| William F. Albright |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT WILLIAM F. ALBRIGHT | |
| american orientalists | |
| albright, william f. | |
| american archaeologists | |
| biblical scholars | |
| johns hopkins university faculty | |
| american methodists | |
| 1891 births | |
| 1971 deaths | |
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William Foxwell Albright ( May 24 , 1891 – September 19 / September 20 , 1971 ) was an American Orientalist, pioneer Archaeologist , Biblical Scholar , Linguist and expert on Ceramics . From the early twentieth century until his death, he was the dean of biblical archaeologists and the universally acknowledged founder of the Biblical archaeology movement. His student George Ernest Wright followed in his footsteps as the leader of that movement, while others, notably Frank Moore Cross and David Noel Freedman , became international leaders in the study of the Bible and the ancient Near East, including Northwest Semitic epigraphy and paleography. Nevertheless, although Aolbright is assured of a place in the history of the development of Middle Eastern archaeology, his concepts and conclusions, especially those relating to biblical archaeology, have been overturned by developments after his death. BIOGRAPHY Albright was born in Coquimbo , Chile , the eldest of six children of Amercian Evangelical missionaries Wilbur Finley and Zephine Viola Foxwell Albright. He married Dr. Ruth Norton in 1921 and had four sons. He received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1916 and took a professorship there in 1927, remaining as W. W. Spence Professor of Semitic Languages from 1930 to his retirement in 1958. He was also the Director of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem, 1922-1929, 1933-1936, and did important archaeological work at such sites in Palestine as Gibeah (Tell el-Fûl, 1922) and Tell Beit Mirsim (1933-1936). Biographical notes, Library of the American Philosophical Society Albright became known to the public for his role in the authentication of the and the mainstream opinions of the preceding two centuries of biblical criticism. Comment in erview of Mark S. Smith's ''The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel'' Although primarily a biblical archaeologist, Albright was a polymath who made contributions in almost every field of Near Eastern studies: an example of his range is a BASOR 130 (1953) paper titled "New Light from Egypt on the Chronology and History of Israel and Judah," in which he established that Shoshenq I - the Biblical Shishak - came to power somewhere between 945 and 940 BC. A prolific author, his major works include '' to Ezra ''. He also edited the Anchor Bible volumes on Jeremiah , Matthew , and Revelation . Throughout his life Albright was honored with numerous awards, honorary doctorates, and medals, and was given the title "Worthy One of Jerusalem" - the first time the award had been given to a non-Jew. After his death, his legacy continued as a large number of scholars, inspired by his work, became specialists in the areas Albright had pioneered. The American Schools of Oriental Research is now known as the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, in honor of Albright's exceptional contributions to the field. UXL Newsmakers, at Findarticles.com INFLUENCE AND LEGACY Albright's publication in the Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 1932, of his excavations of Tell Bir Mirsim, and further descriptions of the Bronze Age and Iron Age layers of the site in 1938 and 1943, marked a major contribution to the professional dating of sites based on ceramic typologies, one which is still in use today with only minor changes. "With this work, Albright made Palestinian archaeology into a science, instead of what it had formerly been: a digging in which the details are more or less well-described in an indifferent chronological framework which is as general as possible and often wildly wrong". G.E. Wright, quoted in UXL Newsmakers, at Findarticles.com As editor of the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research between 1931 and 1968, Albright exercised deep influence over both biblical scholarship and Palestinian archaeology, an influence further extended by his prolific writing and publishing (over 1,100 books and articles). UXL Newsmakers, at Findarticles.com Albright used this influence to advocate "biblical archaeology", in which the archaeologist's task is seen as being "to illuminate, to understand, and, in their greatest excesses, to "prove" the bible." Lynn Tatum, review of William G. Dever "Recent Archaeological Discoveries and Biblical Research", The Jewish Quarterly Review, New Ser., Vol. 85, No. 3/4 (Jan. - Apr., 1995), pp. 464-466 , at JSTOR. In this Albright's American Evangelical upbringing was clearly apparent. He insisted, for example, that "as a whole, the picture in , "What Remains of the House that Albright Built?" BA 56 (1993), 34) quoted in alheithinn.blogspot.com Nevertheless, although "biblical archaeology" is discredited in the mainstream, Albright remains a reference point for those conservative Christians (largely American) who continue to believe that archaeology can validate their faith. E.g. Garry K. Brantley, M.A., M.Div., "Dating in Archaeology: Challenges to Biblical Credibility", 1993, apologeticspress.org . In this article Brantley advances Albrightean arguments such as the historicity of the Israelite conquest of Canaan, although modern archaeologists have long rejected the idea in favour of a model which sees the Israelites as arising from a segment of the general Canaanite population. FOOTNOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY Major books and articles by Albright
Biographies and other works about Albright
Other works SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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