Dr. Gary A. Rendsburg, professor of Jewish History at Rutgers University, will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 19 at Beth El Congregation, 4900 Briarhaven Road.  His  illustrated lecture, titled “In Search of (Most) Ancient Israel,” is free and open to the public.

The program is presented by the Jewish Studies Program at Brite Divinity School.  Dr. Rendsburg will explore current scholarly views on the origins of Israel through a survey of archaeological data and written remains from both Egypt and Israel.

Dr. Rendsburg serves as the Blanche and Irving Laurie Professor of Jewish History at Rutgers University and holds positions in the Department of Jewish Studies and the Department of History. His teaching and research focus on ‘all things ancient Israel’ – primarily language and literature, though just as importantly history and archaeology. His academic pursuits also expand into the post-biblical and medieval periods, with special interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Cairo Geniza documents.
The author of six books and approximately 120 scholarly articles, Dr. Rendsburg is perhaps best known for his general survey of the biblical world entitled The Bible and the Ancient Near East (1997), co-authored with Cyrus H. Gordon.