God transplanted Dr. Putnam in 1970, but he remains a New England farmer “on loan” to Pennsylvania, where he has taught Hebrew, Greek, and biblical interpretation since 1982 at various institutions. He and his wife have three daughters, two sons-in-law, grandchildren, and four chickens. Recreation: baking, gardening, music, tea, Ankersteinbaukasten. Recreational reading: education, literary criticism of poetry, military history, Chesterton, Pieper, Tolkien, Lewis, Williams (et al.).
Education
S.T.M., M.Div. Biblical Theological Seminary
M.A. The Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning
Ph.D. The Annenberg Research Institute
At Eastern Since 2012
Why I Teach at Eastern
I joined the faculty of the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University because of a number commitments, which I share: (1) to the liberal arts; (2) to the close and careful reading of primary texts; (3) to a pedagogy of conversation; (4) to seeking understanding and insight into the truth of reality with others; (5) to being part of a group of Christians seeking to become “who we already are”; and (6) to pursuing all of these things with like-minded colleagues and relatively small groups of students.
Courses Taught at Eastern
Honors Old Testament, Honors New Testament, Nature & Meaning of the Old Testament, Nature & Meaning of the New Testament
Research Interests
Metaphor; Bible translation (including the LXX); discourse analysis of Hebrew narrative; prosody of biblical poetry
Books
- A New Approach to Biblical Hebrew (Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2010).
- Proverbs. The Complete Biblical Library. Old Testament Study Bible (World Library Press, 1998).
- Card-Guide to Biblical Hebrew (Stylus, 1996; rev. ed., 1997).
- Hebrew Bible Insert: A Student’s Guide to the Syntax of Biblical Hebrew (Stylus, 1996; 2nd ed., 2003).
- A Cumulative Scripture Index of Hebrew Grammar & Syntax (Eisenbrauns, 1996).
Select Articles
- “Warning: You are Being Seduced” (Proverbs 25.15), and “Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.” (Ecclesiastes 1.2), both in Devotions from the Hebrew Bible. (Zondervan, 2014).
- “Redeemed Intimacy: The Song of Songs”, in Modern Reformation, Nov-Dec 2001.
