Israeli Scholar to Lecture at Princeton Seminary on Truth and Theodicy in the Book of Job

Princeton, NJ, October 5, 2006–Edward L. Greenstein will give the Frederick Neumann Memorial Lecture at Princeton Theological Seminary on Wednesday, October 18 at 7:00 p.m. His lecture is titled, “Truth or Theodicy? Speaking Truth to Power in the Book of Job.”

Greenstein has recently been appointed professor of biblical studies at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. Prior to this appointment, he was professor of Bible at Tel Aviv University in Israel for ten years, and he taught at The Jewish Theological Seminary in New York from 1976 to 1995. In addition to his full-time appointments, he has taught at the Columbia University Graduate School, Yale University, Princeton University, Union Theological Seminary, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and other institutions of higher learning. Greenstein holds a doctorate from Columbia University, where he presented his dissertation, Phonological Studies in Akkadian. He is widely published in the area of biblical studies, and his books include The Hebrew Bible in Literary Criticism (1996; coedited), Essays on Biblical Method and Translation (1989), and The State of Jewish Studies (1990; coedited). He has edited the Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society since 1974, and he served as editor of the Society of Biblical Literature Semeia Studies series from 1988–1993. Among his academic awards are a senior research fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities (1991–92), a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship (1992–93), and a Guastella Fellowship for outstanding scholars immigrating to Israel. He is currently completing a book titled Reader Responsibility: The Making of Meaning in Biblical Narrative, as well as a Hebrew volume on postmodern approaches to biblical studies. He is also engaged in writing commentaries on the books of Job, Lamentations, and Ruth.

The Frederick Neumann Memorial Lecture was established in 1983 by Dr. Edith Neumann in memory of her husband. Frederick Neumann (1899–1967) was a philosopher, biblical scholar, missionary, and pastor.

The lecture will take place in the Main Lounge of the Mackay Campus Center, followed by a reception in the Private Dining Room. It is open to the public and free of charge. For more information, call the Office of Communications/Publications at 609.497.7760 or visit www.ptsem.edu.

Princeton Theological Seminary was founded in 1812 as the first seminary established by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. It is the largest Presbyterian seminary in the country, with more than 700 students in six graduate degree programs.