Random Article Summary #144

Paul David Hanson (1939–2023) was an American scholar of the Bible. He taught for 40 years at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He spent his entire academic career at Harvard, beginning in 1971 as an Assistant Professor of the Old Testament. Over time, he was given several prominent positions, including Florence Corliss Lamont Professor of Divinity from 1988 to 2009. Before that, he served as Bussey Professor of Divinity from 1981 to 1988. After retiring from full-time teaching in 2009, he continued at Harvard as the Florence Corliss Lamont Research Professor of Divinity. Paul D. Hanson earned his Bachelor of Arts from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1961 and then studied at the University of Heidelberg as a Fulbright scholar. He later received a Bachelor of Divinity from Yale University in 1965 and completed his Ph.D. at Harvard in 1970. After earning his doctorate, Paul D. Hanson did archaeological research in Israel and later took sabbaticals in Israel, Germany, and at Princeton University. His scholarship studied themes in biblical and Second Temple Judaism, including how apocalyptic writings were shaped by different groups—one focused on maintaining temple and practical political relations, and another more visionary and cut off from power—though later scholars have been skeptical of this split. He also served on the editorial board for the Hermeneia Bible commentary series, edited multiple volumes, published A Political History of the Bible in 2015, and was active in Lutheran church and theological education groups in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Paul D. Hanson died on June 9, 2023, at the age of 83. Paul D. Hanson was known for his expertise in biblical interpretation (hermeneutics) and wrote many books on theological reading of the Bible. His works include studies of Jewish apocalyptic traditions, the diversity of scripture, community growth in biblical texts, commentaries such as on Isaiah 40–66, and books examining biblical texts and politics in America.