Jacob L. Wright
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Jacob L. Wright is a biblical scholar currently serving as associate professor of
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
, and sits as chair of Hebrew Bible in the Graduate Division of Religion. Prior to his Emory appointment, Wright taught at the
University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
(Germany), one of the foremost research-oriented public universities in Europe, for several years. His areas of expertise include
Biblical Archaeology Biblical archaeology is an academic school and a subset of Biblical studies and Levantine archaeology. Biblical archaeology studies archaeological sites from the Ancient Near East and especially the Holy Land (also known as Palestine, Land o ...
, warfare in the
Ancient Near East 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, ...
, and the literary and redaction history of the Hebrew Bible canon. He has published extensively throughout his career, authoring several books and dozens of articles which span topics such as Ezra-Nehemiah, the Persian period, warfare in the Ancient Near East; as well as the material culture of the ancient Levant, the unique role of women in the Hebrew Bible, and larger themes such as defeat, peoplehood, and national identity in the Hebrew Bible. Areas of concentration in war studies include war commemoration, urbicide and ritual violence, and feasting and gift-giving.


Background

After receiving his BA with honors at UMKC in 1996, majoring in
history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
and Jewish Studies, with a minor in philosophy, Wright then matriculated at the
University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...
. During that time, Wright was also part of several research groups, including one collating the Cairo Geniza fragments of Avot de Rabbi Nathan, and another on early Jewish prayers in their narrative contexts, which was the first group in theology to receive the Emmy Noether Grant from the DFG. He also wrote his dissertation under Reinhard G. Kratz as his first doctoral student. After being granted a Doctor Theologiae from Göttingen in 2003, he worked as part of the editorial team for
De Gruyter Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. History The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...
in Berlin preparing an exhaustive list of lemmata for the ''Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception History''. In 2004, he was hired as Jan Gertz's first assistant in his chair at the
University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...
where he taught courses, began an Habilitation, and participated for several seasons at the Ramat Rahel Excavations with
Oded Lipschits Oded Lipschits (born May 15, 1963) is an Israeli professor in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near East Studies at Tel Aviv University. In 1997 he earned his Ph.D. in Jewish History under the supervision of Nadav Na'aman. He has since be ...
and Manfred Oeming. In 2007, he took a position at Emory University as Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible, later earning tenure and being promoted to Associate Professor in 2012.


Academic career

Wright's first monograph, ''The Nehemiah Memoir and Its Earliest Readers'' (2005), builds on an approach from Kratz, arguing that while
Nehemiah Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. He was governor of Persian Judea under Artaxerxes I of Persia (465–424 BC). The name is pronounced o ...
's first-person account goes back to an early account written by Nehemiah himself (or a commissioned scribe), later generations greatly expanded it (above all, with the reform accounts in chapters 5 and 13). He also contends that the critique of the priesthood (and other members of the aristocracy) in these passages provoked the composition of the larger book of Ezra-Nehemiah: first the building account in Ezra 1-6 (without the letter to Artaxerxes that specifically polemicized against the wall project), then the Ezra first-person travel account in Ezra 7–8, and finally the marriage reforms and the formation of "a people of the book" in Nehemiah 8–10. Beyond its historical implications, the book attends to diachronic method throughout, seeking to bridge the gap between final-form readings of Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and the source-based approach that Baruch Spinoza first introduced to the study of Ezra-Nehemiah. In addition, Wright has written many articles on the Persian Period and Ezra-Nehemiah along with short commentaries on the book. In 2014, Wright launched a MOOC on
Coursera Coursera Inc. () is a U.S.-based massive open online course provider founded in 2012 by Stanford University computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller. Coursera works with universities and other organizations to offer online courses ...
entitled ''The'' ''Bible's Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future'', to a worldwide audience of learners. The number of students who enrolled since its launch stands at more than 60,000. In this course, he draws from
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...
, the historiographical approach of
longue durée The ''longue durée'' (; en, the long term) is the French Annales School approach to the study of history. It gives priority to long-term historical structures over what François Simiand called ''histoire événementielle'' ("evental history", ...
, and
redaction criticism Redaction criticism, also called ''Redaktionsgeschichte'', ''Kompositionsgeschichte'' or ''Redaktionstheologie'', is a critical method for the study of biblical texts. Redaction criticism regards the author of the text as editor (redactor) of the ...
to put forth a new paradigm for understanding the impetus of the formation of the canon of the Hebrew Bible. His thesis is that the Bible is a project of peoplehood, a collection of disparate oral traditions, laws, and religious texts drawn together as a way to create a national identity for a diasporic post-exilic people, grappling with a catastrophic defeat. This thesis builds upon the current European trend within scholarship to date the composition of biblical texts from after the exile in 587 BCE, with some supplements even as late as the Persian or Hellenistic period. Wright's monograph ''War, Memory, and National Identity in the Hebrew Bible'', (published in
OpenAccess OpenAccess is a proprietary API controlled by the OpenAccess Coalition that aims to facilitate Interoperability of electronic design automation software among the members of that coalition. OpenAccess Coalition OpenAccess Coalition is a coalition ...
format), is a technical exploration of the themes of national identity, peoplehood, and belonging. He asserts that the collective memories of peoplehood are shaped through war and conflict, and that any peoplehood thinking must be political (contrary to the position espoused by the German scholar Julius Wellhausen). He utilizes in particular the diachronic method to illustrate how various local tribes and people groups negotiated their belonging to ancient Israel through war service, and commemoration of their participation in various regional battles. The texts he examines are largely from the books of
Joshua Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
and Judges, where he gives considerable space to highlighting important women in the Bible, among whom are
Rahab Rahab (; Arabic: راحاب, a vast space of a land) was, according to the Book of Joshua, a woman who lived in Jericho in the Promised Land and assisted the Israelites in capturing the city by hiding two men who had been sent to scout the city ...
, whose tale epitomizes the archetypical outsider; and figures like
Deborah According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', "bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many scholars ...
and Jael for their significance in subverting male power.


Publications


Books

* ''War, Memory, and National Identity in the Hebrew Bible''. New York:
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...
, 2020. * ''David, King of Israel, and Caleb in Biblical Memory'',
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...
, 2014. * ''King David and His Reign Revisited'', Aldina Media (enhanced iBook version on
Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
iBooks), 2013 * ''The Nehemiah-Memoir and its Earliest Readers''. BZAW 348. Berlin/New York:
De Gruyter Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. History The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...
, 2004


Edited Volumes

* ''Supplementation and the Study of the Hebrew Bible''. With Saul Olyan. Brown University Press/
SBL Press The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, 2018. * ''The History of Judah in the Eighth Century BCE: A Comprehensive Approach''. With Zev Farber. Atlanta:
SBL Press The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, 2018. * ''Rituals of War in the Bible and the Ancient Near East''. With Brad Kelle and Frank Ames. Atlanta:
SBL Press The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, 2014. * ''Making a Difference: Essays in Honor of Tamara Cohn Eskenazi''. With David Clines and Kent Richards. Sheffield:
Sheffield Phoenix Press Sheffield Phoenix Press Ltd. (SPP) is an independent academic publisher specializing in biblical studies. It was launched in January 2004, continuing the traditions of the former Sheffield Academic Press. SPP's main series of titles are Hebrew B ...
, 2012. * ''Interpreting Exile: Interdisciplinary Studies of Displacement and Deportation in Biblical and Modern Contexts''. With Brad Kelle and Frank Ames. Atlanta:
SBL Press The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, 2011.


Articles

* "Projectile Weapon Points," (with Sean Dugaw) in Oded Lipschits, ''Ramat Rahel'' ''Reports'', 2021. * "Rahab: Between Faith and Works," ''The Bible and Interpretation'', 2020 * "Gender-Bending Performances in Wartime: From Judges to Judith," ''Ancient Near East Today'', 2020. * "Chariots: Technological Developments from the 3rd Millennium BCE to the Hellenistic Age," in Angelika Berlejung, Michelle Daviau, Jens Kamlah, Gunnar Lehman, ''Encyclopedia of the Material Culture of the Biblical World'', Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2021. * "Society and Politics: Banquet and Gift Exchange," in Bruno Jacobs and Robert Rollinger, ''A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire'', Two Volumes, London:
Wiley-Blackwell Wiley-Blackwell is an international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons. It was formed by the merger of John Wiley & Sons Global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business with Blackwell Publish ...
, 2020. * "The Savior of Gibeon" (with Zev Farber), in Christoph Berner and Harald Samuel, ''Book Seams in the Hexateuch I'', Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2018. * "The Composition of the Gideon Narrative," in Saul Olyan and Jacob Wright, ''Supplementary Approaches to the Hebrew Bible'', Brown Judaic Studies, Atlanta:
SBL Press The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, 2018. * "Zum Buch Numeri/Bemidbar," in Walter Homolka, Hanna Liss, Rüdiger Liwak, ''Tora: Die Neu-Edition der Tora in der Übersetzung Ludwig Philippsons'', Berlin: Herder, 2015. * "Rahab's Valor and the Gibeonites' Cowardice," in Tracy Lemos, Saul Olyan, and John Collins, ''Women, Worship, and War. Essays in Honor of Susan Niditch'', Brown Judaic Studies, 2015. * "Urbicide in the Ancient Near East: A New Approach to the Destruction of Memory," in Saul Olyan, ''Ritual Violence in the Hebrew Bible: New Perspectives'', New York:
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2015. * "War and Peace in the Bible," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, ''The Jewish Study Bible'', second revised edition, New York:
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2014.   * "Commensality and Political Consolidation" (with Michael Chan) in Daniel Master, ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Archeology'', New York:
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2014. * "Prophets, Kings, and ''Gewaltmonopol'' in the
Ancient Near East 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, ...
," in Thomas Römer and Jean-Marie Durand, ''Comment devient-on prophète?'', Fribourg: OBO, 2013. * "Between Nation and State in the Book of Samuel: Ittai the Gittite," in David Clines, Kent Richards, and Jacob L. Wright, ''Making a Difference'', Sheffield:
Sheffield Phoenix Press Sheffield Phoenix Press Ltd. (SPP) is an independent academic publisher specializing in biblical studies. It was launched in January 2004, continuing the traditions of the former Sheffield Academic Press. SPP's main series of titles are Hebrew B ...
, 2012. * "Die Zerstörung der Umwelt im Krieg," in Angelika Berlejung, ''Disaster and Relief Management'', FAT  81; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012. * "King and Eunuch: A Study of Self-Preservation (Isa 56:3-5)" (with Michael Chan), ''
Journal of Biblical Literature The ''Journal of Biblical Literature'' (''JBL'') is one of three academic journals published by the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). First published in 1881, ''JBL'' is the flagship journal of the field. ''JBL'' is published quarterly and incl ...
'' 131 (2012). * "The Deportation of Jerusalem's Wealth and the Demise of Native Sovereignty in the Book of Kings," in Brad Kelle, Frank Ames, and Jacob L. Wright, ''Interpreting Exile: Interdisciplinary Studies of Displacement and Deportation in Biblical and Modern Contexts'', Atlanta:
SBL Press The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, 2011. * "Making a Name for Oneself: Martial Valor, Heroic Death and Procreation in the Hebrew Bible," ''
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 ...
'' 35 (2011). * "Deborah's War Memorial: The Composition of Judges 4-5 and the Politics of War Commemoration," '' Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft'' 123 (2011). * "'Human, All Too Human' – Royal Name-Making in Wartime," in Yigal Levin and Amnon Shapira, ''War and Peace in Jewish Tradition: From the Ancient World to the Present'', London:
Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...
, 2011. * "War Commemoration and the Interpretation of Judges 5:15b-17," ''
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 ...
'' 61 (2011). * היהודי העם של העגומה הראשית, ''Techelet'' 42 (2011). * "Surviving in an Imperial Context:  Foreign Military Service and
Judea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous sou ...
n Identity," in
Oded Lipschits Oded Lipschits (born May 15, 1963) is an Israeli professor in the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near East Studies at Tel Aviv University. In 1997 he earned his Ph.D. in Jewish History under the supervision of Nadav Na'aman. He has since be ...
, Gary N. Knoppers and Manfred Oeming, ''Judah and the Judeans in the Achaemenid Period: Negotiating Identity in an International Context'', Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 2011. * "Remember Nehemiah: 1 Esdras and the ''Damnatio Memoriae Nehemiae''," in Lisbeth Fried, ''Was 1 Esdras First?'' Atlanta:
SBL Press The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, 2011. * "A Nation Conceived in Defeat," ''Azure'' 42 (2010). * "Continuing These Conversations," in Louis Jonker, ''Historiography and Identity Reformulation in Second Temple Literature'', London:
T&T Clark T&T Clark is a British publishing firm which was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1821 and which now exists as an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. History The firm was founded in 1821 by Thomas Clark, then aged 22 and who had a Free Church ...
, 2010. * "Commensal Politics in Ancient Western Asia, Part II," '' Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissen-schaft'' 122 (2010).   * "Commensal Politics in Ancient Western Asia, Part I," '' Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissen-schaft'' 122 (2010). * "Ezra," in Beverly Roberts Gaventa and David Petersen, ''New Interpreter's Bible One Volume Commentary'', Nashville:
Abingdon Press Abingdon Press is the book publishing arm of the United Methodist Publishing House which publishes sheet music, ministerial resources, Bible-study aids, and other items, often with a focus on Methodism and Methodists. History Abingdon Press w ...
, 2010. * "Nehemiah," in Edited by Beverly Roberts Gaventa and David Petersen, ''New Interpreter's Bible One Volume Commentary'', Nashville:
Abingdon Press Abingdon Press is the book publishing arm of the United Methodist Publishing House which publishes sheet music, ministerial resources, Bible-study aids, and other items, often with a focus on Methodism and Methodists. History Abingdon Press w ...
, 2010. * "The Commemoration of Defeat and the Formation of a Nation in the Hebrew Bible," '' Prooftexts'' 29 (2009). * "War, Ideas of." Katherine Doob Sakenfeld et al., ''NIB Dictionary of the Bible'', Nashville: Abingdon, 2009. * "Seeking - Finding – Writing," in Mark J. Boda and Paul L. Redditt, ''Unity and Disunity in Ezra-Nehemiah: Redaction, Rhetoric and Reader'', Sheffield:
Sheffield Phoenix Press Sheffield Phoenix Press Ltd. (SPP) is an independent academic publisher specializing in biblical studies. It was launched in January 2004, continuing the traditions of the former Sheffield Academic Press. SPP's main series of titles are Hebrew B ...
, 2008. * "Military Valor and Kingship: A Book-Oriented Approach to the Study of a Major War Theme," in Brad E. Kelle and Frank Ritchel Ames, ''Writing and Reading War: Rhetoric, Gender, and Ethics in Biblical and Modern Contexts'', Atlanta:
SBL Press The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mis ...
, 2008. * "War and Wanton Destruction: A Case Against Anti-Assyrian Polemics in Deuteronomy," ''
Journal of Biblical Literature The ''Journal of Biblical Literature'' (''JBL'') is one of three academic journals published by the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). First published in 1881, ''JBL'' is the flagship journal of the field. ''JBL'' is published quarterly and incl ...
'' 127 (2008). * "Writing the Restoration: Ezra as Meritocratic Icon in the Post-Destruction Period", ''Journal of Hebrew Scriptures'' 7 (2007). * "Looking Back at Rebuilding Identity," ''Journal of Hebrew Scriptures'' ''7'' (2007): 28–36.


Awards and recognition

* Andrew W. Mellon Grant for Publication of Monograph in Open Access Format, 2019 * Fellow at the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem (
Templeton Foundation The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a Philanthropy, philanthropic organization that reflects the ideas of its founder, John Templeton, who became wealthy via a career as a Contrarian investing, contrarian investor, and wanted ...
), 2015-2017 *
National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
Faculty Fellowship, 2011–12 * Grant from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture (New York), 2009–10 * University Research Grant, 2009–10 * Sir John Templeton Award for Theological Promise (largest prize for first books in religion), 2008 * Faculty of Distinction,
Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
, 2007-2010 * Emmy Noether Grant (shared with 3 others) for the interdisciplinary project "Early Christian Prayer and Its Jewish Origins," 2000-2002 * Honors Award from UMKC for highest GPA in the
Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
, 1996.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Jacob L Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Candler School of Theology Emory University faculty University of Göttingen alumni American male writers