter to Tish-ulme
''Nouvelles assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaires''. 3.116 (1989): 91-92.

References

External links

Personal Homepage

Sasson's digital publication archive (DiscoverArchive)

Vanderbilt Divinity School biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sasson, Jack M. American Assyriologists Syrian emigrants to the United States Brooklyn College alumni Brandeis University alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty Vanderbilt University faculty Islam and politics Hebrew Bible studies Biblical archaeology Living people 1941 births Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn) alumni