Did William Schniedewind serve on the board of advisors of the University of the Holy Land?

2007-10-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

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INTRODUCTION

An article that appeared on the Nowpublic site on August 2, 2007, alleged that Dr. William Schniedewind, a professor of biblical studies teaching in the UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, was listed as "advisor" and "adjunct professor" on the personnel page of the University of the Holy Land (UHL), an Evangelical Christian educational institution based in Jerusalem.

The same allegation was then raised on wikipedia, in a discussion of the "William Schniedewind" article posted by UCLA graduate student Robert Cargill. During the course of the discussion, Mr. Cargill denied that Schniedewind was affiliated with UHL.

The allegation, and Mr. Cargill's denial, raise a set of important issues:

First, has Dr. Schniedewind ever, during the period of his teaching career at UCLA, been affiliated with UHL? If so, is it appropriate for a secular, state-run institution such as UCLA to allow one of its faculty members also to be affiliated with a Christian fundamentalist educational institution? (To the best of our knowledge, none of UHL's other faculty members or "advisors" have ever been affiliated with state-run institutions such as UCLA.)

Second, was Dr. Schniedewind's name removed from UHL's website in response to the allegations raised in the Nowpublic article of August 2, 2007? If so, has Dr. Schniedewind's relationship with UHL changed, or does he still serve as "advisor" to that institution?

Third, did Mr. Cargill tell the whole truth on wikipedia, or did he fail to mention information to which he was privy in an effort to protect his dissertation director from any embarrassment at UCLA? (Prior to enrolling at UCLA, Mr. Cargill received a ministerial degree from Pepperdine University, another Evangelical educational institution. A digital film produced by Schniedewind and Cargill with funds donated by Stephen Spielberg has recently being promoted on the websites of both UCLA and UHL; criticism of the film has focused in part on Mr. Cargill's statement in the unpublished script that he has a "reason" for a particular editorial choice, but "never writes it down.")

Finally, have any of these questions been the subject of an investigation at UCLA? Does UCLA have any policy on such matters, or are they simply left to the discretion of faculty members? As a purely factual matter, has UCLA's Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures become a haven for one or more "bible scholars" affiliated with Evangelical Christian educational institutions?

THE FACTS

The current version of UHL's website does not list Schniedewind's name. However, Google's cached page of the website, as of October 10, 2007, did list Schniedewind, in two separate spots. A comparison shows that UHL's website was updated, apparently towards the end of September 2007.

THE EVIDENCE

We here post photographs of the relevant October 10, 2007, Google pages (which have now apparently expired from the internet). Readers can compare with the current UHL page (linked above) to see that the format is identical, but that Schniedewind's name has been omitted. Click on the photographs for larger views of the scanned pages.

University of the Holy Land personnel pages as viewed by a Google search on October 10, 2007:

1. UHL personnel, beginning of "Board of Advisors" section.

2. UHL personnel, next page (Schniedewind is listed directly in the middle of the page).

3. UHL personnel, beginning of "Adjunct Faculty" section.

4. UHL personnel, next page (Schniedewind is at the top of the page).

APPENDIX: the entire cached University of the Holy Land personnel page as directly copied (by cut and paste) from the internet (Google search) on October 10, 2007 (Schniedewind's entries are in boldface):

UHL Personnel
See allBoard of DirectorsBoard of AdvisorsAdministrationFacultyAdjunct FacultyVisiting Faculty
Board of Directors
· William BroughtonSecretary
Affiliation: Canon, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, San DiegoEducation: M.A., Wheaton Graduate School; M.Div., Seabury-Western Theological School; Postgraduate Studies, Graduate Theological Union; Th.D., honoris causa, University of the Holy LandPublications: Contributor and Editor, Land of Sorrow Land of Joy, 2000 Years of Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
William Broughton (center, with students in Anchorite Cave), Chair, Dept. of Theological Studies

· Thomas Cracraft

· Dale Liid

· Stephen PfannPresident
Education: M.A., Graduate Theological Union; Ph.D., Department of Ancient Semitic Languages, Hebrew UniversityPublications: The Dead Sea Scrolls on Microfiche: A Comprehensive Facsimile Edition; "The Essene Yearly Renewal Ceremony and the Baptism of Repentance", Proceedings of the Provo Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls; "Khirbet Kerak Ware", Anchor Bible Dictionary
President Stephen Pfann, Chair, Dept. of Qumran Studies

· Claire Ruth Pfann
Education: M.A., Graduate Theological Union; Postgraduate Studies, Hebrew University, Department of Comparative ReligionsPublications: Production Editor, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek Documentary Texts from Nahal Hever and other Sites (DJD XXVII); Contributor, The Illustrated Dictionary and Concordance of the Bible
Claire Pfann, Chair, Division of New Testament and Early Christianity

Board of Advisors
· John Court
Affiliation: Head of Section, Theology and Religious Studies, University of Kent at Canterbury, UKEducation: Ph.D University of Durham, UKPublications: Myth and History in the Book of Revelation; Sheffiƒeld Study Guide on Revelation; New Testament World; Reading the New Testament; "The Book of Revelation and the Johannine Apocalyptic Tradition" in Scottish Journal of Theology, Vol. 55 (2002)
Visiting Scholar Prof John Court at work in the Scrollery at the Rockerfeller Museum

· Karl Donfried
Affiliation: Smith College, USA

· John Endries
Affiliation: Jesuit School of Theology, Graduate Theological Union, USA

· William Fulco
Affiliation: Loyola Marymount University, USA

· William Schneidewind
Affiliation: Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature, University of California at Los Angeles, USAEducation: Ph.D., Brandeis UniversityPublications: Society and the Promise to David: The Reception History of 2 Samuel 7:1–17

Administration
· William BroughtonDean of Student Affairs; Chaplain; Interim Chair, Department of Theological Studies and Department of Pilgrimage Studies
Affiliation: Canon, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, San DiegoEducation: M.A., Wheaton Graduate School; M.Div., Seabury-Western Theological School; Postgraduate Studies, Graduate Theological Union; Th.D., honoris causa, University of the Holy LandPublications: Contributor and Editor, Land of Sorrow Land of Joy, 2000 Years of Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
William Broughton (center, with students in Anchorite Cave), Chair, Dept. of Theological Studies

· Stephen PfannPresident; Chair, Department of Qumran Studies; Nazareth Village Farm Excavation
Education: M.A., Graduate Theological Union; Ph.D., Department of Ancient Semitic Languages, Hebrew UniversityPublications: The Dead Sea Scrolls on Microfiche: A Comprehensive Facsimile Edition; "The Essene Yearly Renewal Ceremony and the Baptism of Repentance", Proceedings of the Provo Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls; "Khirbet Kerak Ware", Anchor Bible Dictionary
President Stephen Pfann, Chair, Dept. of Qumran Studies

· Claire Ruth PfannDean of Academic Affairs; Chair, Division of New Testament and Early Christianity
Education: M.A., Graduate Theological Union; Postgraduate Studies, Hebrew University, Department of Comparative ReligionsPublications: Production Editor, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek Documentary Texts from Nahal Hever and other Sites (DJD XXVII); Contributor, The Illustrated Dictionary and Concordance of the Bible
Claire Pfann, Chair, Division of New Testament and Early Christianity

· Peter SnyderChair, Department of English Language
Education: M.A.Ed., Oral Roberts UniversityPublications: Foundations in Overseas Education; ESL Teacher's Guide for Haitian-Creole Learners

· Ross VossChair, Department of Archaeology; Co-Director, Nazareth Village Farm Excavation
Education: M.T.S., Harvard Divinity SchoolPublications: Dan I: A Chronicle of the Excavation, the Pottery Neolithic, the Early Bronze, and One Middle Bronze Age Tombs

Faculty
· William BroughtonTheology, Monasticism
Affiliation: Canon, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, San DiegoEducation: M.A., Wheaton Graduate School; M.Div., Seabury-Western Theological School; Postgraduate Studies, Graduate Theological Union; Th.D., honoris causa, University of the Holy LandPublications: Contributor and Editor, Land of Sorrow Land of Joy, 2000 Years of Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
William Broughton (center, with students in Anchorite Cave), Chair, Dept. of Theological Studies

· Youn-Ho ChungOld Testament
Education: M.Div and Th.M, Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary; Ph.D., Hebrew University in Jerusalem

· Stephen PfannQumran Studies; Ancient Languages; Cultural Geography
Education: M.A., Graduate Theological Union; Ph.D., Department of Ancient Semitic Languages, Hebrew UniversityPublications: The Dead Sea Scrolls on Microfiche: A Comprehensive Facsimile Edition; "The Essene Yearly Renewal Ceremony and the Baptism of Repentance", Proceedings of the Provo Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls; "Khirbet Kerak Ware", Anchor Bible Dictionary
President Stephen Pfann, Chair, Dept. of Qumran Studies

· Ray PritzEarly Christianity
Education: Ph.D., Department of Comparative Religions, Hebrew UniversityPublications: Nazarene Jewish Christianity
Ray Pritz lecturing at Mount Scopus

· Christophe RicoPhilology and Linguistics
Education: PhD., The Sorbonne

· Claire Ruth PfannNew Testament
Education: M.A., Graduate Theological Union; Postgraduate Studies, Hebrew University, Department of Comparative ReligionsPublications: Production Editor, Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek Documentary Texts from Nahal Hever and other Sites (DJD XXVII); Contributor, The Illustrated Dictionary and Concordance of the Bible
Claire Pfann, Chair, Division of New Testament and Early Christianity

· Peter SnyderEnglish
Education: M.A.Ed., Oral Roberts UniversityPublications: Foundations in Overseas Education; ESL Teacher's Guide for Haitian-Creole Learners

· Ross VossArchaeology
Education: M.T.S., Harvard Divinity SchoolPublications: Dan I: A Chronicle of the Excavation, the Pottery Neolithic, the Early Bronze, and One Middle Bronze Age Tombs

Adjunct Faculty
· Kathleen Arai
Affiliation: Marriage and family counselor, RN and nurse-midwife with a private practice in Pasadena at Deep Healing MinistriesEducation: M.A.; Ph.D.

· Victor Arai
Affiliation: Professor and Department Chairperson of Life Sciences at Los Angeles City CollegeEducation: B.S., O.D., Southern California College of Optometry; Ph.D.

· Ginger Barth CaessensLecturer in Historical Geography
Education: Ph.D., Cambridge University

· Ki-Duk Chung
Affiliation: Professor of New Testament Theology, Taejon Presbyterian Theological Seminary, KoreaEducation: D.Min., International College and Graduate School, Honolulu, Hawaii

· Petra Heldt
Affiliation: Director of Ecumenical FraternityEducation: Ph.D., Hebrew University

· Curtis Hutt
Affiliation: Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Mercy College, New YorkEducation: B.A., Manhattanville College; M.A., Katholieke Universiteit Leuven; M.A., Center for the Study of Early Christianity / Institute of Holy Land Studies; Ph.D., Brown UniversityPublications: John Dewey and the Ethics of Historical Belief (forthcoming Fall 2007); "Pierre Bourdieu on the Verstehende Soziologie of Max Weber" in Method and Theory in the Study of Religion (submitted 2007); "Husserl: Perception and the Ideality of Time" in Philosophy Today 43:4 (Winter 1999); "Qumran and the Ancient Sources" in D. W. Parry and E. Ulrich, eds., in The Provo International Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls: Technological Innovations, New Texts, and Reformulated Issues

· Yuzo Morimoto
Education: B.A., Kansai Gaidai University; Japan Nazarene Theological Seminary; Th.M., Doshisha University; Hebrew University (Studying); M.A., University of the Holy Land, CSEC; Th.D., Department of Religion and Theology, California Pacific School of Theology, affiliated with Pacific International University.
Dr. Yuzo Morimoto and his wife Ikuko

· Laurence RichardsonTheology and Philosophy
Education: M.A. and S.T.D., University of Navarre, Departments of Philosophy and TheologyPublications: "Newman on the Church" in Catholic Education Today, Vol. 6 (1972); "Newman and the Phenomenological Movement" in Acta Philosophica, Vol. 8 (1999); "Newman's Approach to Knowledge" Gracewing 2007

· Halvor Ronning
Affiliation: Instructor of New Testament, The School for Bible Translators, JerusalemEducation: M.A., Yale University; Postgraduate Studies, Department of Comparative Religions, Hebrew University
Visiting lecturer Halvor Ronning (top) and Weston Fields in front of Qumran caves

· William Schneidewind
Affiliation: Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature, University of California at Los Angeles, USAEducation: Ph.D., Brandeis UniversityPublications: Society and the Promise to David: The Reception History of 2 Samuel 7:1–17

· Jeff Spivak
Education: M.Th.S., University of the Holy Land

· Michael Stone
Affiliation: Professor of Comparative Religions, Armenian Studies, and Jewish Thought, Hebrew University of JerusalemEducation: Ph.D., Harvard UniversityPublications: Scriptures, Sects and Visions: A Profile of Judaism from Ezra to the Jewish Revolts; Ed., Jewish Writing of the Second Temple Period: Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Qumran Sectarian Writings, Philo, Josephus

· Justin Taylor S.M.
Affiliation: Professor of New Testament, Ecole Biblique et Archéologique Française de JérusalemPublications: The Origins of Christianity: An Exploration

Visiting Faculty
· John Court
Affiliation: Head of Section, Theology and Religious Studies, University of Kent at Canterbury, UKEducation: Ph.D University of Durham, UKPublications: Myth and History in the Book of Revelation; Sheffiƒeld Study Guide on Revelation; New Testament World; Reading the New Testament; "The Book of Revelation and the Johannine Apocalyptic Tradition" in Scottish Journal of Theology, Vol. 55 (2002)
Visiting Scholar Prof John Court at work in the Scrollery at the Rockerfeller Museum

· Karl Donfried
Affiliation: Smith College, USA

· Loren T. Stuckenbruck
Affiliation: B. F. Westcott Professor in Biblical Studies, Department of Theology and Religion, Durham UniversityEducation: Ph.D. Princeton Theological Seminary

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Evidence emerges of UCLA professor's ties with Evangelical educational institution

Did William Schniedewind serve on the board of advisors of the University of the Holy Land?