Thomas L. Thompson is famous for the long period of time he spent working as a janitor and house painter after his PhD was first denied by Ratzinger at Tubingen in 1971, and then awarded by Temple University in 1976. His dissertation was "The Quest for the Historical Abraham". He finally got a tenure-track position at University of Copenhagen in 1993.
His work has remained controversial throughout his career. In 1999 there was a flap in which he was accused of anti-Semitism, to which he replied here, making a number of points which I think are pretty important to keep in mind; including:
His work has remained controversial throughout his career. In 1999 there was a flap in which he was accused of anti-Semitism, to which he replied here, making a number of points which I think are pretty important to keep in mind; including:
1) "The three disciplines of Palestinian archaeology, history and biblical exegesis are independent disciplines which should not be harmonized. Each of these disciplines have their own methods and integrity. Our discourse needs to be subject to all three."
Thompson's magnum opus in the Old Testament field is "The Mythic Past:Biblical Archaeology and the Myth of Israel" (1999). He has also written about New Testament in "The Messiah Myth".
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