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Frank Moore Cross, Jr. (1921-2012) was one of the greatest biblical scholars of the twentieth century.  He

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received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1950 under W. F. Albright and  taught at Harvard for most of his career (1957-1992). Much like his doktorvater, Cross trained a generation of biblical scholars, directing over 100 dissertations during his tenure at Harvard.    

            Cross’s contributions to biblical studies are numerous, covering Northwest Semitic epigraphy, textual criticism, the Dead Sea scrolls, the redaction of the Deuteronomistic History, Ugaritic and Hebrew poetry, and Israelite religious history.  He was well known for his ability to synthesize many different types of data.  This is particularly apparent in his book Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic, which provides a diachronic overview of Israel’s religious history, with excurses on the redaction of the Deuteronomistic History and the tribal structure of early Israel along the way.  Among paleographers, Cross is known as the dean of Northwest Semitic epigraphy.  Many of his epigraphic judgments remain valid today.       

Bibliography[]

Hackett, Jo Ann.  “Frank Moore Cross, Jr.”  In Dictionary of Biblical Interpreters Vol. I., edited by John H. Hayes, 233-34.  Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999. 

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