Dennis T. Olson

Office: Home:

Princeton Theological Seminary 3 Mallard Drive

P.O. Box 821 Pennington, NJ 08534

Princeton, NJ 08542 Phone: (609) 737-8066

Phone: (609) 497-7769

Fax: (609) 924-2973

Email: dennis.olson@ptsem.edu

DEGREES:

B.A. Augustana College, Sioux Falls (summa cum laude) 1976

M. Div. Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, MN 1980

M.A. Yale University 1981

Ph.D. Yale University (Religious Studies, Old Testament) 1984

PH.D. THESIS TOPIC:

The Death of the Old and the Birth of the New: The Literary and Theological Framework of the Book of Numbers

HONORS:

National Merit Scholar (1972-76).

North American Ministerial Fellowship--Fund for Theological Education (1976-80).

Yale University Fellowship (1980-84).

Graduate School Alumni Association Fellow in Religious Studies, Yale University (1983-84).

Listed in Who's Who in Biblical Studies and Archaeology

Listed in Who's Who in Religion

Resident scholar, Center for Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ (1990-91). Ongoing fellow (1991-Present).

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS:

Society of Biblical Literature (1980-Present)

Steering committee for Pentateuch section (1990-1997, 2000-2006)

Columbia University Seminar on the Hebrew Bible (1988-1997)

Biblical Theologians (interdisciplinary working group: 1998-Present)

Member of the Bible in Theological Education working group--sponsored by Lilly Foundation (1992-2000)

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

1998-2004--General Acquisitions Editor for the Society of Biblical Literature and Editor of the Studies in Biblical Literature series (formerly the SBL Monograph series). Books edited include the following:

1) Timothy Willis, The Elders of the City, A Study of the Elders-Laws in Deuteronomy (Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2001).Pp. 353.

2) Ray Person, The Deuteronomic School: History, Social Setting, and Literature (Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002), Pp. 183.

3) Stanley Isser, The Sword of Goliath, David in Heroic Literature (Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003). Pp. 216.

4) Janet Howe Gaines, Forgiveness in a Wounded World, Jonah’s Dilemma (Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003). Pp. 192.

5) Rainer Albertz, Israel in Exile, The History and Literature of the Sixth Century B.C.E. (Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003). Pp. 440.

6) Stephen L. Cook, The Social Roots of Biblical Yahwism (Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2004) (forthcoming).

2006—Guest editor for Dialog: A Journal of Theology 45 (Spring 2006) on “How Lutherans Read the Bible”

2006-Present—General Pentateuch editor for The Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2008-2018), 30 volumes planned.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

1980: Instructor, New Testament Greek, Luther Theological Seminary.

1981-84: Teaching fellow and instructor in numerous courses in Old Testament and Jewish studies--Yale College and Yale Divinity School

1984: Ordained into the ministry of the American Lutheran Church (now the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and served for three and a half years as a parish pastor at United Lutheran Church in Frost, Minnesota (1984-1987)

1986-87: Part-time instructor in Old Testament at Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1987-94: Assistant Professor of Old Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.

1994-2000: Associate Professor of Old Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.

2000-2005: Professor of Old Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey

Summer 2004: Visiting professor at Westminster College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England

Summer 2005: Visiting professor in Contextual Theology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

2005-Present: Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey

RELATED SEMINARY ROLES:

1987-Present: Faculty advisor for Lutheran students at Princeton Theological Seminary

1988-2002: Faculty liaison from Princeton Theological Seminary for the "Seminarians Interacting” program sponsored by the National Conference of Community and Justice (formerly National Conference of Christians and Jews). The program brings together Jewish, Christian and Muslim students from various seminaries in the Northeast for intensive interreligious dialogue.

1990: Faculty advisor for the Middle East study tour of Princeton Seminary students for EC39. Cross Cultural Mission (Egypt and Israel).

1998-2002: Faculty leader of an annual two-week tour of biblical sites in Israel for Princeton Seminary five-year alumni who were Presbyterian pastors

PUBLICATIONS:

Books:

The Death of the Old and the Birth of the New: The Framework of the Book of Numbers and the Pentateuch (Chico, California: Scholars Press, 1985).

Deuteronomy and the Death of Moses, A Theological Reading (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994). Republished as Deuteronomy and the Death of Moses, A Theological Reading (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2005).

Numbers, Interpretation Commentary (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1996).

Book-Length Commentary in a Multi-Author Work:

"The Book of Judges: Introduction, Commentary, Reflections," New Interpreter's Bible, Volume II, eds., Leander Keck and David Petersen (Nashville: Abindgon, 1998), 721-888.

Books in Progress:

The Dialogues of Torah, An Introduction to the Pentateuch (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox) (under contract)

Exodus, Volume 2, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries (Nashville: Abingdon Press) (under contract)

Chapters in Books:

"The Book of Numbers," Harpers Bible Commentary (New York: Harper & Row, 1988), pp. 182-208.

Articles on "Baasha," "Pekah," and "Pekahiah" in the Anchor Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman (Garden City, NY: Doubleday).

Articles on "Bethel," "Eden, Garden of," "Balaam," and "Nazirite" in The Oxford Companion to The Bible, ed. Bruce Metzger, (New York: Oxford University Press).

James H. Charlesworth and Dennis T. Olson, “Prayers for Festivals (1Q34-1Q34^bis, 4Q507-4Q509),” The Dead Sea Scrolls: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Texts with English Translations--Pseudepigraphic and Non-Masoretic Psalms and Prayers (Tübingen and Louisville: Mohr Siebeck and Westminster John Knox, 1997), 46-106.

“Words of the Lights (4Q504-4Q506),” The Dead Sea Scrolls: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Texts with English Translations--Pseudepigraphic and Non-Masoretic Psalms and Prayers (Tübingen and Louisville: Mohr Siebeck and Westminster John Knox, 1997), 107-154.

“Daily Prayers (4Q503 = 4PrQuot),” The Dead Sea Scrolls: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Texts with English Translations--Pseudepigraphic and Non-Masoretic Psalms and Prayers (Tübingen and Louisville: Mohr Siebeck and Westminster John Knox, 1997), 235-286.

"Family Relations as Metaphor (Hosea 1-3)," Religion and Family: A Practical Theology Handbook, ed. Ian Evison et al. (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1998).

"Imagery in the Book of Numbers," "Imagery in the Book of Deuteronomy," Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, eds. Tremper Longman, Leland Ryken, James Wilhoit (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998).

Introductions and study notes for Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers in The Access Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 1-218.

“A Breath of New Life: Old Testament Reflections on the Spirit of God and the Leadership of Human Communities,” in The Hidden Spirit, Discovering the Spirituallity of Institutions, eds. James F. Cobble and Charles M. Elliott (Matthews, NC: Christian Ministry Resources, 1999), 9-15.

“Between the Tower of Unity and the Babel of Pluralism: Biblical Theology and Leo Perdue’s The Collapse of History,” in Troubling Jeremiah: New Readings of the Book of Jeremiah, eds. Kathleen O’Connor, A. R. Diamond, and Louis Stulman (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999), 350-358.

Revision of “The Book of Numbers,” Harpers Bible Commentary (New York: Harper & Row, 2000), 167-88.

“Dialogues of Life and Monologues of Death: Jephthah and Jephthah’s Daughter in Judges 10:6-12:7” in Postmodern Interpretations of the Bible, ed. A. K. M. Adam (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001), 43-54.

“Genesis 32:22-31 (Pentecost 11A); 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 (Advent 4B); Isaiah 50:4-9a (Palm/Passion Sunday, Years A, B, C); Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 (Advent 3B); Isaiah 64:1-19 (Advent 1B); Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Lent 5A),” in The Lectionary Commentary, Theological Exegesis for Sunday’s Texts--The First Readings: The Old Testament and Acts, ed. Roger van Harn (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 61-3, 199-202, 356-59, 378-81, 396-99, 460-63.

“Numbers, Book of,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch , eds. T. Desmond Alexander and David Baker (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity, 2003), 611-18.

“The Book of Numbers: Introduction and Notes,” The New Interpreter’s Study Bible (Nashville: Abingdon, 2003), 189-240.

“How Does Deuteronomy Do Theology? Literary Juxtaposition and Paradox in the New Moab Covenant in Deuteronomy 29-32,” in A God So Near, Festschrift for Patrick Miller, eds. Nancy Bowen and Brent Strawn (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2003), 201-213.

“Buber, Kingship, and the Book of Judges: A Study of Judges 6-9 and 17-21,” David and Zion, Essays in Honor of J. J. M. Roberts, eds. Bernard Batto and Kathryn Roberts (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2003), 199-218.

“Violence for the Sake of Social Justice? Narrative, Ethics, and Indeterminacy in Exodus 2:11-2:11-15,” in The Meanings We Choose, ed. Charles Cosgrove (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity PressInternational, 2004), 138-148.

“Between Disappointment and Hope at the Boundary, The Death of Moses at the End of Deuteronomy,” in: The Ending of Mark and the Ends of God: Essays in Memory of Donald Harrisville Juel (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2005), 127-138.

“Moses, Manna, and Leadership,” in Leadership, Cloud of Witnesses, Volume 9, audio journal (Princeton, NJ; Princeton Theological Seminary, Institute for Youth Ministry, 2005).

“Loving Enemies as Being Birthed into God’s Creation-Wide Family: A Homiletical Exploration of Matthew 5:38-48,” in “And God Saw That It Was Good”: Essays on Creation and God in Honor of Terence E. Fretheim, eds. Fred Gaiser and Mark Throntveit (St. Paul, MN: Word & World, 2006), 57-65.

“Truth and the Torah: Reflections on Rationality and the Pentateuch,” in But Is It All True? The Bible and the Question of Truth, eds. Alan Padgett and Patrick Keifert (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006), 16-33.

“Daily and Festival Prayers at Qumran, “ in Qumran History and Theology, volume 2 in the series The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, ed. James Charlesworth (Waco: Baylor University Press. 2006), 301-316.

“Untying the Knot? Masculinity, Violence, and the Creation-Fall Story of Genesis 2-4,” in Engaging the Bible in a Gendered World: Essays in Honor of Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, eds. Carolyn Pressler and Linda Day (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2006), 73-86.

“Sacred Time: The Old Testament Sabbath and Christian Worship,” in Holy to the Lord, Old Testament Resources for a Theology of Christian Worship , eds. Carol Bechtel and John Witvliet (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007) (forthcoming).

“Between Humility and Authority: The Interplay of the Judge-Prophet Laws (Deut 16:18-17:13) and the Judge-Prophet Narratives of Moses” in Character Ethics and the Old Testament: Appropriating Scripture for Moral Life, eds. Daniel Carroll and Jacqueline Lapsley (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2007), 51-61.

“The Book of Exodus,” A Theological Biblical Commentary, eds. Gail R. O’Day and David Petersen (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2007).

“Numbers, Book of,” Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity, ed. Daniel Patte (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007).

“Pentateuchal Narrartives,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible Handbook of Preaching, ed. Paul Wilson (Nashville: Abingdon, 2007).

“Balaam,” “Census,” “Dathan,” “Enrollment,” “Moses,” “Sinai,” in The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, ed. Katharine Doob Sakenfeld (Nashville: Abingdon, 2007-2009).

Articles:

"Biblical Perspectives on the Land," Word and World (January 1986), pp. 18-27.

"Which Comes First? The Biblical Relationship of Worship and Justice," Theology Today (April 1991), 22-25.

"Rediscovering Lost Treasure: Forgotten Preaching Texts of the Old Testament," Journal for Preaching (Pentecost 1990), 2-10.

"Temptations and Trials in Deuteronomy 6-11, Luke 4 and Luke 22-24: The Significance of a Recurring Three-Fold Pattern," in All Things New, Essays in Honor of Roy A. Harrisville, Word and World Supplement Series 1 (199/2), 21-28.

"Deuteronomy as a De-Centering Center: Reflections on Post-Modernism and the Quest for a Theological Center of the Hebrew Scriptures," Semeia ("Textual Determinacy, Part Two") 71 (1995), 119-132.

"Grace and Obedience: Jews, Christians and the Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son--A Response to Jon Levenson," Dialog 34 (1995), 59-60.

"The Jagged Cliffs of Mount Sinai: A Theological Reading of the Book of the Covenant (Exod. 20:22-23:19)," Interpretation 50 (July 1996), 251-263.

"The Lion, the Itch and the Wardrobe: Hosea 5:8-6:6 as a Case Study in the Contemporary Interpretation and Authority of Scripture," Currents in Theology and Mission 23 (June 1996), 173-84.

“God the Creator: Bible, Creation, Vocation,” Dialog 36 (Summer 1997), 169-174.

“Negotiating Boundaries: The Old and New Generations and the Theology of Numbers,” Interpretation 51 (1997), 229-240.

“Translational Error and Ecological Concern: Dominion in Genesis 1:26, 28,” Dialog 37 (Winter 1998), 72.

“Scripture and Theology: Divorced, Separated, or Married?” Dialog 37 (Winter 1998), 3-4.

“The Bible and Theology: Problems, Proposals, Prospects,” Dialog 37 (Spring 1998), 85-91.

“Biblical Theology as Provisional Monologization: A Dialogue with Childs, Brueggemann and Bakhtin,” Biblical Interpretation 6 (1998), 162-180.

“Oh LORD God, How Am I to Know? The Pentateuch and Contemporary Understandings of Truth,” Princeton Seminary Bulletin 23 (2002), 86-99.

“The Family God Writ Large: A Review of Erhard Gerstenberger’s Theologies of the Old Testament”,” Horizons in Biblical Theology 25 (2003) 88-94.

“Building an OT Library—Genesis-Ruth,” Catalyst 31 (2004), 6-9.

“Power and Leadership: Moses and the Manna Story (Exodus 16),” Princeton Seminary Bulletin 25 (2004), 316-331.

“How Lutherans Read the Bible: A North American and Global Conversation,” Dialog: A Journal of Theology 45 (Spring 2006), 4-8. [Guest editor for the Spring 2006 issue of Dialog]

Published Biblical Studies, Curriculum and Sermons:

New Hearts, New People: A Study of Jeremiah and Philippians (co-author with Marilyn Sauer Breckenridge), A Bible Study Resource Book, Discussion Book and Leader's Guide prepared for the American Lutheran Church Women for 1987 (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing, 1987).

The Bible: Ten Words for Today, Men's Bible Study (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing, 1986).

Creation is a Continuing Event (The Book of Genesis), Augsburg ALC/LCA Home Bible Studies (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing, 1987).

Moses and His Mission: A Study of Exodus-Deuteronomy, Augsburg Home Bible Study (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing, 1988).

Saints and Sojourners: An Old Testament Journey, Confirmation Curriculum for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1990) (15 Sessions--study book and leader guide).

"Are There Prophets Today?" Scope (January 1987), pp. 20-23.

"Jeremiah and the Rural Crisis: The Loss of Land and a Piece of the Rock," Scope (August 1987), pp. 3-6.

"Resistance and Reassurance: The Call of Moses and Our Calling," Augsburg Adult Bible Studies (Summer 1988), pp. 3-9.

“The Beginning Is the End: The Coveting Commandment and the Sermon on the Mount (Sermon)," Princeton Seminary Bulletin 11 (1990), 158-63.

"Commentary on the Fourth Petition of the Lord's Prayer: "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread," ELCA Hunger Catechism (Hunger Education Resource) (1992).

"Exegesis of Psalm 23; John 14:1-14; Acts 17:22-31; John 17:1-11; Psalm 104:24-34," Lectionary Homiletics (May 1993).

"Earthquakes, Fault Lines and Foundations: Reflections on Ministry (Sermon)," Princeton Seminary Bulletin (1994).

Papers Presented:

"The Book of Judges: Narrative Movement, Context, Characterization and the Question of a Center," response paper for the seminar on "Narrative Research on the Hebrew Bible," National Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, November 19, 1989.

"The Chronicler's Preference for Deuteronomistic and Post-Deuteronomistic Sections of Samuel-Kings," paper read for the Columbia University Hebrew Bible Seminar, February 21, 1990. Revised and read at the Society of Biblical Literature National Meeting, New Orleans, November, 1990.

"Torah as the End of the Law? The Interplay of Law and Narrative in Deuteronomy," paper read at the Society of Biblical Literature National Meeting, Kansas City, November 1991.

"The Role of the New Moab Covenant (Deuteronomy 29-32) in the Structure and Theology of Deuteronomy," paper read at the Center for Theological Inquiry colloquium, Princeton, NJ, June 12, 1991.

"Deuteronomy as a De-Centering Center: Reflections on Post-Modernism and the Quest for a Theological Center of the Hebrew Scriptures," paper read at the Society of Biblical Literature National Meeting, San Francisco, November 1992.

“Work, Sabbath, and Justice: Biblical Perspectives on Justice and Economic Life,” paper read at a symposium on “Poverty in America” sponsored by the Luther Institute, Washington, D.C.

“Between the Tower of Unity and the Babel of Pluralism: Biblical Theology and Leo Perdue’s The Collapse of History,” paper read in the Jeremiah section at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, New Orleans, November 1996.

“Morning and Evening Prayers at Qumran,” paper read at the Qumran Jubilee Symposium at Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey--November 9-12, 1997.

“Crossing Boundaries: The Figure of Moses and the Pentateuch,” paper read at the Pentateuch Section at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California--November 22, 1997.

“Scripture and Truth: Reflections from the Pentateuch,” paper read at the Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures section at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado--November, 2002.

“Scripture, Sociology, and Theology: A Review of Erhard Gerstenberger’s Theologies of the Old Testament”, paper read at the Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures section at the Society of Biblical Literature Meeting in Toronto, Ontario--November 25, 2002.

“Violence for the Sake of Social Justice? Narrative, Ethics, and Indeterminacy in Exodus 2:11-15,” paper read at the Columbia University Hebrew Bible Seminar in New York City--January 21, 2003.

“Glimpses at the Boundary, Meditations on Deuteronomy 34,” a paper read at the Society of Biblical Theologians meeting in Princeton, NJ--March 8, 2003.

“Between Humility and Authority: The Interplay of the Judge-Prophet Laws (Deut 16:18-17:13) and the Judge-Prophet Narratives of Moses,” paper read in the Character and Ethics section at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—November 19, 2005

“Seven Predictions and Three Metaphors: The Future of the Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures,” paper read in the Theology of the Hebrew Scriptures section at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.—November 19, 2006

Lectureships

Kerschner Lectures at the Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Tennessee--”The Bible in Crisis: An Old Testament Perspective” (4 lectures)--October 29-31, 2002.

St. Columba’s Annual Lecture at St. Columba’s Presbyterian Church , Parkview, Johannesburg, South Africa—“My God, Why? The Variety of Biblical Responses to Human Suffering”—August 9, 2005.

Numerous Published Book Reviews

Courses Taught

Ph.D. Courses

Literary Approaches to Old Testament Interpretation (Ph.D. Seminar)

Methodology in Old Testament Theology (Ph.D. Seminar)

Critical Issues in Old Testament Studies (Ph.D. Seminar)

Accelerated Hebrew Reading

History of Biblical Interpretation: Genesis (Ph.D. Seminar, co-taught with Professor Scott Hendrix)

Biblical Theology I (Ph.D. Seminar)

Master of Divinity Courses

Orientation to Old Testament Studies

Introductory Biblical Hebrew

Introduction to Hebrew Exegesis

Introduction to English Bible Exegesis

Biblical Theology and the Practice of Ministry

Interpretation and Theology of the Pentateuch

Old Testament Theology of Community

Women in Old Testament Narratives

Post-Exilic Prophecy and the Book of Daniel

Genesis and Its History of Interpretation

Exegesis of Exodus

Exegesis of Deuteronomy

Exegesis of Joshua-Judges

Exegesis of Second and Third Isaiah

Lutheran Polity

Continuing Education Courses Taught

Old Testament Preaching Texts for Lent

Old Testament Preaching Texts for Advent

Interim Pastors’ Training: Biblical Perspectives on Interim Ministry

Old Testament Resources for the 21st Century

Social Justice and Scripture

Doctor of Ministry workshops--interdisciplinary social-behaviorial and theological analysis of congregational case studies

Resource theologian for the Center for Theological Inquiry’s (Princeton, NJ) national Pastor as Theologian project sponsored by the Lilly Foundation (topics thus far: “Reading the Bible in Faith: The Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22) and the Passion of Christ (Matthew 26-27)” and “Theology, Science and the Future”).

Numerous preaching engagements and congregational lay adult forums and classes