Talmon obituary at SBL Forum

AN OBITUARY FOR SHEMARYAHU TALMON has been posted at the SBL Forum.

Shemaryahu Talmon (1920–2010)

by Jonathan Ben-Dov

Professor Shemaryahu Talmon, a renowned scholar, an acclaimed leader, and a beloved family man, passed away in the month of Tevet 5771 (December 2010) at the age of 90. He was Professor Emeritus of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, serving in the Bible department between the years 1957 and 1988, and a winner of the Israel Prize for Biblical Studies in 1997. Among his many scholarly and public achievements, one may count the establishment and management of the Hebrew University Bible Project, the editing of scrolls from Masada and Qumran, key publications in the field of the biblical text, literature, and calendar, as well as life-long involvement in Jewish-Christian dialogue, and active management of various academic bodies in Israel and abroad.

Several months before he passed away, a group of colleagues and friends assembled at the Hebrew University Bible Project to celebrate Shemaryahu’s ninetieth birthday. He acted like he always did, combining sharp academic rigor with a healthy sense of humor, sharing his old memories with a smile, occasionally inserting a witty sting at something from the old days. This memory will live on among his close friends and colleagues.

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