Louis Harry Feldman (October 29, 1926 – March 25, 2017) was an American professor of

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

and literature. He was the Abraham Wouk Family Professor of Classics and Literature at Yeshiva University, the institution at which he taught since 1955. Feldman was a scholar of

Hellenistic civilization In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

, specifically the works of

Josephus Flavius Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly ...

. Feldman's work on Josephus is widely respected by other scholars.

Biography

Feldman received his undergraduate degree (as valedictorian) from Trinity College, Hartford, CT in 1946 and his

master’s degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

the following year. In 1951, he received his doctoral degree in

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

for his dissertation ''

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

’s Concept of Historiography''. He returned to Trinity College as a teaching fellow and eventually served as classics instructor before leaving for

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hobart and William Smith Colleges are Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts colleges in Geneva, New York. They trace their origins to Geneva Academy established in 1797. Students can choose from 45 maj ...

in 1953. Feldman began teaching at Yeshiva University as an instructor in 1955, became an assistant professor in 1956, an associate professor in 1961 and, in 1966, a professor of classics. In 1993, he was appointed Abraham Wouk Family Professor of Classics and Literature at Yeshiva University. A fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research, he received numerous other fellowships and awards. These include a Ford Foundation Fellowship (1951-1952), a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the art ...

(1963), a grant from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture (1969), and a grant from the American Philosophical Association (1972). He was named a senior fellow of the

American Council of Learned Societies American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

in 1971, a Littauer Foundation fellow in 1973, and

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent schola ...

fellow in 1994. In 1981, he received the

American Philological Association The Society for Classical Studies (SCS), formerly known as the American Philological Association (APA) is a non-profit North American scholarly organization devoted to all aspects of Greek and Roman civilization founded in 1869. It is the preemin ...

award for “Excellence in Teaching the Classics.” Additionally, Feldman has been selected to conduct seminars for college teachers by the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

. Feldman is a co-recipient of the 2014 National Jewish Book Award in the Scholarship category for editing ''Outside the Bible'' with

James L. Kugel James L. Kugel (Hebrew: Yaakov Kaduri, יעקב כדורי; born August 22, 1945) is Professor Emeritus in the Bible Department at Bar Ilan University in Israel and the Harry M. Starr Professor Emeritus of Classical and Modern Hebrew Literature at ...

and

Lawrence H. Schiffman Lawrence Harvey Schiffman (born 1948) is a professor at New York University (as of 2014); he was formerly Vice-Provost of Undergraduate Education at Yeshiva University and Professor of Jewish Studies (from early 2011 to 2014). He had previous ...

Thought and writings

Feldman was a widely respected antiquities scholar.'' Henoch'' Volumes 29–30, 2007, page 376 Robert E. Van Voorst referred to Feldman as "the dean of Josephan scholars",''Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence'' by Robert E. Van Voorst 2000 , page 88 and

Paul L. Maier Paul L. Maier (born May 31, 1930) is a historian and novelist. He has written several works of scholarly and popular non-fiction about Christianity and novels about Christian historians. He is the former Russell H. Seibert Professor of Ancient H ...

referred to Feldman as "the ranking Josephus authority".''Josephus: The Essential Works'' by Flavius Josephus and Paul L. Maier 1995 , page 285 As a historian, Feldman dealt primarily with the writings of Josephus and their role within the larger framework of Jewish civilization during the

Second Temple Period The Second Temple period in Jewish history lasted approximately 600 years (516 BCE - 70 CE), during which the Second Temple existed. It started with the return to Zion and the construction of the Second Temple, while it ended with the First Je ...

. Feldmans' works on Josephus ranged from discussions of historical accuracy to analysis of Josephus’ biblical interpretations. Overall, Feldman viewed Josephus’ work as key to understanding Jewish life and interactions with Hellenistic culture during the

Greco-Roman The Greco-Roman civilization (; also Greco-Roman culture; spelled Graeco-Roman in the Commonwealth), as understood by modern scholars and writers, includes the geographical regions and countries that culturally—and so historically—were di ...

era. In addition to his work on Josephus, Feldman published numerous works on the writings of

Philo Philo of Alexandria (; grc, Φίλων, Phílōn; he, יְדִידְיָה, Yəḏīḏyāh (Jedediah); ), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. Philo's de ...

as well as works dealing directly with the nature of Jewish life during antiquity. Feldman’s works include ''Scholarship on Philo and Josephus, 1937-1962'' (1963), ''Josephus and Modern Scholarship, 1937-1980'' (1984), ''Jew and Gentile in the Ancient World: Attitudes and Interactions from Alexander to Justinian'' (1993), ''Studies in Hellenistic Judaism'' (1998), and ''Josephus’ Interpretation of the Bible'' (1998). Feldman also translated several volumes of the critical edition of Jewish Antiquities. Feldman contributed extensively to journals in his field, having published approximately 170 scholarly articles. He also served as departmental editor of Hellenistic literature for the first edition of ''

Encyclopedia Judaica The ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' is a 22-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people, Judaism, and Israel. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, holidays, langua ...

'' and as a contributor to the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...

''.

Notes

References

* ''

'' Second Edition, Volume 6

External links

List of Feldman's Scholarly Articles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feldman, Louis H. 1926 births 2017 deaths Jewish American historians Yeshiva University faculty Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni American classical scholars Jewish scholars American Orthodox Jews People from Hartford, Connecticut Historians from Connecticut 21st-century American Jews