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Barry J. Beitzel (born August 6, 1942, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, age 83) is an Old Testament scholar, geographer, cartographer, and translator of the Bible. In 2025 he resides in Mundelein, Illinois. [1]
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Barry J. Beitzel (born August 6, 1942, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, age 83) is an Old Testament scholar, geographer, cartographer, and translator of the Bible. In 2025 he resides in Mundelein, Illinois. [1]
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Following a BA in Bible and an MA in Old Testament from Bob Jones University, Beitzel studied languages at the Fuller Theological Seminary and the University of Pennsylvania. [2] He then enrolled at The Dropsie University (Philadelphia; merged with the University of Pennsylvania in 1993; renamed the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies in 2008), where he earned a PhD degree in ancient Near Eastern Languages and Literatures in 1976; his dissertation is titled The Place-Names in the Mari Texts: An Onomastic and Toponymic Study. He obtained a post-doctorate in ancient Near Eastern Geography at L'Université de Liège (Belgium, 1981), where he worked with the doyen of Near Eastern geography, J.-R. Kupper, and Assyriologist Georges Dossin.
Beitzel's academic areas of interest include the geographic and spatial dimension of the biblical storylines within the context of their physical world. His primary archaeological work relates to the geographic context and socio-spatiality of the network of paved communication and transportation arteries and unpaved thoroughfares across the ancient Near East, more recently focusing on the structure and location of ancient roadways and milestones in the southern Levant east of the Jordan River (corresponding mostly with the modern country of Jordan); he also spent one season in eastern Syria, with the UCLA team excavating the site of Tell Ashara, where he was also a member of Giorgio Buccellati's geographical team surveying the terrain and searching for undiscovered ancient sites in the Middle Euphrates and Lower Habur River valleys.[ citation needed ]
Beitzel's professional work has taken him to Western Asia and the greater Mediterranean on more than 50 occasions. He has also lectured in various countries, and contributed to serial publications, chapters to various monographs, and essays in festschriften. Beitzel served as senior translator. He is a former board member of the American Oriental Society, Middle West region. [3] He is a member of The American Schools of Oriental Research, The Association of American Geographers, The National Association of Professors of Hebrew and The Society of Biblical Literature. [2]
Some of his maps are now on permanent display in the Library of Congress. [2]
Barry J. Beitzel has been a member of the Department of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS; Deerfield, Illinois) since 1976, as assistant professor (1976-1980), associate professor (1980-1985; tenured 1983), professor (1985–2016), and professor emeritus (2016 to the present). He was associate academic dean between the years 1986–1996 and executive vice president/provost throughout 1996–2004.
Dr. Beitzel is married to Carol (née Watson); they have three children. [1]
{{isbn}}: Check isbn value: checksum (help) (Digital); 9781683597292 (Print). 2024 TGC Book Award of Distinction in Biblical Studies.He has contributed to the production to a collection of maps by his supervision:[ citation needed ]
His map has appeared in:[ citation needed ]
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