James M. Fennelly (September 5, 1929 – January 8, 2000) was Chairman of the Department of Philosophy and Professor of History of Religions at
Adelphi University
Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...
in Garden City, New York. For several years prior to his death, Fennelly was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Maywood, New Jersey.
Fennelly was born in the Bronx, New York, and grew up in the lower Hudson Valley. He received an undergraduate degree from Springfield College, Massachusetts and Master of Divinity from
Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
While at Union Theological Seminary, Fennelly studied under Protestant theologian
Reinhold Niebuhr.
In 1954, he was ordained into the Presbyterian ministry. The same year, he married Zona "Zee" Zeitner. In 1967, he received a Masters in New Testament Studies from Victoria University in Manchester England.
Among Fennelly's contributions as historian of religion include articles in ''
The Biblical Archaeologist
''Near Eastern Archaeology'' is an American journal covering art, archaeology, history, anthropology, literature, philology, and epigraphy of the Near Eastern and Mediterranean worlds from the Palaeolithic through Ottoman periods. The journal is ...
'' on religious ceremonies performed in the ancient city of
Persepolis.
In 1999, Fennelly completed a historical novel from the perspective of Chuza, steward of
Herod Antipas
Herod Antipas ( el, Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας, ''Hērǭdēs Antipas''; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "H ...
and husband to
Joanna, a disciple of
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
of
Nazareth
Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...
.
References
1929 births
2000 deaths
20th-century American novelists
Adelphi University faculty
American male novelists
20th-century American historians
20th-century American male writers
Novelists from New York (state)
American male non-fiction writers
Historians from New York (state)
{{US-historian-stub