MilestonesDavid Noel Freedman (1922–2008)April 16, 2008  Talkback Add Your Comment
Hershel Shanks provides a personal reminiscence that focuses on his decades-long friendship with Freedman and highlights Freedman’s lack of fear when it came to taking stands on scholarly issues. An obituary on the Society of Biblical Literature’s Web site summarizes Freedman’s long and impressive career. A tribute by Dr. Astrid B. Beck appeared in the July/August 2008 issue of BAR. A two-part interview with Freedman first published in Bible Review reveals Freedman’s vast Biblical knowledge and provides glimpses into his complex life. For a special collection of articles Freedman wrote for Biblical Archaeology Review and Bible Review, visit the BAS Library. A Letter to David Noel Freedman from Hershel Shanks Dear Noel, I know you’re dead. Upteen e-mails are telling me that. On the other hand, I know you won’t mind my writing even though you’re dead. Nothing ever stopped you. “Why not?” was your motto. I should have known something was up. You didn’t answer two telephone calls last week. And yesterday I tried again. I was just going to call Astrid to see what was up when I got her e-mail. Astrid Beck has been your devoted colleague and assistant for what—35-40 years, going all the way back to your Michigan years. She’s now a grandmother and still looks like a student. Well, I just want to tell you how much your support has meant to me all these years. You and I go back nearly 35 years. Even when ASOR [the American Schools of Oriental Research] was considering suing me because they thought my Biblical Archaeology Review was too close a name to their Biblical Archaeologist, you befriended me. We would have a meal together whenever you were in Washington—you, me and Dewey Beegle. That was always a highlight for me, even when I had to drive to Baltimore to be with you. Dewey’s gone now, too. Maybe you’ll see him. Say “hi” for me. For me, you were the giant scholar who never acted like a scholar. You acted just like a human being. You weren’t afraid of anything or anybody. You would entertain any idea—even if you ultimately rejected it. And you always wanted to reach out to us, the great unwashed. I remember that you and Frank Cross were great buddies. You even wrote a joint Ph.D. dissertation with him while you guys were studying with the great Albright at Johns Hopkins. Then you assisted Albright when he was editor of the massive Anchor Bible series (which I understand Doubleday has now dropped and given to Yale University Press—you told me that, didn’t you?). Anyway, you eventually succeeded Albright as the General Editor of the Anchor Bible series. I’ve always said your legacy will be in the footnotes of the Anchor Bible. You went over every word of every sentence, offering pages and pages of notes and comments. You were indeed the greatest editor since R, the Redactor who is given credit for editing the Bible. (Who first said that about you? I know it wasn’t me.) I’ve been meaning to ask you why you don’t seem to be using a computer. As far as I can tell, you’re still typing your own letters on a typewriter. And I’ve never sent you a letter to which I did not get a prompt reply. I’m not trying to flatter myself; you were well known for your prompt and thorough replies to everyone. Not that you didn’t make mistakes. You got sucked in by the alleged relationship between the Ebla tablets and the Bible. I was always comforted by that... Even the great Noel Freedman could, on occasion.... If you really want to know, you were an inspiration to me for this. If you look in the BAR index, you’ll find a couple of articles by Adam Mikaya. That was my pseudonym. I used it for stuff you fed me about Ebla and Fakhariya. Mikaya was a name from Ebla, which you told me means “Who is like Ya?” Of course, “ya” is the common suffix that refers to the Israelite God. You were as courageous a scholar as I ever met. You weren’t afraid to be wrong. Maybe that’s because you very seldom were. You had common-sense instincts as well as vast knowledge of the literature. You’ve had many luminous ideas, large and small. And you’ve continued to have them til the end. You were one of the ones who has said that the Yehoash inscription might well be authentic. This was indeed courageous. You weren’t afraid to take this position in BAR even though Frank, Kyle McCarter, Ed Greenstein, Avigdor Hurowitz and others are sure it’s a fake. We’ve taken no sides on the issue in BAR. Secretly, Noel, I think you may be right. That’s not said based on any scholarship. It’s just my gut. The inscription is too long to be a fake and reflects too much excellent arcane scholarship. (I know I’m beginning to sound like Chaim Cohen at Ben-Gurion University, but this is just between us. If it’s ultimately shown to be a fake, neither of us will shed a tear.) Before signing off, Noel, I want to thank you again for being a speaker at our Bible and Archaeology Fest last November in San Diego. You came in a wheelchair (as always, with Astrid’s help)—and you absolutely wowed them! I think everyone of the more than 160 participants knew they were in the presence of greatness. And, I guess as I look back on it, we kind of knew this might be the last time. I had that feeling as I folded up your wheelchair and put it in the trunk of the cab and waved goodbye to you and Astrid. Well, I guess this is the first letter I’ve ever sent you to which I won’t get a prompt reply. Thanks for everything, buddy. Love,
Academic DeanI came to know and appreciate Dr. Freedman from lectures at the U of MI. One day I mentioned to him that I was helping some of his doctoral students with statistics for their dissertation research. This led almost instantly to a joint analysis of the poetic structure of Lamentations and joint authorship of a journal article and my modest entry in the Anchor Bible Dictionary on the Budde Hypothesis. Working with Dr. Freedman (and Astrid) was a highlight of my life. • • • • • • • David Noel FredmanI didn't know this man but I am sure that he is still doing his work in another place. And I would have been honored to have known him. • • • • • • • David Noel FreedmanWhile David Noel Freedman was a great scholar, I don't think we should forget that he was also a member of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls monopoly team. In this capacity, he sat on at least one major text for nearly fifteen years, eventually handing it out to students while major scholars all over the world were not permitted to study it. He was also one of the key organizers of the recent San Diego exhibit on the scrolls (his student Rissa Levitt Kohn was the curator), an exhibit that has been criticized (just like the monopoly) for excluding scholars who disagree with the theory favored by the exhibitors. I don't point this out to denigrate Dr. Freedman's brilliant scholarship, but I think he would have wanted us to honestly remember him for his human flaws as well as the great gifts that he left us. Leonard Fishman • • • • • • • Dr. FreedmanDr. Freedman was my Hebrew instructor at San Francisco Theological Seminary back in the late 1960's. Upon graduation, it was my honor to accompany him to the University of Michigan to work as his Graduate Assistant for a year. Upon until this last year, we had corresponded about once a year. What a mind, what energy, what enthusiasm. Besides these traits, what I remember most was his bringing out humor from the Bible. He is missed! • • • • • • • David Noel FreedmanDr. Freedman, thanks a ton for the Anchor Bible Dictionary, a seminal work. I browse through this magnificent work quite often. I'm sorry I could not meet you in person but rest assured that you will be dearly missed. My life has been enriched by your academic work and integrity. • • • • • • • Prof. FreedmanI was once a student of David Noel Freedman's at UC San Diego. Entering his class, one was in awe of his reputation. Sitting in class, listening to him, his intellect was disarming. He had a seemingly timeless wisdom. His explanations of immensely complex issues would begin elaborately and end simply, completely, logically. He was special, he was unique. • • • • • • • SmithI first met DNF in 1969 when he was Director of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem (he changed the name to "Albright Institute" the following year). I was then an archaeology student at the Hebrew University. I had the pleasure of meeting him at other times and places over the years, and always found him so easy to talk to and so forthcoming on virtually any subject -- always willing to share his latest research. A kind and generous, brilliant man. • • • • • • • David Noel FreedmanThe Freedmans were our next-door neighbors in the 1960s when I was growing up. He and my father, colleagues on the faculty of San Francisco Seminary, had been classmates at Princeton Seminary in the early 1940s. Professor Freedman was a member of a remarkable, energetic and energizing family. His father had been a leading comedy writer in the golden age of radio - the head writer for the Eddie Cantor show, and mentor to a young assistant named Herman Wouk. Dr. Freedman's humor and inventiveness were wired into his DNA, as was the audacious social courage he inherited from his mother. I wish to endorse the notion that David Noel Freedman was truly an "editor's editor" as well as one of the great scholars of his generation. Theodore Gill, senior editor World Council of Churches • • • • • • • To David Noel FreedmanI never had Dr. Freedman for a close friend, Ph.D. adviser, etc. He would almost certainly not remember my name or recall any stories about me. I was a mathematics student in my freshman year at UCSD in 85-86 when I decided to look more seriously at the Bible. I'd never heard of David Noel Freedman, but I've certainly never forgotten him. He always had time for the questions gripping my 18 year old freshman mind, only recently converted from atheism. I have many fond memories of hour long conversations after class, walking across the beautiful UCSD campus. He even asked me handle the audio recording for a small conference held at UCSD in the fall of 1986. His encouragement to continue studying, and particularly to learn Hebrew, indirectly lead me to transfer to Oral Roberts University where I changed my major from mathematics to Old Testament Literature, with a minor in Hebrew. I'll never forget the man from whom I only took two classes. Rest b’Shalom, Dr. Freedman. • • • • • • • David Noel FreedmanWell said Mr. Shanks. The passing of of DNF is a sad time even as we celebrate his life and scholarship. I was pleased to meet and talk with him in the BAS Queen Mary seminar along with Zeony Zevitt, William Dever and and others. • • • • • • • Letter to David Noel FreedmanI was one of the fortunate people to have experienced Professor Feeedman's appearance at the Fest in November and I felt like time stood still during that part of dinner. I also enjoyed your own comments about his personal history, his scholarship and your obviously special friendship. What an extraordinary person! • • • • • • • Tribute to David Noel FreedmanI was one of Freedman's many doctoral students. In my first seminar with him at Michigan, there were three of us in the class, and, by the end, he still did not know any of our names! He couldn't be bothered with first-year students about whose commitments to scholarship he could not be sure. Later, however, he was the most generous mentor one could wish for. I took a teaching position as an ABD, and, when I wrote him proposing my dissertation topic, sending him a three-page handout outlining my treatment of a psalm that would typify my dissertation, he wrote back a four-page, single-spaced typed letter interacting with that little handout! And, over the next two years, he never failed to provide copious notes and feedback on everything I sent him. The prefaces of his doctoral students' dissertations and Anchor Bible authors are true: Freedman was the editor without peer--generous, rigorous, and relentless in the pursuit of knowledge. RIP, DNF. David Howard Bethel Seminary St. Paul, Minnesota • • • • • • • D.N. FreedmanYou certainly spoke for me in your letter to DNF. I had some unforgettable moments with him. But I have to respond to something linguistic. Mikaya does not mean "Who is like Ya." Ya or Yahweh is the result of Pettinato and Dahood's imagination He does not appear at Ebla. Mikaya just has the typical hypocoristic suffix that often replaced a divine component. Like the -ey on Mickey, short for Michael. • • • • • • • D.N. FreedmanThat was a very moving and touching letter to a great man. Noel, as a member of our Board of Advisors, always showed up for our annual Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation meetings, which I conducted early in the morning before the SBL conference would begin its sessions. So there he was, as usual, this time in San Diego (as you also mentioned) brought in on a wheelchair by his hearty assistant Astrid. He sat throughout our 2 hour meeting and even had some remarks to make to us all. As he was about to leave, I gave him a big hug and told him, "Next Year, Boston". We will all miss him greatly. • • • • • • • Letter to David Noel FreedmanHershel, thank you for writing this letter. My Anchor Bible Commentary on Nahum is perhaps one of the last books DNF edited. Your concluding words, "Thanks for everything, buddy," speak volumes to many of us. Here's the dedication note I submitted some weeks ago to Yale UP for my Commentary on Nahum: "To David Noel Freedman whose vision like that of Nahum enables him to maintain his pace well ahead of the rest of us." I asked the editors to keep the statement in the present tense -- in keeping with the spirit of your tribute to a truly great man. Duane Christensen Ecole Biblique CBA Visiting Professor Jerusalem • • • • • • • |
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The editor of the esteemed Anchor Bible series and of the Anchor Bible Dictionary and the author or editor of hundreds of books, David Noel Freedman was without peer as a Bible scholar. In memory of this towering figure we present here several items that give a sense of Freedman the man and the scholar.