Nelson Glueck
Encyclopedia
Nelson Glueck was an American
rabbi
, academic
and archaeologist
. Dr Glueck served as president of Hebrew Union College
from 1947 until his death, and his pioneering work in biblical archaeology
resulted in the discovery of 1,500 ancient sites.
in 1900 to German Jewish parents, Glueck developed a passion for religion early in life, and was ordained as a Reform
rabbi in 1923. He received his Ph.D from the University of Jena in Germany
in 1926. By 1928 he was a member of the Hebrew Union College
faculty, teaching at the seminary
of the Reform Jewish
movement. It was during this time period that he first visited the Holy Land
. Over his career, he developed an intimate knowledge of the land's rich history. Dr. Glueck, an expert on ancient pottery
, was able to match small fragments of ceramic to distinct time periods. He was the first to identify some ancient wares such as the Edomite pottery
and Midianite ware, while he re-discovered the now-called Negevite pottery
. During World War II
, Dr Glueck used his intimate knowledge of Palestine's geography to help the Office of Strategic Services
develop a contingency plan for a retreat from Nazi General
Erwin Rommel
who was advancing through Northern Africa. (Rommel was stopped, however, and the plan was not needed.)
In the 1950s, Dr Glueck discovered remains of the advanced Nabataean civilization in what was then Transjordan
. Using irrigation
, the Nabateans were able to grow crops and develop a densely populated civilization in the Negev
desert
, despite receiving under six inches of rain
fall a year. Dr Glueck worked with Israeli leaders to build an irrigation system modeled on that of the Nabataeans.
Dr Glueck's scholarship led to personal relationships with many world leaders: he delivered the benediction
at President John F. Kennedy
's inauguration
in 1961; and he was personal friends with many of the State of Israel's early leaders, including David Ben-Gurion
, Abba Eban
, Golda Meir
, Henrietta Szold
and Judah Magnes.
Dr. Glueck was the author of several books on archaeology, religion, and the intersection of the two. They include Explorations in Eastern Palestine (4 vol., 1934–51), The Other Side of the Jordan (1940), The River Jordan (1946), Rivers in the Desert: A History of the Negev (1959), Deities and Dolphins (1965), and Hesed in the Bible (1968). Although he worked to develop a historical understanding of biblical events, Dr. Glueck always maintained that his faith was not based on a literal interpretation of the bible. To do that, he once said, would be to "confuse fact
with faith
, history
with holiness
, science
with religion
." He died in Cincinnati in 1971, after having previously announced plans to step down from the HUC presidency the following year, and just four months after his final trip to Israel. He was succeeded as president of HUC by Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk
.
The Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology at the Hebrew Union College
is named after Dr. Glueck.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, academic
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and archaeologist
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
. Dr Glueck served as president of Hebrew Union College
Hebrew Union College
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
from 1947 until his death, and his pioneering work in biblical archaeology
Biblical archaeology
For the movement associated with William F. Albright and also known as biblical archaeology, see Biblical archaeology school. For the interpretation of biblical archaeology in relation to biblical historicity, see The Bible and history....
resulted in the discovery of 1,500 ancient sites.
Biography
Born in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
in 1900 to German Jewish parents, Glueck developed a passion for religion early in life, and was ordained as a Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
rabbi in 1923. He received his Ph.D from the University of Jena in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1926. By 1928 he was a member of the Hebrew Union College
Hebrew Union College
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
faculty, teaching at the seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
of the Reform Jewish
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
movement. It was during this time period that he first visited the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. Over his career, he developed an intimate knowledge of the land's rich history. Dr. Glueck, an expert on ancient pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, was able to match small fragments of ceramic to distinct time periods. He was the first to identify some ancient wares such as the Edomite pottery
Edomite pottery
Edomite pottery is the name given to several ware types found in archaeological sites in southern Jordan and the Negev dated to the 7th and 6th centuries BCE.It is attributed to the Biblical people of the Edomites....
and Midianite ware, while he re-discovered the now-called Negevite pottery
Negevite pottery
Negevite pottery is the name given to a hand-made ware found in Iron Age sites of the Negev desert and southern Jordan. It was produced from coarse clay containing straw and other organic materials. It was discovered by C. Leonard Woolley and T.E...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Dr Glueck used his intimate knowledge of Palestine's geography to help the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
develop a contingency plan for a retreat from Nazi General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
who was advancing through Northern Africa. (Rommel was stopped, however, and the plan was not needed.)
In the 1950s, Dr Glueck discovered remains of the advanced Nabataean civilization in what was then Transjordan
Transjordan
The Emirate of Transjordan was a former Ottoman territory in the Southern Levant that was part of the British Mandate of Palestine...
. Using irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
, the Nabateans were able to grow crops and develop a densely populated civilization in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
, despite receiving under six inches of rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
fall a year. Dr Glueck worked with Israeli leaders to build an irrigation system modeled on that of the Nabataeans.
Dr Glueck's scholarship led to personal relationships with many world leaders: he delivered the benediction
Benediction
A benediction is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service.-Judaism:...
at President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's inauguration
Inauguration
An inauguration is a formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a leader's term of office. An example is the ceremony in which the President of the United States officially takes the oath of office....
in 1961; and he was personal friends with many of the State of Israel's early leaders, including David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
, Abba Eban
Abba Eban
Abba Eban was an Israeli diplomat and politician.In his career he was Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister, Education Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and ambassador to the United States and to the United Nations...
, Golda Meir
Golda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
, Henrietta Szold
Henrietta Szold
Henrietta Szold was a U.S. Jewish Zionist leader and founder of the Hadassah Women's Organization. In 1942, she co-founded Ihud, a political party in Mandate Palestine dedicated to a binational solution.-Biography:...
and Judah Magnes.
Dr. Glueck was the author of several books on archaeology, religion, and the intersection of the two. They include Explorations in Eastern Palestine (4 vol., 1934–51), The Other Side of the Jordan (1940), The River Jordan (1946), Rivers in the Desert: A History of the Negev (1959), Deities and Dolphins (1965), and Hesed in the Bible (1968). Although he worked to develop a historical understanding of biblical events, Dr. Glueck always maintained that his faith was not based on a literal interpretation of the bible. To do that, he once said, would be to "confuse fact
Fact
A fact is something that has really occurred or is actually the case. The usual test for a statement of fact is verifiability, that is whether it can be shown to correspond to experience. Standard reference works are often used to check facts...
with faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
with holiness
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
with religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
." He died in Cincinnati in 1971, after having previously announced plans to step down from the HUC presidency the following year, and just four months after his final trip to Israel. He was succeeded as president of HUC by Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk
Alfred Gottschalk (Rabbi)
Alfred Gottschalk was a German-born American Rabbi who was a leader in the Reform Judaism movement, serving as head of the movement's Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion for 30 years, as president from 1971 to 1996, and then as chancellor until 2000...
.
The Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology at the Hebrew Union College
Hebrew Union College
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
is named after Dr. Glueck.
Biography
- Nelson Glueck: Biblical Archaeologist and President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Jonathan M. Brown, Laurence Kutler, Hebrew Union College Press, 2006
External links
- Article in Time Magazine, 13/12/1963