My Life and Career as a Biblical Scholar

Despite growing up in a poor family during the 1930s and '40s, Van Seters eventually excelled at the University of Toronto and earned a PhD at Yale University in ancient Near Eastern and Hebrew studies. Before Van Seters became a teacher, he and his wife spent three-quarters of a year in Palestine, becoming familiar with the whole region. Later in his career Van Seters assisted in archaeological expeditions in Jordan and Egypt. Visits to the Near East across his career broadened his understanding and appreciation of the biblical texts he studied professionally. Van Seters spent most of his working life teaching in universities--first at the University of Toronto, and then for over twenty years at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. This book not only chronicles what Van Seters has accomplished as a biblical scholar but also tells how he has become such a scholar. He hopes that experiences recorded here may guide young scholars to develop fruitful careers in biblical studies.

""John Van Seters has never been content to integrate his scholarship into his discipline's standard pursuits. His memoir reflects a rich academic life that has not only responded to the field of biblical studies, but has also shaped it and carried it forward in significant ways.""
--Konrad Schmid, Universitat Zurich, Switzerland

""John Van Seters' work has been revolutionary and formative for study of the Hebrew Bible in the 20th century. This memoir provides intriguing and often amusing snapshots of the context of his work relative to larger events of the time, other scholars with whom he interacted, and his own background and thinking. An interesting read.""
--Steven L. McKenzie, Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee

John Van Seters is the University Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has written many academic articles and is the author or editor of over twenty books, including The Pentateuch (2015), The Yahwist (2013), and The Hyksos.