Dr. Jacob L. Wright is Professor of Hebrew Bible at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and is the author of several award-winning books as well as the recipient of multiple fellowships and grants. His popular massive online open course (MOOC), “The Bible’s Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future,” has enrolled tens of thousands of students since its launch. Welcomed and introduced by New College faculty Dr. David Edwards, Dr. Wright will delve deep into the creation of a book that shaped history.
Dr. Jacob L. Wright is Professor of Hebrew Bible at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He received a doctorate from the University of Göttingen and taught for several years at the University of Heidelberg before coming to Candler. He is the author of many essays and articles as well as several award-winning books, among which are David, King of Israel, and Caleb in Biblical Memory (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and War, Memory, and National Identity in the Hebrew Bible (Cambridge University Press, 2020). Most recently, he published Why the Bible Began: An Alternative History of Scripture and its Origins (Cambridge University Press, 2023), which was selected for the “Best Books of 2023” lists by both Publishers Weekly and The New Yorker. Professor Wright has also received several prestigious fellowships and grants, including from the National Endowment for the Humanities (2011–12) and the Templeton Foundation (2015), and he has been a pioneer in digital and public humanities through the development of a popular massive online open course (MOOC) with Coursera, “The Bible’s Prehistory, Purpose, and Political Future,” which has enrolled tens of thousands of students since its launch in 2014, as well though the release through Apple Books of an enhanced, multi-media, digital book titled King David and His Reign Revisited (2013).
David R. Edwards (PhD, Florida State University) is Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion and teaches courses in Religious Studies and Judaism. He researches ancient Mediterranean religion, particularly Early Judaism, and has published a book titled In the Court of the Gentiles (Brill, 2023), as well as half a dozen or so essays and articles. He is currently working on several contracted projects about the writings of the ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, including two books, an edited volume, and a translation with commentary.
The New College Office of Public Policy Events seeks to advance civil discourse and engagement through facilitating events that foster open discussion and debate on relevant public policy issues. Such debates or group forums will provide opportunity for a wide range of viewpoints and perspectives to be presented. These events will be open to the public and will include speakers from within and without the state university community that hold broadly divergent and opposing perspectives.
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