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Dr. J. Edward Wright is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism and Director of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies at The University of Arizona. He teaches courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Wright received his Ph.D. from Brandeis University and did additional graduate study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Harvard Divinity School. He has received several national and international research fellowships, including a Yad Hanadiv/Barecha (Rothschild) Foundation Fellowship at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Wright has been a Visiting Professor in the Religion Department at Dartmouth College and is the President of the William F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research in Jerusalem. He has recently been appointed to the Board of Advisors that will oversee the creation of the American Museum of the Biblical World. |
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Dr. Wright’s area of expertise is early Jewish history and religion with particular interest in the field of early Jewish apocryphal texts. These texts shed light on the non-traditional aspects of early Jewish thought and culture, and through his research Dr. Wright hopes to depict more accurately the rich diversity of Early Judaism. He has written several scholarly and popular articles and is the author or editor of five scholarly books. The Early History of Heaven (Oxford University Press, 2000) traces the origin and development of the images of the heavenly realm in earliest Judaism and Christianity. The Association of College and Research Libraries and American Library Association’s journal Choice named this book in its list of “The Outstanding Academic Books” for 2000. Wright was also the senior designer of OLD WORLD HEBREW: A Multimedia CD-ROM Course in Elementary Biblical Hebrew, published in 1994 by Aprisa Multimedia Group Inc. Wright’s book, Baruch ben Neriah: From Biblical Scribe to Apocalyptic Seer, was published by the University of South Carolina Press in 2003. Wright was the editor of a volume of essays assessing the work of the celebrated Syro-Palestinian archaeologist William F. Albright. This volume appeared as a special issue of the journal Near Eastern Archaeologist published by the American Schools of Oriental Research. He has also co-edited two other scholarly books. Wright’s current research focuses on the nature and impact of religious reform in ancient Judah, and this work will be published as a book under the title The Crisis of Monotheism.
Dr. Wright regards teaching as one of his most important responsibilities. His reputation as an inspiring teacher and dynamic lecturer draw many to his university courses and public lectures. In recognition of his teaching Dr. Wright received “The University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences’ Most Distinguished Teaching Award” in 1997. He has also won the University’s two highest teaching awards. Following a demanding review, the University’s faculty awarded Wright “The University of Arizona Foundation’s Leicester and Kathryn Sherrill Creative Teaching Award” in 2000. The students have also honored Wright’s teaching by awarding him the “Five Star Teaching Award” in 2001. This award, which is given by Honors College on behalf of the entire student body, is the highest teaching award given by the students.
X08: JWST 10 History and Culture of Jews: Classical Period
X08: REL 57/JWST 72 History of Heaven
