David Noel Freedman (born May 12, 1922) was an American biblical scholar, author, editor, archaeologist, and, after his conversion from Judaism, a Presbyterian minister. He was one of the first Americans to work on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He is the son of the writer David Freedman. He died of a heart ailment.[4]
David Noel Freedman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Noel Freedman May 12, 1922 New York City, US |
| Father | David Freedman |
| Ecclesiastical career | |
| Religion | Christianity (Presbyterian) |
| Church | |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Biblical studies |
| Main interests | Dead Sea Scrolls |
| Influenced | |
Life
editFreedman was born Noel Freedman in New York City on May 12, 1922, the son of David and Beatrice Freedman. The elder Freedman died in 1936 and Noel adopted his name as a mark of respect. Soon after, he converted to Christianity and became a member of the Presbyterian Church. The New York Times misidentified Noel as a girl in David Freedman's obituary.[5]
He attended the City College of New York and he earned his B.A., after which he entered Princeton Theological Seminary, where he earned a Bachelor of Theology degree in 1944.[6] He then went on to study Semitic Languages and Literature at The Johns Hopkins University. In 1947, while he was still a graduate student, the excavation of caves near the Dead Sea was just beginning to unearth thousands of fragments of texts. He became one of the first American scholars to get access and spent twenty years painstakingly studying and translating a scroll of Leviticus, one of the books of the Torah.[7]
See also
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- Francis Andersen – Australian linguist (1925–2020)
- Frank Moore Cross – American scholar and academic
- Philip King (historian) – American historian (1925–2019)
References
edit- ^ http://www.pbydetroit.org/Archives/2007%20January%2023%20-%202007%20November%2027.pdf [dead link]
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=180244614877 [user-generated source]
- ^ "Rector's Rough Draft: My Influences". September 19, 2012.[unreliable source?]
- ^ "Scholar was editor of Bible commentary series". Los Angeles Times. April 17, 2008.
- ^ "DAVID FREEDMAN, QUIP WRITER, DIES; , Broadway Figure Succumbs in Sleep on Second Day of Cantor Suit Hearing. RISE TO FAME WAS RAPID Comedians and Radio Stars Were Among Those Buying Output of Jokester, 38". The New York Times. December 9, 1936. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Paul, William E. (July 11, 2015). English Language Bible Translators. McFarland. ISBN 9781476610238.
- ^ Dolbee, Sandi (April 20, 2008). "David Noel Freedman; UCSD Professor a Legend Among Bible Scholars". Union-Tribune San Diego. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
External links
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