Leroy Waterman
Encyclopedia
Leroy Waterman was a professor of Oriental Languages and Literature at the University of Michigan
, an archaeologist of the Middle East
, an Old Testament
scholar, a translator of the Revised Standard Version
Old Testament, and a proponent of a distinctive version of a non-supernaturalistic Christian
faith.
with a BA in 1898 and BD in 1900, and then studied at Oxford
(1900-02), the University of Berlin (1906-07), and the University of Chicago
, where he received a PhD in 1912. Waterman taught Hebrew language and literature at the Divinity School of Hillsdale College from 1902 to 1910 and taught as a fellow at the University of Chicago from 1910 to 1912. He became professor of Old Testament and the history of religion at Meadville (PA) Theological School in 1913, and two years later joined the University of Michigan as head of the Department of Semitics, which became the Department of Oriental Languages and Literatures and is now the Near Eastern Studies Department. He remained at Michigan until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1945. Waterman married Mabelle Alice Walrath in 1906, and they had two children: Dorothea Lydia and Donald Leroy. The Watermans were long-time members of the First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor.
A distinguished Biblical scholar, during the years 1922-27 Waterman was one of five members of the translation committee of the University of Chicago that produced "The Bible: An American Translation," sometimes called the “Chicago Bible.” From 1938-52 he was one of 31 scholars appointed by the National Council of Churches of Christ in America to the committee which produced the Revised Standard Version
of the Bible, of which the New testament appeared in 1946 and the Old Testament in 1952. He served as the annual professor at the American School of Oriental Research in Baghdad, Iraq in 1928-29, and from 1928 to 1931 was director of a Mesopotamian archaeological expedition at Tel-Umar, twenty-five miles south of Baghdad, which was sponsored by the University of Michigan, the Toledo (OH) Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Art Museum. Waterman began the excavation of the ancient city of Seleucia on the Tigris
, having located the site through his study of ancient documents and the use of aerial photographs. The results were published in the "Preliminary Report Upon the Excavations at Tel Umar, Iraq" (University of Michigan Press 1931) and the "Second Preliminary Report" (1933). Waterman was also director of a University of Michigan archaeological expedition at Sepphoris, near Nazareth
, during the summer of 1931. These results were published in the "Preliminary Report of the University of Michigan at Sepphoris, Palestine" (University, of Michigan Press, 1931). Additional scholarly work included editing volume XIV of R.F. Harper's "Assyrian and Babylonian Letters" (1912), translating "Some Koujunjik Letters and Related Texts" (1912), "Business Documents of the Hammurabi Period" (1916), and "The Royal Correspondence of the Assyrian Empire" (four vol. 1930).
Professor Waterman was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the American Oriental Society, 1915 - Life member, annual president, 1936; National Association of Biblical Instructors, 1915; Royal Asiatic Society; Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis (president, 1946); Society for Old Testament Study; Research Club of the University of Michigan; the University Club of Ann Arbor; and the Michigan Council of Churches and Christian Education, (president, 1937-42). He received an honorary D. Litt. degree from Hillsdale College in 1925 and an Honorary D.D. degree from Butler University in 1961. Waterman also lectured for the University of Michigan Extension Service in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor during the period of 1945-65, and was a teacher of Bible courses at the First Baptist and the First Methodist churches in Ann Arbor. Active in public teaching to the time of his passing, he died in Ann Arbor, MI on May 9, 1972.
should play in world society, and his views could perhaps be considered more "progressive" than those of many of his time. In a series of six books that were both scholarly and directly concerned with the meaning of religion for the conduct of life, he put forward what he considered to be a positive and constructive understanding of Jesus
' true message and its Old Testament background. Always concerned about the lack of communication between scholars who studied the Old and New Testaments, these six books together constitute an argument for and an elaboration of two major claims. According to Waterman;
I. In the Old Testament there is a largely unappreciated "prophetic" or "ethical" religious stratum that pointed toward a universalistic view of God's love and care for all peoples, regardless of tribal or national affiliation. Advocated by a group of prophets ranging from Amos
to the author of Jonah
, who together "constitute one of the most remarkable and significant groups of thinkers that humanity has ever produced," this stratum was distinct from, and opposed to, the dominant "nationalistic" or "priestly" stratum of the Old Testament that was centered on Israel as God's special chosen people, a series of dramatic interventions of God into their national history, and on a priestly cult with blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin.
II. Jesus was not only aware of this "ethical" or "prophetic" stratum but he explicitly made it the foundation of his own teaching of an earthly "reign of God" that was based on loving interpersonal relationships and which was within the immediate reach of those to whom he spoke, open to all regardless of national or tribal identity. Although Jesus' message was misunderstood and obscured by the messianic and eschatological
mindsets of the New Testament writers generally and by the apostle Paul
in particular, the content and origins of that message can still be discerned by careful analysis of the Old and New Testament documents, and it has the potential to form the basis of a worldwide religious community of all humanity.
In these works Waterman himself appears as a forerunner of the non-apocalyptic
, non-supernaturalistic view of a human Jesus that has been promoted more recently by advocates such as John Shelby Spong
, Marcus Borg
, and those associated with the Jesus Seminar
, but Waterman placed greater emphasis on the continuity of the anti-sacrificial teachings of the Old Testament ethical prophets and the public ministry of Jesus.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, an archaeologist of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, an Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
scholar, a translator of the Revised Standard Version
Revised Standard Version
The Revised Standard Version is an English translation of the Bible published in the mid-20th century. It traces its history to William Tyndale's New Testament translation of 1525. The RSV is an authorized revision of the American Standard Version of 1901...
Old Testament, and a proponent of a distinctive version of a non-supernaturalistic Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith.
Biography
He was born in Pierpont, Ohio, July 4, 1875, receiving his early education in the public schools of Pierpont and at the New Lyme Institute in New Lyme, OH. He graduated from Hillsdale CollegeHillsdale College
Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States, is a co-educational liberal arts college known for being the first American college to prohibit in its charter all discrimination based on race, religion, or sex; its refusal of government funding; and its monthly publication, Imprimis...
with a BA in 1898 and BD in 1900, and then studied at Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
(1900-02), the University of Berlin (1906-07), and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he received a PhD in 1912. Waterman taught Hebrew language and literature at the Divinity School of Hillsdale College from 1902 to 1910 and taught as a fellow at the University of Chicago from 1910 to 1912. He became professor of Old Testament and the history of religion at Meadville (PA) Theological School in 1913, and two years later joined the University of Michigan as head of the Department of Semitics, which became the Department of Oriental Languages and Literatures and is now the Near Eastern Studies Department. He remained at Michigan until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1945. Waterman married Mabelle Alice Walrath in 1906, and they had two children: Dorothea Lydia and Donald Leroy. The Watermans were long-time members of the First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor.
A distinguished Biblical scholar, during the years 1922-27 Waterman was one of five members of the translation committee of the University of Chicago that produced "The Bible: An American Translation," sometimes called the “Chicago Bible.” From 1938-52 he was one of 31 scholars appointed by the National Council of Churches of Christ in America to the committee which produced the Revised Standard Version
Revised Standard Version
The Revised Standard Version is an English translation of the Bible published in the mid-20th century. It traces its history to William Tyndale's New Testament translation of 1525. The RSV is an authorized revision of the American Standard Version of 1901...
of the Bible, of which the New testament appeared in 1946 and the Old Testament in 1952. He served as the annual professor at the American School of Oriental Research in Baghdad, Iraq in 1928-29, and from 1928 to 1931 was director of a Mesopotamian archaeological expedition at Tel-Umar, twenty-five miles south of Baghdad, which was sponsored by the University of Michigan, the Toledo (OH) Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Art Museum. Waterman began the excavation of the ancient city of Seleucia on the Tigris
Seleucia on the Tigris
Seleucia , also known as Seleucia on the Tigris, was one of the great cities of the world during Hellenistic and Roman times. It stood in Mesopotamia, on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the smaller town of Ctesiphon, in present day Babil Governorate, Iraq.-Seleucid empire:Seleucia,...
, having located the site through his study of ancient documents and the use of aerial photographs. The results were published in the "Preliminary Report Upon the Excavations at Tel Umar, Iraq" (University of Michigan Press 1931) and the "Second Preliminary Report" (1933). Waterman was also director of a University of Michigan archaeological expedition at Sepphoris, near Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
, during the summer of 1931. These results were published in the "Preliminary Report of the University of Michigan at Sepphoris, Palestine" (University, of Michigan Press, 1931). Additional scholarly work included editing volume XIV of R.F. Harper's "Assyrian and Babylonian Letters" (1912), translating "Some Koujunjik Letters and Related Texts" (1912), "Business Documents of the Hammurabi Period" (1916), and "The Royal Correspondence of the Assyrian Empire" (four vol. 1930).
Professor Waterman was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the American Oriental Society, 1915 - Life member, annual president, 1936; National Association of Biblical Instructors, 1915; Royal Asiatic Society; Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis (president, 1946); Society for Old Testament Study; Research Club of the University of Michigan; the University Club of Ann Arbor; and the Michigan Council of Churches and Christian Education, (president, 1937-42). He received an honorary D. Litt. degree from Hillsdale College in 1925 and an Honorary D.D. degree from Butler University in 1961. Waterman also lectured for the University of Michigan Extension Service in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor during the period of 1945-65, and was a teacher of Bible courses at the First Baptist and the First Methodist churches in Ann Arbor. Active in public teaching to the time of his passing, he died in Ann Arbor, MI on May 9, 1972.
Writings
During his long life Waterman was particularly interested in communicating to the general public his understanding of the role ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
should play in world society, and his views could perhaps be considered more "progressive" than those of many of his time. In a series of six books that were both scholarly and directly concerned with the meaning of religion for the conduct of life, he put forward what he considered to be a positive and constructive understanding of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' true message and its Old Testament background. Always concerned about the lack of communication between scholars who studied the Old and New Testaments, these six books together constitute an argument for and an elaboration of two major claims. According to Waterman;
I. In the Old Testament there is a largely unappreciated "prophetic" or "ethical" religious stratum that pointed toward a universalistic view of God's love and care for all peoples, regardless of tribal or national affiliation. Advocated by a group of prophets ranging from Amos
Amos (prophet)
Amos is a minor prophet in the Old Testament, and the author of the Book of Amos. Before becoming a prophet, Amos was a sheep herder and a sycamore fig farmer. Amos' prior professions and his claim "I am not a prophet nor a son of a prophet" indicate that Amos was not from the school of prophets,...
to the author of Jonah
Jonah
Jonah is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BC, the eponymous central character in the Book of Jonah, famous for being swallowed by a fish or a whale, depending on translation...
, who together "constitute one of the most remarkable and significant groups of thinkers that humanity has ever produced," this stratum was distinct from, and opposed to, the dominant "nationalistic" or "priestly" stratum of the Old Testament that was centered on Israel as God's special chosen people, a series of dramatic interventions of God into their national history, and on a priestly cult with blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin.
II. Jesus was not only aware of this "ethical" or "prophetic" stratum but he explicitly made it the foundation of his own teaching of an earthly "reign of God" that was based on loving interpersonal relationships and which was within the immediate reach of those to whom he spoke, open to all regardless of national or tribal identity. Although Jesus' message was misunderstood and obscured by the messianic and eschatological
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
mindsets of the New Testament writers generally and by the apostle Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
in particular, the content and origins of that message can still be discerned by careful analysis of the Old and New Testament documents, and it has the potential to form the basis of a worldwide religious community of all humanity.
In these works Waterman himself appears as a forerunner of the non-apocalyptic
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
, non-supernaturalistic view of a human Jesus that has been promoted more recently by advocates such as John Shelby Spong
John Shelby Spong
John Shelby "Jack" Spong is a retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church. He was formerly the Bishop of Newark . He is a liberal Christian theologian, religion commentator and author...
, Marcus Borg
Marcus Borg
Marcus J. Borg is an American Biblical scholar and author. He is a fellow of the Jesus Seminar, holds a DPhil degree from Oxford University and is Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture, an endowed chair, at Oregon State University, from which he retired in 2007...
, and those associated with the Jesus Seminar
Jesus Seminar
The Jesus Seminar is a group of about 150 critical scholars and laymen founded in 1985 by Robert Funk under the auspices of the Westar Institute....
, but Waterman placed greater emphasis on the continuity of the anti-sacrificial teachings of the Old Testament ethical prophets and the public ministry of Jesus.