Joseph Fitzmyer: an Appreciation

And so, the attempt to describe the became assistant professor of New At the 33rd AJS contribution of Joseph Fitzmyer, Testament and Biblical Languages Conference which took Aramaist, New Testament scholar, at Woodstock College in Dead Sea Scrolls scholar, and I do Woodstock, MD, rising to the rank place in Washington, not know how many more, will of full professor in 1964. At the D.C. a special session ultimately end up in either a gross same time he taught Semitic was convened to understatement of his contribution languages part-time at Johns to these various fields, or in the Hopkins and eventually became celebrate the creation of multiple Fitzmyers. The visiting professor of New Testament accomplishments of two noted Dead Sea Scroll scholars, both of whom spent their Joseph Fitzmyer: academic careers in the Washington area. Yaakov Elman An Appreciation discussed the work of attempt to classify our at Yale Divinity School. He taught Professor foseph distinguished colleague as a scholar at the University of Chicago, Baumgarten, formerly of Judaic or Jewish studies is Fordham University, the Weston bound to raise even greater School of Theology, of Baltimore Hebrew confusion. Probably no ^ Cambridge, Mass., and College, and Lawrence one would think at Oxford University. In H. Schiffman discussed first glance to 1976 he became identify Joe professor of New Professor Joseph Fitzmyer this Testament at Fitzmyer of the way despite the Catholic fact that his University of Catholic University of contribution to America, and America. Each of these our he retired legendary scholars, understanding from of the Jews : teaching—but reflecting widely and Judaism in not from active different faith Late Antiquity scholarship—in is not only 1986. commitments, profound, but profoundly influenced runs through In addition to the modern study of virtually all of his teaching, Joe supposedly other Fitzmyer has served as the Dead Sea Scrolls contributions like a editor of major biblical within ancient leitmotif. journals such as the Journal of Biblical Literature, The Catholic Judaism|| Joseph A. Fitzmyer was born in Biblical Quarterly, and New Philadelphia in 1920, and entered Testament Studies. He has t is one of the great curiosities the Society of Jesus in 1938. After advanced Roman Catholic of the way in which academic extensive studies in Classics and scholarship and served on the Ifields are defined in our not-so- Theology in Chicago, Maryland, Pontifical Biblical Commission. His perfect world that use of Belgium, and Germany, he many students, graduate students, classifications for the work of received his Ph.D. at Johns and colleagues have been able to individuals of great and important Hopkins in 1956, studied at the learn from him and benefit from scholarly contribution often ends Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome his rigorous scholarship and up limiting our ability to and the American School of pleasant personality. understand them and their work. Oriental Research in Jerusalem. He 22 Very early on in Joe Fitzmyer's of Judaism. For example, his the Galilean and of Theudas, who work, he set the agenda for his article, "Jewish Christianity in Acts actually appeared a decade later, life's work. Already in the first few in Light of the Qumran Scrolls" is a Fitzmyer has to survey the of years of his publications, in the must for any scholar of the Judaism discussion of these two figures in 1950s, he had written on the that spawned the rise of Jewish history. In the course of this Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Christianity and the early church. discussion comes an analysis of Scrolls, the New Testament, and His studies of the Aramaic problems in the Greek text of individual Aramaic texts. These background of the New Testament Josephus. And remember that my scholarly interests he continued to are a goldmine for scholars of encounter with these details came advance as his large and impressive ancient Judaism, and even articles only as a result of arbitrarily bibliography grew. He never let up like "The New Testament Title 'Son opening an 800-page book! on research and publishing, and for of Man' Philologically Considered" each year the number of his contribute immensely to our Let me finish with a few personal publications was more than the understanding of the Judaism that remarks. Joe Fitzmyer is a person last. He also wrote many reviews provides the background for the of great character and integrity. His of the publications of others in the rise of early Christian concepts and devotion to the pursuit of academic many fields in research and which he is He never let up on research and publishing, academic expert. excellence cannot and for each year the number of his be rivaled. But he In addition to also brings to his many articles, he publications was more than the last." work a sense of has authored dignity and full-length biblical commentaries terms. His studies of the Job respect for his colleagues that we such as his translation and Targum from Qumran and Aramaic all should emulate. I know from commentary of the Acts of the Epistolography, and so many other personal experience. He knows Apostles and the Gospel according topics have simply become keys to how to disagree with you, even to to Luke for the Anchor Bible series. central aspects of Jewish thought argue with you, in an atmosphere His editions and commentaries on and Jewish history in Second of mutual respect and friendship. It the Genesis Apocryphon and the Temple and early Rabbinic times. has been a privilege to learn from Aramaic Tobit materials are classics him and to work with him in a of Qumran studies and harness all To strengthen this point I decided variety of contexts, and to honor his other interests and skills. to perform an act of bibliomancy. I him, for he is truly "a teacher of randomly opened his commentary the law esteemed by all the people" (Acts 5:34). To sense the breadth of his to Acts in the prestigious Anchor contributions, one has only to open Bible series. My eyes immediately the two volumes of his collected found their way to the following Lawrence Schiffman studies, Essays on the Semitic words, "a teacher of the law New York University Background of the New Testament esteemed by all the people." I had (1971) and A Wandering Aramean: hit pay dirt, having fallen upon Collected Aramaic Essays (1979) Fitzmyer's consideration of the now published together under the speech in defense of Peter and the title The Semitic Background of the apostles by Gamaliel Tj known New Testament (1997). Many of better to most of us as Rabban these essays are distinguished for Gamliel ha-Zaken. The Sadducees presenting analyses of Qumran and the high priest had arrested material designed to illuminate them and they had somehow issues of New Testament Studies. escaped and were preaching in the In these essays it is Fitzmyer's Temple. Gamaliel defended them balance and fair reading of the before the Sanhedrin and argued Jewish materials that insures the lack of wisdom in persecuting uniformly the success of his them. As a result the apostles were studies. The Judaic scholar will released. often find here a convenient point of entry into the early Christian Because Gamaliel refers in his materials important for the history speech to the movements of Judas 23 .

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