My Life and Career as a Biblical Scholar

Despite growing up in a poor family during the 1930s and ‘40s, John Van Seters eventually excelled at the University of Toronto and earned a PhD at Yale University in ancient Near Eastern and Hebrew studies. Before Van Seters became a teacher, he and his wife spent three-quarters of a year in Palestine, becoming familiar with the whole region. Later in his career, Van Seters assisted in archaeological expeditions in Jordan and Egypt. Visits to the Near East across his career broadened his understanding and appreciation of the biblical texts he studied professionally. Van Seters spent most of his working life teaching in universities—first at the University of Toronto, and then for over twenty years at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. This book not only chronicles what Van Seters has accomplished as a biblical scholar but also tells how he has become such a scholar. The hope is that these experiences recorded here may guide young scholars to develop fruitful careers in biblical studies.